Youth & Family Specialist

Language Bank•Worcester, MA

About The Position

The Youth and Family Specialist works within Child and Family Services in one of two related roles: supporting youth in home-like settings and helping them achieve permanency, or recruiting and supporting foster families. Each youth and foster family has a specialist whose specific responsibilities may differ. Both roles collaborate closely with school personnel and educational teams, child welfare staff, Family Networks lead agencies, therapists, lawyers, court personnel, the public, and internal agency partners. The specialist provides strength-based, trauma-informed support to youth and families, including clinical case management across multiple systems and settings. Depending on training, the role may include counseling, coaching, mediation, parent coaching, and supervised family visits. The specialist advocates for youth, coordinates services and educational support, responds to assigned on-call crises, and facilitates treatment and foster care review meetings. The role also supports foster care recruitment, foster family training and matching, and compliance with foster home regulations and licensing documentation. The specialist maintains case and foster care records, completes assessments and service plans, provides updates to courts and supervisors, and participates in required meetings and training. The position requires flexibility, independent judgment, collaboration, and travel to meet client needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or a related field (Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
Ability to work within the agency’s mission.
Flexibility in thinking and scheduling, and ability to work flexible hours and be available for emergencies.
Valid driver’s license and good driving record.
Ability to use independent, sound clinical judgment and make decisions in the best interests of children and families.
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 including 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, 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 and analyze information, and draw professional conclusions.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual ability.
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 to grow professionally.

Responsibilities

Treat clients, families, and collateral contacts in a respectful, nonjudgmental manner using a human-centered, strength-based, and trauma-informed approach.
Build trusting and safe relationships with clients and encourage their 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 multiple systems and settings.
Depending on training, provide group or individual counseling and coaching, mediation, and guidance to children and their biological or foster families.
Facilitate supervised family visits and provide parent coaching as appropriate.
Use discretion and independent judgment to assess and make decisions in the best interests of children and families.
Serve assigned on-call duty and respond independently to crises by phone or in person, maintaining a calm, professional approach and assuring safety.
Facilitate treatment meetings and foster care reviews, invite appropriate attendees, and support effective interagency collaboration.
Coordinate dental, medical, psychological, and community support for youth.
Ensure educational needs are met, including advocating for special education services.
Attend meetings called by collateral partners and support a team approach to serving children, youth, and families.
Support and participate in strategic plans for program-specific foster care recruitment in coordination with recruitment across Children and Families Service.
Recruit qualified foster homes continuously to meet client needs.
Support foster families through recruitment and training.
Participate in the matching process and prepare foster parents to work with the child or youth and family of origin.
Promote the program through community networking and positive representation to internal and external committees and government entities.
Maintain relationships with state or private funding sources and authorities regulating 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 in a timely manner, including home studies, background checks, annual foster care reviews, and waivers.
Perform other related duties to help meet program or agency goals.
Document contacts and incidents and keep files up to date.
Develop and complete assessments or 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 meetings or events required by the agency.
Complete mandatory training on time to meet certification standards, including 20–30 hours of specialized annual training.