Specialist, Foster Care

A Foster Care Specialist provides case management and support services to children and families in the Specialized Foster Care Program. This individual also establishes and maintains relationships with lead agencies, service providers, schools, and legal parties regarding the status, needs, and progress of the children in foster care.

• Assess, match, coordinate, and facilitate placement of children.
• Develop treatment plans for children.
• Advocate for the child ensuring all physical and emotional needs are met.
• Provide supervision for visits between a child and their biological family members when required.
• Transport children to medical and/or dental appointments as needed.
• Guide and instruct foster parents in addressing behavioral or other problems within the home.
• Conduct foster parent training in alignment with PS-MAPP and monitor ongoing training.
• Conduct home studies and initiate/oversee the licence process for new foster homes.
• Coordinate, oversee, and approve respite care for the foster parents.
• Support foster parent efforts to carry out the treatment plan and intervention strategies.
• Ensure foster parents maintain therapeutic environments and establish appropriate relationships for children in their home.
• Conduct assessments of foster families where allegations of neglect or maltreatment of children have occurred.
• Participate in planning and presentation of quarterly support meetings for foster parents.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to provide on-call emergency intervention to foster families in crisis situations, including assessing safety and making immediate recommendations regarding appropriate interventions.
• Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Awareness and sensitivity of the constituents and populations served by the agency.
• Regular and predictable attendance, and promptness for work.
• Commitment to uphold the mission, vision, values of Lutheran Family Services.
• Support Lutheran Family Services in the organization’s objective to be a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace.
• Verbal Communication
• Empathy
• Critical Thinking
• Organizational Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in social work, sociology, psychology, or another human services field.
• One year of experience in the delivery of human services to individuals and/or families required. Three or more years of experience is preferred.
• Experience in child welfare preferred, specifically home-based, foster care, or residential programming.
• Knowledge and understanding of attachment, grief and loss, abuse, and neglect as it relates to children in foster care.
• Knowledge of community resources available to children and families.
• Valid driver’s license, proof of liability automotive insurance, and ability to drive for organization business.
• Bilingual in English and another language preferred (desired languages mirror the languages spoken by our client populations, including but not limited to Spanish, Arabic, etc.).

• Hybrid work environment (field, in-office, and remote).
• Must have reliable transportation and be able to travel beyond 50 miles in a personal vehicle to attend trainings, supervise foster homes, and maintain face-to-face contact with clients depending on level of care required.
• Share in rotation to provide 24-hour on-call coverage and supervision to foster parents including evenings and/or weekends to meet client needs (as directed).

Lutheran Family Services is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of age, race, religion, color, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.