Foster Care Case Manager

Sunbeam Family Services, Inc.•Oklahoma City, OK

48d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Foster Care Case Manager provides ongoing case management, support, advocacy, and education to Sunbeam foster families and foster children. This position works closely with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) to coordinate appropriate care and services, ensure continuation of foster family certification, and upholds safety expectations for foster families and the children in their care. The Foster Care Case Manager assists in recruitment and retainment efforts of Sunbeam foster families and serves as an advocate for families and children in the foster care system. All employees and volunteers are expected to be sensitive to our clients’ cultural and socio-economic characteristics, reflect Sunbeam Family Services core values and to perform at Sunbeam’s standards of excellence at all times.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree: In Social Work; OR In a behavioral or social science or a related field; OR Any field with at least nine-college credit hours in family focus, individual function and interaction, child development, sociology, social work; and or a closely related subject.
12 months (1 year) of experience in children’s or family services required if Bachelor’s degree is in a behavioral or social science or a related field.
24 months (2 years) of experience in children’s or family services required if Bachelor’s degree is not social work, behavioral or social science, or a related field.
Work experience with OKDHS, social work, or foster care.
Caring and compassionate attitude when interacting with and caring for children and families, including both foster and biological families of children in the foster care system.
Accepting interpersonal approach that reflects cultural sensitivity to the unique and diverse experiences of children and families served.
Excellent command of English language and grammar, both verbal and written.
Willingness to work with children and families from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Must exercise good judgment and assessment skills.
Able to appropriately respond to stressful and crises situations, including after hours on call.
Able to effectively and respectfully communicate in a manner that consistently demonstrates respect and concern.
Intermediate knowledge of computer operations and applications and the ability to master other computer technology/software programs, as needed.
Process, protect and exercise discretion in handling confidential information and materials.
Excellent problem solving, time management, and organizational skills.
Able to work as a cooperative and supportive interdisciplinary team member.
Sustained concentration to detail and accuracy, along with the ability to prioritize workload.
Ability to provide case management services to children and families, while working with OKDHS and other external systems and requirements.
Valid Oklahoma driver’s license and state required vehicle insurance for any vehicle used in performance of job duties.
Able to frequently work evenings, weekends, and perform on-call duties as required by the job.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual Spanish/English speaking ability to interact with children and families from multilingual homes.

Responsibilities

Provide ongoing case management services to foster families and foster children, including assessment, monitoring, phone support, crisis management, and coordination of services and placements.
Conduct and document face-to-face individual interviews with each family and child at least once per month or more often if needed to continually assess the needs and competencies of the foster family and ensure the safety of the children.
Maintain consistent contact (verbal or written) with foster families to provide ongoing support, connection to resources, and ensure a stable and nurturing environment for children.
Perform all aspects of admissions and discharges, including identifying placement considerations, coordination with families and Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), and completion of accurate documentation within 24 hours, or as otherwise required by program.
Engage in a process of collaborative partnership building with foster families, OKDHS or other stakeholders to ensure permanency needs of children are met.
Represent and advocate for the comprehensive needs of foster families within interdisciplinary teams and the child welfare system.
Participate in 10-day staffing of investigations and develop proactive written plans of compliance for foster families as necessary.
Complete annual updates, reassessments, and assessments as necessary to maintain or establish foster family certification.
Perform Resource Family Assessments to assist in the timely certification of families in the pipeline on an as needed basis.
Assist in the development and implementation of foster family annual training plan, ensuring training hour requirements are met by each foster family on a yearly basis.
Provide training or support groups as needed.
Assist in the development and implementation of detailed recruitment plan and engage in recruitment activities.
Serve as on call support and crisis intervention for foster families on a rotating basis with other members of the foster care team staff.
Completes required documentation in a timely manner and ensure all documents are uploaded to the designated electronic record keeping system within 48 hours of completion.
Notify supervisor immediately of any crisis or child abuse and neglect situations and submit appropriate documentation to OKDHS and Sunbeam.
Provides transportation of foster children as needed to assist foster families.
Assist with gathering information and documentation for program audits.
Actively participates in the Performance Quality Improvement process by understanding program specific outcomes and assisting with collection of outputs and outcomes as needed.
Participates in monthly and/or quarterly case record reviews as directed.
Perform required and other assigned duties in a manner that demonstrates compliance with Sunbeam and program policy / procedures and applicable grants/contracts.
Represent Sunbeam in community collaborations and events as directed by supervisor.
Promote culturally sensitive practice.
Travel locally as required in the performance of responsibilities.
Perform other appropriate and related responsibilities as assigned by supervisor, Senior Program Director, Chief Program Officer, or Chief Executive Officer.