Treatment Foster Care Program Specialist

Portage County Ohio•Ravenna, OH

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Under the direct supervision of the Portage County Child and Adult Protective Services Administrator or designee, the Treatment Foster Care Program Specialist is designated and responsible for functions of a treatment foster care pilot program. This incumbent will take the lead in assisting with the recruitment, training and licensing of treatment foster homes and support of children and families once placement occurs. The position involves varied, non-standardized tasks requiring knowledge of established policies, rules, procedures, and laws. Errors in work may cause inaccuracies in reports or records, affecting the work of others and the safety and protection of children and the elderly. The incumbent has contacts with co-workers, other County employees, the general public, law enforcement, court authorities, community agencies, and schools to coordinate departmental efforts and provide a safe environment and protective services for children and the elderly.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or related field
Minimum of 5 years of relevant paid experience within a social services setting
Ability to operate a motor vehicle
Ability to drive at night
Valid Ohio driver's license and proper insurance
Knowledge of federal, state, county and departmental policies, procedures, and practices aligned with Job & Family Services
Knowledge of JFS computer systems and related software packages, including policies and procedures associated with their use
Ability to handle high levels of stress
Ability to gather data and use proper research methods
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
Ability to appropriately handle confidential information
Ability to work independently with minimal daily supervision
Ability to exercise attention to detail and to work on multiple tasks/projects
Ability to interact effectively and courteously with a variety of people both in-person and over the phone, occasionally under difficult circumstances
Ability to work as a team player, including establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with families, managers, employees and service providers
Ability to meet attendance standards
Ability to demonstrate strong organizational skills
Ability to maintain superior time-management skills
Ability to demonstrate conflict resolution and negotiation
Understanding the importance of Behavioral Management

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in social work within a social services setting
LISW, LSW, currently approved as an Assessor in the State of Ohio
Experience with behavioral needs and behavioral plans for children
Experience in a social services setting dealing with abuse and neglect
Experience in service coordination

Responsibilities

Complete all activities required and requested per county to implement, recruit, approve, license, train and monitor treatment foster care policy and all associated programming, including contact requirements and timely documentation.
Complete treatment plans and conduct treatment team meetings as the leader of the treatment team for children/families/caregivers/treatment team members.
Coordinate and monitor service delivery for treatment caregivers and children in treatment care.
Oversee the case management of no more than 25 treatment-level children from the tri-county collaborative and no more than 9 treatment foster homes within the tri-county collaborative.
Conduct child-specific and/or targeted recruitment and tracking of treatment and family foster homes through various means, including social media, public campaigns, advertising, and coordinating/planning/hosting community awareness and orientation events.
Work in functional areas such as behavior intervention, training, crisis management, foster care licensing, advertising, and research.
Directly assist the county administrator and supervisors with administrative tasks, including preparing various reports.
Represent, promote, and support foster care programming within the community.
Serve as a public relations liaison for the agency and represent administration by serving as a liaison between the agency and other interested parties (e.g., staff members, the public, foster parents, clients).
Provide 24-7 support and services to the families licensed within all three counties, the children placed within these homes, and team members of the three counties.