Senior Permanency Specialist - Hybrid

Salary Range: $60,000.00 To $65,000.00 Annually

The candidate must reside within the following county(s) within Region 8:
Bexar, Kerr, Bandera, Gillespie, Kendall, Comal, Guadalupe, Frio, La Salle, Atascosa, Wilson, Karnes, Victoria, De Witt, Lavaca, Calhoun, Jackson, Val Verde, Edwards, Real, Kinney, Uvalde, Medina, Maverick, Zavala, and Dimmit County.

The Senior Specialist works directly under the Permanency Director to assist all units with caseload management. This is a floating position that moves within the region at the discretion of the Permanency Director. The Senior Specialist promotes the well‑being of children in the Permanency Program, participates in staff meetings and training and coordinates with staff from other agencies involved in the Permanency Program.

Manages a caseload of Permanency cases. Although this position is classified as hybrid, this position requires travel 95% of the time. Performs the following duties directly.

• Travel is required for this position, up to 95% of the work week.
• Manages a caseload of Permanency placements from investigators and / or Family Based Safety Services Caseworkers after children are removed from their homes, placed in CPS conservatorship, and placed in care outside their homes.
• Assess the need for placement, safety, family strengths and needs, and placement resources for the child and care provider/kinship/adoption caregivers.
• Plans for and facilitates permanency and assists care providers and kinship caregivers in providing a safe, nurturing environment for children in their care.
• Maintains a close working relationship with public and private agencies involved in providing Permanency and Adoption services/support.
• Conducts and coordinates assessments.
• Ensures the accuracy, content, and completeness of child/family case records.
• Coordinates Permanency Program and requirements with public and private agencies.
• Conducts case planning conferences at required intervals.
• Facilitates family/youth preparation for permanency through training, family to family mentoring, family assessment, consultations, home visits, etc.
• Following best practice standards, coordinates with staff on cases where the primary case plan goal is adoption or when a Permanency Round Table (PRT) has occurred.
• Facilitates requirements for PRT through public/private agencies and the court system.
• Coordinates with Care Management and Foster Care and Adoption staff on placement of children in identified adoptive placements.
• Works in concert with the Adoption Accelerator to facilitate requirements for PRT through public/private agencies and the court system and prepares the child for special needs adoption as required.
• Coordinates with the resource exchange contractor for potential adoptive resources for children when no identified resource is available and sends all information to the appropriate person. Works in concert with the Independent Living Coordinator to prepare children for independent living and to support those placed in an independent living environment.
• Assess the need for placement, safety, family strengths and needs.
• Plans for and facilitates permanency and assists adoptive resources in providing a safe, nurturing environment for youth in their care.
• Maintains a close working relationship with public and private agencies involved in providing adoption services/support.
• Develops targeted recruitment plans for children with no adoptive resources.
• Provides 24-hour, on-call support to the children/families served. Provides crisis intervention, when required.
• Meets the individual needs of children in kinship care and assists caregivers to provide a stable and loving home for relative children.
• With the assistance of Care Management staff, ensures children are placed in appropriate placements in the timelines required.
• Coordinates adoption planning and dissolutions.
• Supports the Post Adoption Case Manager in ensuring follow-on support services are accomplished after permanency is achieved.
• Compiles monthly statistical data and reports and forwards it to appropriate agencies.
• Completes documentation and forwards reports…