Case Worker - Connected Families

About Arkansas Baptist Children & Family Ministries:

Our mission is to build, strengthen, and restore Arkansas families for the glory of God. We pursue justice for the children and families of Arkansas. Family is the foundation of healthy childhoods, churches, and communities. We are here to support families and provide resources to strengthen family outcomes.

The focus of this position is to develop children and families, increase placement numbers and stability, permanency, and the best outcomes for children and foster families. All actions are geared toward the best interest of the client and strengthening the family unit, through providing needed resources while building and strengthening resource families for long-term stability in foster care ministry, with a Christ-centered focus.

The Caseworker is responsible for integrated client services from initial placement to permanency as well as foster family services from family application, opening, and ongoing family assessment and support. This is a ministry position where the main responsibility is to meet the above definition through service while sharing the Gospel in speech and action in alignment with all employment qualifications outlined in the employee handbook.

• Foster Placement Specific Responsibilities: manage all placement services from the time a child is placed through the child's final day of care, including:
• Placement in an appropriate Connected Foster Home per policy and regular meetings with foster parents/placement providers to assess needs and address concerns at least monthly.
• Facilitating and participating in case staffing events (internal and external providers).
• Attend court hearings as approved by your supervisor.
• Establish necessary services for clients as part of a team with foster placement, therapy providers, and other providers to meet needs promptly.
• Plan and calendar a minimum of one face-to-face visit per month for each assigned client in placement.
• Assist with visitation plans for clients and biological or adoptive families according to policy.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for placement changes, including new placements, discharges, and disruptions from the home.
• Maintain all child client files for compliance in the electronic record system, including placement packet, assessment, case plan, visitation plan, plan of safe care, and ongoing paperwork.
• Timely completion of all case activity according to licensing and policy due dates; 24-business-hour turnaround for client contact notes.

• Foster Home Specific Responsibilities: assess applicant families to meet licensing requirements and alignment with the agency mission; include all necessary documentation to license or re-evaluate a resource family.
• Complete home studies within 90 days of application; ongoing evaluations as required.
• Facilitate and assist with teaching resource parent ongoing service trainings as needed.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for placement changes, including new placements, discharges, and disruptions from the home.
• Placement Focused Services: prepare and coach families through initial placement as new resource families; establish trust-based relationships to inform placement decisions; monitor placement vacancies and update supervisors; fill vacant beds within family preferences or needs.
• Maintain compliance files for all “family” records in the electronic system; ensure timely case activity and 24-hour turnaround for client notes; establish CEU trainings in partnership with the Connected Team to meet yearly requirements for each home.
• Foster Home Recruitment & Retention: respond to inquiries within one business day; engage with local churches to recruit foster families; coordinate with local teams to meet needs; assist in developing and executing regional fundraisers.
• Other Responsibilities:
  
  cover peer caseloads as needed; participate in agency-wide on-call rotations; provide crisis de-escalation; participate in supervision and KPI reviews; complete 24 CEUs annually; maintain effective communication with internal and external team members. The Caseworker is expected to provide 40+ hours per week, including evenings and weekends as needed.

• A bachelor’s degree in a human services field.
• Two (2) years’ work experience in a human services field preferred.