FOSTER PARENT RECERTIFICATION SPECIALIST LOCATION:Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and Staten Island
REPORTS TO: Homefinding Director
DEPARTMENT: Enhanced Family Foster Care (EFFC)
SCHEDULE: Full Time/Hybrid
$1000 HIRING Incentive AGENCY/BACKGROUND: Founded as an orphanage in the late 1800s by the Sisters of Mercy, MercyFirst is a voluntary foster care agency servicing approximately 3,000 children/youth each year in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island. Our foster care continuum of care includes Enhanced Family Foster Care, Prenatal, Pregnant and Parenting Agency Operated Boarding Homes, Group Homes, Diagnostic HTP Center and campus-based Residential Treatment Services. Our staff are professionally trained and committed individuals prepared to respond, adhere to, and provide quality human services while advocating for social change for the clients we serve.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND: Enhanced Family Foster Care (EFFC) recognizes that all children in care have experienced some level of trauma, that their needs may change over time, and that their strengths must be supported to successfully reach their full potential. As a blended model, EFFC:
- Responds to the needs of the children and family - Allows children, parents, and families to receive therapeutic services and support, accessing a full menu of options with less separation into different programs. Families in EFFC placements receive enhanced case management as well as a full array of services, treatment, and support to help them thrive.
- EFFC increases placement stability for the child by allowing for the flexibility to increase and decrease services and support based on the child's behavioral and treatment needs. EFFC supports the formation of a trusting and secure attachment relationship between the child and foster parent. Placement stability provides the opportunity for the foster parent and birth parent/family to build relationships with a shared goal of meeting the child's needs.
POSITION SUMMARY: - The Homefinding Department is responsible for the recruitment, training and certification of all foster homes within MercyFirst. With approximately 200 homes either certified or in the process of certification, Homefinding is the initial contact for prospective foster parents within the agency's foster care division. MercyFirst approaches its long-standing commitment to provide safe, supportive, and adequate care to any child referred for service by ensuring that the foster families who provide full-time care and supervision are compassionate, well prepared and capable of meeting the needs of the children and families for whom they become partners in service. The Foster Parent Recertification Specialist will be assigned a caseload of inactive foster homes to monitor for compliance as part of the recertification process. Approach to service is family-centered, trauma-informed, and strengths based. The qualified candidate will be responsible for monitoring foster home vacancies, adherence to reporting requirements and timeliness, and meeting performance outcome measures.
RESPONSIBILITIES: - Conduct in-home visits for the re-authorization process of inactive foster homes to assure homes meet city and state requirements.
- Promote positive working relationships between foster/adoptive parents and agency staff.
- Ability to navigate systems of records used in the program: ASARA, Connections and Binti.
- Co-Lead National Training Development Curriculum Training of Trainer (NTDC-TOT)
- Assists in entering homestudies in Connections for new foster homes.
- Contribute to providing prospective foster parents with immediate feedback and respond to questions in an affirmative and accommodating manner so they can successfully navigate the certification process.
- Assists in providing support and a general willingness to help prospective foster parents through frequent check-ins throughout the certification process.
- Monitors and reports on required information related to the certification process of foster parents.
- Assists program in required audits as required by outside stakeholders such as Administration for Children's Services (ACS) and the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).
- Active member of internal and external stakeholder groups as appropriate.
- Other duties as assigned based on program needs.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: - Bachelor's degree in social work, Mental Health, or a relevant field required; Homefinding experience preferred.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong assessment skills.
- Demonstrated ability to handle emergency situations.
- Excellent verbal, writing and organizations skills.
- Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines including working evenings and weekends when required.
- Computer literate in Microsoft Office, Excel as well as Connections.
- Understanding and willingness to commit to the agency's Mission, Core Values, Sanctuary Commitments and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB).
BENEFITS/PERKS: - A comprehensive health insurance package including medical, dental and vision plans for you and your family.
- 403B retirement benefits.
- Employer paid life insurance and long-term disability insurance.
- Generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick, 12 paid holidays).
- Free employee assistance program through National EAP.
- Insurance discounts for our staff and their families.
- Training to support professional and personal development.
- Employee wellness program.
- Employee recognition activities.
Salary Range: $53,000.00 - $57,000.00 (35 hours/week) $1000 Hiring Incentive after 500 hours worked MercyFirst is an inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization and an Equal Opportunity Employer who welcomes prospective employees from diverse backgrounds for all levels at the agency. We strive for a workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve, and do not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, religion or creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, disability, age (18 and over), military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, marital status, partnership status, care giver status, pregnancy, genetic information or predisposition or genetic characteristic, unemployment status, status as a victim or witness of domestic violence, sex offenses or stalking, consumer credit history, or any other status protected by federal, state, and/or city law. This includes, but is not limited to, employment actions against and treatment of employees and applicants for employment.