Foster Family Services Social Worker
About The Position
New Alternatives for Children, Inc. (NAC) is an award-winning not-for-profit agency dedicated to serving children and families with medical complexities, chronic illnesses, and disabilities throughout the five boroughs. To assist in achieving this mission, NAC is currently seeking a Foster Family Services Social Worker to join its Homefinding Department. The Homefinding Department is a specialized unit within the Foster Care Program responsible for the recruitment, assessment, licensure, training, and support of foster and adoptive families who can care for children with complex medical and healthcare needs. The department plays a critical role in ensuring that children entering foster care are placed in safe, stable, and clinically appropriate family settings that can meet both their medical, emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs.
Requirements
- MSW from an accredited school of social work; LMSW preferred. Or master's degree in a related field from an accredited academic institution.
- Child Welfare experience; prior work in foster care preferred.
- Prior experience working with diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Knowledge of health-related factors in working with medically fragile and/or chronically ill children, knowledge of mental health diagnoses, as well as experience in the area of child and adolescent development.
- Strong clinical assessment and engagement skills
- Excellent professional writing and communication
- Time and task management
- Organized and detail oriented
- Desire to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team
- Creative problem-solving
- Field/Home-based work with assigned clients
Nice To Haves
- NTDC Leader Certification a plus!
Responsibilities
- Complete thorough assessments of prospective foster/adoptive families' willingness and ability to provide care to children with special healthcare needs. Assessments will include all members of the household or family.
- Assist in facilitating the matching process of children referred for placement with the most appropriate family.
- Conduct office, home and community visits as required by each case.
- Train prospective foster families in City and State approved trauma informed pre-certification training curriculum and assists with ongoing recertification foster parent training for licensed foster parents.
- Complete all ACS and NAC paperwork in a timely manner and ensure that documentation in foster parent records conforms to agency, City and State regulatory requirements.
- Maintain caseload through CONNECTIONS, including bed availability, training, and annual re-certification of assigned families.
- Maintains hard copy of foster parent records.
- Participate in individual and group supervision.
- Participate in agency staff meetings and clinical in-service trainings.
- Participates in Family Team Conferences and Case Reviews as needed.
- Provide advocacy, information and referrals to other NAC departments and outside agencies as requested.
- Responsible for 24-hour on-call duty coverage on a rotating basis.
- May provide individual therapy and/or group work services as assigned.
- May be asked to assist other units on an as needed basis.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
