Kinship Navigator

Good Shepherd Services•Bronx, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Kinship Navigator identifies and engages kinship resources for youth in foster care. The role serves as the primary point of contact for kinship families, providing support, addressing needs, and assessing the impact of programming, systems, policies, and procedures related to kinship care. The Kinship Navigator works collaboratively with internal teams to promote timely, stable, and permanent kinship placements. The position is in the Family Foster Care program and is based at 7 West Burnside Ave, Bronx, NY 10453. The schedule is 35 hours per week. The position is onsite; hybrid work may be permitted at the discretion of Program Leadership following the probationary period. The salary range is $50,000–$55,000, based on relevant postgraduate education and experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Minimum of two years of postgraduate experience.
Flexibility to work evenings and occasional weekends.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and build collaborative relationships.
Strong family support and customer service skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and general computer literacy.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Commitment to strength-based practice and/or a youth development framework.

Nice To Haves

MSW preferred.
Bilingual Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement needs assessments for potential kinship caregivers.
Partner with Intake Specialists to review and assess new referrals to the foster care program.
Attend initial family conferences for youth in foster care to identify potential kinship resources.
Integrate kinship resource identification, including father engagement, within the first 30 days of foster care placement.
Review case records and interview the child or youth, case planner, and available family members to develop genograms that support family finding.
Collaborate with program staff to ensure all youth in foster care are assessed for potential kinship placement.
Conduct diligent search efforts to identify appropriate kinship families and follow up with people who know the child, have expressed interest, or have had a positive relationship with the child.
Meet with family members and potential kinship resources to discuss the status and progress of permanent kinship placements.
Coordinate and support pre-placement visits between youth and kinship resources.
Refer kinship caregivers to kinship services and community-based resources outside the formal foster care system.
Provide ongoing support to youth and kinship families, including home visits, to promote placement stability.
Meet monthly with youth and case planners to review kinship placement progress.
Collaborate with the Homefinding Department to support the training and certification of kinship homes, as appropriate.
Maintain timely and accurate documentation in Connections.
Attend trainings related to kinship care, including classroom instruction, online modules, and webinars.
Submit monthly data reports related to intakes, kinship placements, and outreach activities.
Apply Trauma-Informed Practices in all aspects of service delivery.
Perform other duties as assigned.