Foster Care Licensor and Recruiter

The potential candidate will be responsible completing Home Study Assessment, Foster Home Licensing and recruiting new homes.

Typical duties include, but not limited to:

• Performs assessments through intensive interviews and information gathering process to complete Home Studies for relative placement and/or adoptive placement and/or foster home licensing and HS reassessments/re-licensing.
• Complete the background check process.
• Provide assistance to licensed foster families to retain the family as a service provider.
• Complete physical facility inspections, interview caregivers, interview children when appropriate and work with other professionals as needed to achieve the goal of safe and healthy home placements for children.
• Partner with DCYF/CPS to investigate allegations of WAC violations and provide technical assistance/resources and support for foster parent to correct areas of need or deficiencies.
• Provide testimony at administrative hearings and other court proceedings related to written home studies and initial licensing.
• Recruit new foster families for the organization
• Conduct foster care trainings

This position receives little supervision, and the employee is responsible for exercising independent judgment in devising own work methods. All positions involve high-stress work with the public around difficult issues of child abuse and neglect. In performing all assigned duties, this Specialist have an understanding and respecting the strengths of the clients including their heritage, cultural beliefs and values, communication and learning styles. The Specialist is responsible for meeting all case management directives as required by law, policy and other mandates, including but not limited to:

• Meeting time frames for performance expectations.
• Meet documentation requirements for accurate and timely entries into FamLink.
• Meet the overall goals of developing partnerships with families, focusing on practical everyday life tasks and promoting specific skills tied to the family's tasks.

Effectively:

• Develop effective partnerships with the family, service providers and others to address primary safety risks and concerns through cultural competency and strength-based communication.
• Locate the problem(s) within the everyday life of the family and identify the individual(s) and the behavior(s) that led to maltreatment.
• Help the family to identify cycles of maltreatment and utilize relapse prevention techniques.
• Develop and update co-constructed plans with the family that target the primary area of safety and other child needs.
• Develop skill-based individual and family level objectives.
• Take additional action when needed to meet the needs of child safety, permanency and well-being.
• Recognize and document incremental progress made by the family towards meeting the identified objectives/goals.

 Qualifications:

(1) Foster home licensor must:

1. Be at least twenty-one years old; and
2. Have a bachelor's degree in social services or related field; or
3. Four years of relevant full-time experience serving children may be substituted for the bachelor's degree with DCYF administrative approval.

(2) The candidate MUST pass the Washington State (DSHS) background check/s.

The Mullen-Polk Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

Please submit your cover letter and resume to David@Mullen-Polk-Foundation.Org or fax to (360) 326-1736.

Thank you