The Family Finding Specialist supports youth in care by assisting the family caseworker with expanding resources and developing lifelong connections for youth in care. The individual uses traditional and non-traditional search methods to find family and fictive kin supports, and then ensures that youth are connected to those supports. The individual possesses strong research and communication skills, as well as interpersonal skills to engage with families.

Essential functions of the job:

• Will do extensive research, investigation, and outreach in locating absentee parents/guardians, fictive kin, and other potential lifelong connections for youth in care.
• Possesses strong, creative problem-solving skills, and can use non-traditional search methods.
• Provides professional technical assistance and resource development support to casework staff who serve children with specialized behavioral or medical needs.
• Drives to various locations to attend meetings, conferences, or to locate and assess family connections as needed.
• Utilizes a family-centered, trauma-informed and strength-based lens through which youth and family needs are assessed.
• Engages the youth (as age-appropriate), birth parents, family and social connections, foster parents, and staff to facilitate and support stability and permanency for the youth.
• Has strong data analysis skills needed to conduct diligent search activities across multiple databases, systems, social media, and other websites. Will complete required forms and SACWIS documentation, send written correspondence, and log / track data for use by the foster care team.
• Uses ecomaps, genograms, and other tools to map and locate prospective supports and placement resources for the youth and family.
• Serves as a team member within the multidisciplinary team or Child and Family Team Meeting consisting of case manager, supervisor, foster parent, birth parents and youth to facilitate connections between newly found family/fictive kin members, supports, and other collateral resources to resolve complex and stalled cases to improve permanency outcomes.
• Possess the ability to identify and engage familial supports and connections including relatives and fictive kin for the purpose of life-long connections and permanency achievement.
• Assist in training potential foster parents and biological parents/relatives of foster children, as assigned.
• Supports relative and fictive kin foster parents both before and after placement as they develop their role as a place for safe and consistent connection for the youth.
• Will take the lead in engaging in both proactive general and target foster family recruitment efforts for youth in the foster care system.
• Coordinates services and attends meetings with other agencies, systems, and community providers to meet the needs of the clients.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferred in social work, human service, or related field
• Two years of experience in a child welfare setting preferred
• Completion of DCFS criminal background check
• Valid Illinois driver’s license
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with agency staff and clients
• Ability to pass State of Illinois written examination on Licensing Standards for Foster Family Homes (402), the Child Care Act, and CWEL

Benefits:

• PTO (paid-time-off) accrual 3 weeks first year (full-time)
• 10 paid holidays
• Sick Leave accrual 12 days per year (full-time)
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• 401K with company match
• Company paid life insurance, STD and LTD
• Supplemental life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Program