Encompass Foster Care Specialist

Eliot Community Human Services • Danvers, MA

5d

About The Position

Eliot’s Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) division is seeking a Foster Care Specialist for its Encompass program. Referred by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the program uses peer-to-peer mentoring to support, educate, and stabilize foster families. It serves caregivers facing increased needs or crises, as well as those seeking training and support to better understand the effects of trauma. The specialist draws on personal experience as a foster parent to help new and existing foster parents navigate challenges and access support.

This position provides peer support through in-person visits, collateral contacts, case conferences, and virtual group services. The specialist assesses family needs, develops and reviews treatment plans, helps caregivers overcome barriers to services and community resources, and builds their skills to respond to the behavioral health needs of children in their care. The schedule is flexible Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., for a total of 20 hours per week. The hourly rate is $21. Bilingual candidates fluent in a needed language (Spanish or Haitian/Creole) may be eligible for a 6% salary increase.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• At least three years of experience as a foster, kinship, or adoptive parent for the Department of Children and Families.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation to and from work and to provide community-based services.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Fluency in a needed language, specifically Spanish or Haitian/Creole, may qualify for a 6% salary increase.

Responsibilities

• Engage foster parents in peer support services and activities according to the program model, including in-person visits, collateral contacts, case conferences, and virtual group services.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries when sharing personal foster-parent experiences, best practices, lessons learned, and effective interventions to establish relationships and deliver identified services.
• Conduct Protective Factors assessments and develop individualized treatment plans with foster parents based on identified family needs and DCF service request information; reevaluate plans at least every three months.
• Help foster parents address barriers to services for ongoing behavioral health needs and community resources for children placed in their homes.
• Help foster parents build skills to meet the behavioral health needs of children in their homes through education, support, coaching, modeling, and guidance.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off, including vacation, sick time, and paid holidays, for benefit-eligible positions.
• Medical, dental, and vision plans for benefit-eligible positions.
• 401(k) with employer match for benefit-eligible positions.
• Discounted fitness services and access to childcare resources.
• Company-paid life and accidental death insurance.
• Ongoing training, career advancement programs, tuition reimbursement, and leadership development.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Education Level: High school or GED