PERMANENCY SPECIALIST - HONDO - HYBRID

SJRC Texas Inc•Hondo, TX

13h•$48,000 - $55,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The candidate must reside within Medina County or the direct surrounding areas in Region 8. This role promotes the well-being of children in the Permanency Program, participates in staff meetings and training, and coordinates with external agencies. The specialist manages a caseload of Permanency cases, assessing needs for placement, safety, family strengths, and resources. They plan and facilitate permanency, assist caregivers in providing a safe environment, and maintain relationships with public and private agencies involved in Permanency and Adoption services. The position requires conducting and coordinating assessments, ensuring case record accuracy, and coordinating program requirements. Responsibilities include conducting case planning conferences, facilitating family/youth preparation for permanency, and coordinating with various staff and agencies for adoptions and independent living placements. The role also involves developing recruitment plans for children without adoptive resources, providing 24-hour on-call support, crisis intervention, and supporting post-permanency services. Compiling statistical data and completing documentation are also key duties. The role requires cultural sensitivity and responsiveness, regular attendance, and performing other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university in Child Welfare or related field plus two (2) years of relevant work experience OR 60 accredited college credit hours plus two (2) years relevant work experience OR 90 accredited college credit hours plus one (1) year of relevant work experience.
Valid Texas Driver’s License, safe driving record, ability to provide own transportation and proof of current automobile insurance.
Training/Licensure/Certifications as required by SJRC Texas/Belong.
Ability to understand and assist with the role changes that occur in foster and kinship care.
Ability to counsel regarding issues of separation and loss for the child, family, and caregivers.
A commitment to a child’s right to belong to a family.
A commitment to preserving, whenever possible, a child’s connection to the family of origin.
A commitment to reunifying a child with his/her biological family.
Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and experience to assess the need for placement, assess safety, assess family strengths and needs, assess placement resources for the child and care providers/kinship caregivers, plan for and facilitate permanency, and assist care providers, kinship, caregivers, and adoptive resource families in providing a safe, nurturing environment for children in their care.
Demonstrate skills in separation and loss issues for the child in care, family systems, conflict resolution and mediation, understanding loyalty issues a child and kinship caregiver and youth and adoptive resource families may face, and general issues related to reunification of children with their family, as well as those related to adoption.
Knowledge of child development.
Knowledge of family dynamics.
Skill in effective verbal and written communication.
Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.
Skill in problem solving techniques.
Ability to operate a personal computer.
Ability to travel and attend child and family visits as well as other work-related appointments and meetings after 5PM.
Ability to be on call on a rotating basis and work irregular hours when necessary.
Ability to work in an emotion-filled environment which may require conducting home visits in isolated or high crime areas and may involve exposure to substandard and unsanitary living conditions.
Body mobility to stoop, kneel, bend, reach, walk and walk briskly to interact with and monitor children.
Stamina to work long days and drive long distances.
Moderate to heavy lifting up to 60 pounds.
Must have the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing.
Environment requires dexterity to remain calm and adapt to fast paced and emotional environments consisting of children with moderate to severe emotional and psychological needs.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Child Welfare or related field OR Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Child Welfare or related field.

Responsibilities

Manages a caseload of Permanency placements from investigators and / or Family Based Safety Services Caseworkers after children are removed from their homes, placed in CPS conservatorship, and placed in care outside their homes.
Assess the need for placement, safety, family strengths and needs, and placement resources for the child and care provider/kinship/adoption caregivers.
Plans for and facilitates permanency and assists care providers and kinship caregivers in providing a safe, nurturing environment for children in their care.
Maintains a close working relationship with public and private agencies involved in providing Permanency and Adoption services/support.
Conducts and coordinates assessments.
Ensures the accuracy, content, and completeness of child/family case records.
Coordinates Permanency Program and requirements with public and private agencies.
Conducts case planning conferences at required intervals.
Facilitates family/youth preparation for permanency through training, family to family mentoring, family assessment, consultations, home visits, etc.
Following best practice standards, coordinates with staff on cases where the primary case plan goal is adoption or when a Permanency Round Table (PRT) has occurred.
Facilitates requirements for PRT through public/private agencies and the court system.
Coordinates with Care Management and Foster Care and Adoption staff on placement of children in identified adoptive placements.
Works in concert with the Adoption Accelerator to facilitate requirements for PRT through public/private agencies and the court system and prepares the child for special needs adoption as required.
Coordinates with the resource exchange contractor for potential adoptive resources for children when no identified resource is available and sends all information to the appropriate person.
Works in concert with the Independent Living Coordinator to prepare children for independent living and to support those placed in an independent living environment.
Plans for and facilitates permanency and assists adoptive resources in providing a safe, nurturing environment for youth in their care.
Develops targeted recruitment plans for children with no adoptive resources.
Provides 24-hour, on-call support to the children/families served.
Provides crisis intervention, when required.
Meets the individual needs of children in kinship care and assists caregivers to provide a stable and loving home for relative children.
With the assistance of Care Management staff, ensures children are placed in appropriate placements in the timelines required.
Coordinates adoption planning and dissolutions.
Supports the Post Adoption Case Manager in ensuring follow-on support services are accomplished after permanency is achieved.
Compiles monthly statistical data and reports and forwards it to appropriate agencies.
Completes documentation and forwards reports containing descriptive, analytical, and evaluative content.
Coordinates with Agency staff, and staff from external public and private agencies, on the delivery of services to children and families.
Advocates, promotes, and practices cultural sensitivity and responsiveness in all day-to-day interactions.
Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers, clients, and all work-related contacts.
Attends work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy.
Perform other related duties as assigned.