Foster Care Licensing Specialist

StepStone Family & Youth Services•Upper Township, OH

About The Position

StepStone Family & Youth Services provides trauma-informed, youth-centered services to children and families involved in foster care. The Foster Care Licensing Specialist recruits prospective foster parents, guides families through licensing and certification, completes home studies, maintains licensing compliance, and provides ongoing support to foster families. The role works with foster parents, treatment teams, referral sources, leadership, and community partners to promote placement stability and positive outcomes for youth and families. The position is suited to an organized, energetic, solutions-focused professional committed to trauma-informed, strengths-based, and family-centered practices. The specialist supports families throughout licensing and helps build a network of qualified foster families and safe, stable, healing homes for children. StepStone Family and Youth Services, an affiliate of BrightSpring Health Services, provides residential and family services, foster care training, respite care, and support services. It also offers young adults transitioning from foster care personalized guidance and basic life-skills training for independent living.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, childhood education, education, counseling, another human services or behavioral science field, or public administration.
At least one year of work experience in a child placing agency, department of family and children services, or nonprofit agency.
Complete Tier 1 and Tier 2 State Assessor training and maintain Assessor certification.
Strong recruiting mentality and general understanding of the recruiting lifecycle, from sourcing and lead generation through filling positions.
Knowledge of recruiting strategies, including social media platforms.
Strong attention to detail; highly organized, energetic, and positive and encouraging.
Ability to cold call, pursue leads, and turn candidates into licensed caregivers.
Ability to remain client-focused and use independent judgment in problem-solving.
Strong interpersonal skills.
Strong project management, new business development, and client retention skills.
Documented track record of achieving targeted objectives.
Critical-thinking skills, intellectual curiosity, and sound business judgment.
Outstanding telephone presence and superior written communication skills.
Team-oriented, natural leadership, and competitive qualities.

Nice To Haves

One to two years of experience in resource development, foster parent recruitment, and retention.
One year of marketing, fundraising, and event coordination experience.
One to five years of full-cycle recruiting experience in a fast-paced, professional-oriented environment.

Responsibilities

Coordinate and participate in recruitment and awareness activities to recruit prospective foster and adoptive parents and build community relationships.
Develop and implement strategic recruitment plans to attract and certify qualified candidates and maintain a pipeline of active and prospective candidates for future training and certification.
Respond to foster parent inquiries by phone within 24 hours.
Develop strategies for general, targeted, and child-specific recruitment and marketing.
Follow agency and state licensing requirements and ensure foster parents comply with regulations.
Assist with and complete foster parent certification, including required documentation.
Conduct parent interviews, background clearances, and home inspections to assess suitability, safety, and youth well-being.
Maintain foster parent files in compliance with agency and state regulations.
Assist with placements and match youth with foster parents based on the youth's needs and the foster family's training, strengths, and expertise.
Maintain professional boundaries, conduct, and confidentiality, and follow applicable laws, regulations, agency policy, and licensure ethics.
Attend required company meetings and community meetings to collaborate with referral sources and community providers.
Support treatment team members, including case managers, therapists, foster parents, and youth, to meet needs and promote placement stability.
Promote the safety and well-being of youth in care by observing for signs of abuse or neglect.
Travel to affiliate locations and recruitment events.
Participate with the program supervisor in developing and implementing corrective action plans for foster parents.
Provide services that respect each family’s and youth’s cultural background, heritage, and identity.
Conduct monthly foster parent record reviews, covering 25% each month.
Conduct monthly foster parent meetings and training sessions.
See children in their homes at least monthly, as needed.
Create and maintain child files and complete monthly reports for each child, as needed.