Family Service Case Manager

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois • Chicago, IL

9d • $58,000 - $61,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI), a leading not-for-profit organization, is seeking a full-time Family Findings Specialist. This role involves reaching out to potential families who can meet the needs of specific youth, attending community events, conducting research and investigation to locate absentee parents/guardians, and identifying potential extended family/fictive kinship relationships. The specialist will assist family caseworkers in expanding resources for children and families in foster care and serve as a team member in multidisciplinary teams to facilitate connections and improve permanency outcomes for complex cases.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, other human services field, or criminal justice is required.
• Communication experience in investigation and person location preferred.
• Strong communication skills.
• Research skills.
• Experience working with children with special needs a plus.
• Strong leadership, organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to pass a background check.
• Full access to SACWIS in order to “file mine’ (review investigative reports, previous assessments, case notes, placement history, collateral contacts, etc.) in the initiation of Family Finding activities.
• Internet accessibility to search tools and engines.
• Access to and knowledge of completing background checks.
• Excellent communication, organization, presentation and pc/computer skills (including proficiency with Microsoft Office – Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint) along with other related software.
• Valid IL statutory minimum liability auto insurance coverage (including bodily injury and property damage).
• Valid Illinois driver’s license and proof of automobile liability insurance required.
• Access to transportation for visits and to transport clients to and from appointments.

Nice To Haves

• CWEL preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Reaching out to potential families who are most likely to meet the needs for the specific youth.
• Attending, and participating in community events throughout the area.
• Doing extensive research, investigation, and outreach in locating absentee parents/guardians.
• Identifying and locating potential extended family/fictive kinship relationships.
• Assisting the family caseworker with facilitating the expansion of resources needed to better serve children and their families involved in foster care.
• Serving as a team member within the multidisciplinary team or Child and Family Team Meeting to facilitate connections between newly found family/fictive kin members, supports, and other collateral resources to resolve complex and stalled cases to improve permanency outcomes.
• Understanding implicit bias and how to work within a system that impacts decisions for youth and their families when locating placement options.
• Having the ability to have crucial conversations with staff and other child and family team members.
• Providing professional technical assistance and resource development support to casework staff who serve children with specialized and problematic behavior service needs.
• Driving to various locations to attend meetings, conferences, or to locate and assess family homes as needed.
• Utilizing a family-centered, trauma-informed, strength-based, and EDI lens through which youth and family needs are assessed.
• Engaging the youth (as age-appropriate), birth parents, family and social connections, foster parents, and staff to facilitate and support stability and permanency for the youth.
• Using strong, creative problem-solving skills, and non-traditional search methods to identify and locate family members and supportive connections.
• Conducting diligent search activities across multiple databases, systems, social media, and other websites.
• Completing required forms and SACWIS documentation, sending written correspondence, and logging / tracking data for use by the foster care team.
• Using ecomaps, genograms, and other tools to map and locate prospective supports and placement resources for the youth and family.
• Identifying and engaging familial supports and connections including relatives and fictive kin for the purpose of life-long connections and permanency achievement.
• Assisting in training potential foster parents and biological parents/relatives of foster children, as assigned.
• Engaging in a variety of techniques to meet and communicate with potential foster parents, including attending events, networking, social media, and other strategies.
• Supporting potential foster parents to provide information and encourage engagement through the licensing process.
• Taking the lead in engaging in both proactive general and target foster family recruitment efforts for youth in the foster care system.
• Coordinating services and attending meetings with other agencies, systems, and community providers to meet the needs of the clients.
• Performing other related tasks as needed.

Benefits

• On Demand Flexible Paydays for earned wages through an app called Dayforce Wallet.
• Competitive salary based upon relevant education, experience and licensure.
• Opportunity for advancement.
• Comprehensive benefits package for Full-Time employees includes healthcare insurance, up to 26 days of paid time off per calendar year, 11 paid holidays, sick time, 403(b) plan, Employee Assistance Program, and flexible hours.
• Paid training.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level