Treatment Foster Care Worker

Job Summary

Provides direct service to children within the designated area. Provides treatment foster care services to Children's Service Society clients and team members as delineated by DCF 56 and in a manner consistent with accepted social work practices and agency program definitions. The children referred to the program may present as emotionally disturbed, medically fragile, developmentally delayed, or delinquent children or adolescents. Attention to permanency planning and providing stable home environments to the child is essential.

Essential Functions

- Provides service in a manner that demonstrates awareness and sensitivity the client’s cultural values and beliefs.
- Facilitates and works as part of a team and coordinates team membership and involvement.
- Maintains positive working relationships with referral source and community organizations to best serve the needs of the clients.
- Provides face-to-face contact with children minimally every other week.
- Intervenes in a therapeutic manner with TFC children and families.
- Develops treatment plans with appropriate goal setting, and measures outlined goals on a quarterly basis.
- Encourages and supports client participation to develop competence and confidence.
- Provides necessary support and services to the foster families, while maintaining open communication with the birth parents as the process progresses.
- Must be able to handle multiple responsibilities with varying deadlines, and be flexible to accept other responsibilities as assigned and as the position caseload demands.
- Completes required paperwork/documentation.

- Recruits, trains and licenses foster homes in a timely manner.
- Engages potential foster parents in the foster home licensing and education process.
- Completes assessment of potential foster families as part of licensing home study process.
- Completes background checks on foster home applicants.
- Coordinates marketing efforts with Foster Home Recruiter.
- Schedules and coordinates foster parent education sessions, either by presenting on topics or coordinating outside trainers/speakers to teach on topic areas related to Treatment Foster Care. Obtains supervisor’s approval for speaker fee prior to formalizing the training date.
- As needed, provides one to one education to foster parents at the foster parent’s home or at the agency.
- Develops specific education plans for families who are out of compliance with education requirements.
- Develops education plans with foster parents which are reflective of the type of treatment issues of children the foster family identifies an interest in caring for.
- Functions as part of treatment teams as needed to help support, educate and train foster parents on child-specific issues. This support could occur during the pre-placement process to help prepare foster parents for a placement as well as on an ongoing basis post-placement to assist the child/family with transition issues and ongoing care needs.
- Prepares communication materials – internal, community and client relations in coordination with Foster Home Recruiter.
- Accepts and assesses referrals for TFC placement. Matches children into available treatment foster homes and completes all requirements of the intake and placement process.
- Coordinates pre-placement activities and placement of children.
- Coordinates placement plans with foster parents and team members to ensure smooth and timely TFC placement.
- Communicates effectively, timely and consistently with multiple referral sources.

Education:
- Master's Degree in Social Work or related field preferred or
- Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or related field required

Experience:
- 2+ years post degree experience required
- Child welfare experience preferred
- Experience working with families of diverse ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds strongly preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

- Acceptable driving record, personal auto liability insurance coverage and the ability to be insured by the CHHS auto insurance carrier.
- Must use personal vehicle to transport children, complete in-house car seat transporter training within one month of hire and re-train biannually thereafter to maintain.
- A working knowledge of child development and issues facing special needs children is required.
- Clinical Social Work skills.
- Ability to facilitate and work as a member of a treatment team.
- Ability to maintain positive working relationships with referral source and community organizations.
- The position requires good written skills and good verbal communication skills. Strong computer skills.

Licenses and Certifications:

- License Driver's License - State of Wisconsin required