Placement Supervisor - Long-Term Foster Care

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains • Fort Collins, CO

18h • Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains (LFSRM) is a nonprofit, human services agency committed to community safety, support, and resiliency. Since 1948, LFSRM has provided support, guidance, and resource coordination to individuals and families, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age through family and refugee services. The Long-Term Foster Care (LTFC) program at LFSRM provides care and support to youth from other countries, who are here on their own, as they wait for their immigration case to be resolved so they can transition to a more long term program or living arrangement. The youth are placed with licensed foster families and attend public school while they are in the program, allowing them to have more normalized experiences in a family-based environment.

Requirements

• Familiarity with social work practice, human development, child welfare system and family systems, including appropriate local, state, and federal regulatory rules.
• Familiarity with assessment, care planning, facilitation, coordination, and advocating for supports on behalf of and in collaboration with an individual.
• Experience with crisis management, problem solving, and mediation best practices.
• Familiarity with the legal system as it applies to child welfare.
• Skills and sensitivity in working with youth and families from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds with a variety of challenges.
• Ability to communicate professionally and cooperate with members of the other professions involved with the youth.
• Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Must maintain a valid driver's license and carry personal auto liability insurance at the level of $100,000/300,000/100,000.
• Frequent local regional travel.
• May be required to transport clients in personal vehicle.
• A Bachelor's degree in the social or behavioral sciences and three (3) years of full-time child placement experience or Master's degree and one (1) year full-time experience in adoption or foster care and child placement.
• Possess certification in the SAFE assessment tool and SAFE supervisor certification, or the ability to become certified within 3 months of hire.
• Meets regulatory requirements for Placement Supervisor per state regulations for Child Placement Agencies.

Nice To Haves

• Bi-lingual English and Spanish strongly preferred.
• Bilingual Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the certification of foster care homes and the placements of youth in foster homes.
• Provide direct supervision to the members of the case management team.
• Provide casework and supportive services directly to a small caseload.
• Maintain communication with stakeholders in an effective and timely manner to ensure case continuity.
• Maintain a flexible, organized, and efficient work schedule and is subject to work extended hours and weekends.
• Oversees the study of potential foster families using the SAFE tool to determine the character and suitability of the applicants, appropriateness of the home and child care practices; assists with home study preparation.
• Reviews and signs home assessments including updates, renewals, and addenda; issue certificates; and post-placement reports.
• Oversees appropriate medical services for the children placed in care.
• Provides and documents monthly supervision of placement workers to review all home studies in process, certifications in renewal status, and current placement activity.
• Assesses potential placements based on information provided by counties and other referral agencies.
• Accompanies placement workers to pre-placement and placement visits between foster families and children, when possible.
• Conducts file reviews of foster parents and foster children as scheduled.
• Trains new employees on the placement of children, monthly paperwork, and job duties.
• Provides crisis intervention when needed.
• Supports the recruitment, retention and training of foster parents, as needed.
• Performs the job duties of a case manager worker when carrying a caseload.
• May participate in on call rotation.

Benefits

• Consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level