Youth & Family Specialist

Ascentria Care Alliance Careers•Worcester, MA

About The Position

The Youth and Family Specialist works within Child and Family Services to support youth in home-like settings and help achieve permanency, as well as recruit and support foster families. Specialists may serve different roles for individual youth and foster families, with both roles requiring close collaboration with school personnel and educational teams, child welfare staff, Family Networks lead agencies, therapists, lawyers, court personnel, the public, and internal agency partners. The position provides clinical case management across multiple systems and settings for foster children, foster families, and biological families. Depending on training, the specialist may also provide counseling, coaching, mediation, and guidance. The role includes recruitment, preparation, and support of foster families, along with documentation and compliance with licensing, contractual, state, and federal requirements. Specialists participate in on-call coverage and respond to crises by phone or in person.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or a related field (listed for both Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
Ability to work within the agency’s mission.
Valid driver’s license and good driving record.
Ability to work flexible hours and be available for emergency situations.
Ability to manage client behavior, foster independence, and maintain perspective and a sense of humor.
Ability to handle people and situations with compassion, diplomacy, and tact.
Ability to work independently, set priorities, organize resources, and complete tasks in a timely manner.
Ability to provide documentation such as a valid driver’s license, evidence of automobile insurance, and a clear criminal record check.
Ability to work cooperatively on a team and calmly problem-solve unexpected or unpredictable circumstances.
Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations, protocols, and/or procedures.
Computer skills.
Ability to travel to meet client needs.
Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
Ability to use independent judgment and discretion, investigate, analyze, and draw professional conclusions.
Ability to exercise sound clinical judgment and make decisions regarding the best interests of children and families.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual skills.
Significant experience working with children with social, emotional, or physical problems.
Mediation and conflict-resolution skills.
Word-processing and computer skills.
Openness to new ideas and a desire for professional growth.
Flexibility in thinking and scheduling.

Responsibilities

Provide respectful, nonjudgmental, strength-based, human-centered, and trauma-informed services.
Build trusting and safe relationships with clients and encourage personal growth.
Advocate for youth needs to ensure equitable and quality care.
Provide clinical case management to foster children, foster families, and biological families across systems and settings.
Depending on training, provide individual or group counseling, coaching, mediation, and guidance to children and their biological and/or foster families.
Facilitate supervised family visits and provide parent coaching as appropriate.
Use independent judgment when assessing and making decisions in the best interests of children and families.
Participate in assigned on-call duty and respond independently to crises by phone and/or in person while maintaining safety and a calm, professional approach.
Facilitate treatment meetings and foster care reviews, invite appropriate participants, and support interagency collaboration.
Coordinate dental, medical, psychological, and community support for youth.
Ensure educational needs are met, including advocating for special education services.
Attend collateral meetings and support a team approach to serving children, youth, and families.
Support and participate in strategic planning and implementation for program-specific foster care recruitment.
Recruit qualified foster homes continuously to meet client needs.
Support foster families through recruitment and training.
Participate in matching and prepare foster parents to work with the child or youth and the family of origin.
Promote the program through community networking and positive representation to committees, government entities, and others.
Maintain relationships with state or private funding sources and authorities that regulate foster homes or child-placing agencies.
Maintain expertise in foster parent qualification and renewal requirements, including record checks, evaluations, and file updates.
Complete documentation required by state licensing regulations, including home studies, background checks, annual foster care reviews, and waivers.
Document contacts and incidents and keep files current.
Develop and complete assessments, home studies, service plans, progress notes, and other required documentation.
Provide written and in-person updates to the court.
Maintain organized, current case and foster care files in accordance with contractual standards and state and federal law.
Keep the supervisor informed of incidents or concerns involving clients and foster families.
Attend weekly staff meetings and other required agency meetings or events.
Complete mandatory training on time, including 20–30 hours of specialized annual training.
Perform other related duties to help meet program or agency goals.