Family Connections Specialist

Every Child's Hope•Maryland Heights, MO

About The Position

Are you passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of children and families who have experienced multiple traumatic events? Every Child's Hope, a compassionate non-profit organization, is seeking a dedicated Family Connections Specialist to join our team. Our mission is to partner with the community in supporting children, youth, and families on their journey to health and wholeness through quality, professional, and faithful services. If you are ready to be part of a team that makes a real difference, read on! Your Role: This position provides statewide support to foster care case management (FCCM) agencies that are part of the Missouri Alliance for Children and Families (MACF) consortium. This position provides diligent search and engagement services to identify and locate the parents, grandparents, or other relatives. This process begins when the child is assigned to one of the FCCM agencies served by the Missouri Alliance for Children and Families and may be restarted based on Missouri Statutes requirements or FCCM agency requests.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, juvenile justice, guidance and counseling or other comparable human service field and 1 year of related experience, preferrable within the child welfare system.
Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Demonstrate an understanding of family dynamics and systems and its relation to engagement of family.
Understand the values and skills related to diligent search and engaging families and demonstrate a professional alignment with these values.
Knowledge case management requirements for the foster care case management within the child welfare system, or related case management experience.
Demonstrate effective communication skills, both verbal and written.
Self-motivator with strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills.
Strong presentation and public speaking skills.
Computer Skills: word processing, spreadsheet, internet, email, software, etc.

Responsibilities

Engage in research, investigation using database systems, social media, and other web-based searches, to assist in locating and meeting parents/guardians, extended family, and any other kinship or natural supports.
Engagement of family and other natural supports that may be located through searching and interviewing. This may include in-home visits with families, client visits in their placement and traveling to other locations to gather information necessary to perform job duties.
Complete all required documentation, both internal and externally mandated documentation using required forms. Upload these documents to the required databases.
Create and maintain a genogram. Use this genogram to add relatives and kinship names as they are identified. Upload genogram to Missouri’s statewide database and MACF’s database.
Attend and actively participate in court hearings, and other meetings that parents or relatives may attend. Additionally participate in other administrative meetings as required.
Provide information to the case manager through both written and verbal reports, and other means as required. Consult with case manager during the process of locating and contacting family resources, keeping them informed of next steps.
Responsible for being trauma aware, sensitive, and responsive to youth, families, and colleagues through the completion of new hire and annual trauma informed education and training.
Attend all required training in accordance with Every Child’s Hope, Children’s Division, and Missouri Alliance for Children and Families.
Travel as the job duties require, may involve overnight stays.
Flexible schedule that may require evenings or weekends.
Other duties as required/assigned.