Retention Specialists provide transportation, assist youth in community activities, and communicate and coordinate with others who support the youth. Successful candidates are willing and able to work in the greater Puget Sound including King, Pierce, Kitsap, Snohomish, and Thurston counties and beyond to transport children in foster care to visits, appointments, and activities.

Retention Specialist Responsibilities

• Provide transportation and assist youth in community activities.
• Participate in 20 hours of orientation.
• Provide to agency proof of cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification (CPR), first aid certification, and HIV/AIDS blood pathogens upon hire.
• Attend supervision staffing and trainings as required.
• Inform parent/foster parent of client's whereabouts at all times.
• Report suspected child abuse to community support specialist supervisor and therapist assigned to the family within four hours so the suspected abuse can be reported to Children's Protective Services (CPS) within four hours.
• Adapt to change and work independently.
• Learn and utilize community resources.
• Maintain open and clear communication with therapist, community support specialist coordinator, care coordinator, and community support specialist supervisor regarding all information pertaining to clients and families.
• Complete Serious Incident Reports before end of shift and give them to community support specialist supervisor within 24 hours.
• Maintain confidentiality of the client. Maintain reliable transportation.
• Maintain professional boundaries while providing services in the families' homes.
• Maintain monthly summary notes as requested concerning shifts worked, and have documentation available to community support specialist supervisor and therapist.
• All employees working at Lorene's Place II have the responsibility for developing and safekeeping a workplace which values and supports a culturally diverse work environment. Employees' treatment of each other, their willingness to try new ways and ideas—all these things contribute greatly to the organization's success in providing an open, culturally-enriched and diverse workplace.
• Other duties as may be reasonably assigned.

Retention Specialist Qualifications

• Age 21 or older per DSHS requirements.
• High school diploma/GED
• Knowledge of community resources for youth.
• Basic understanding of family systems and child development.
• Basic understanding of how to participate on a team.
• Reliable transportation.
• Pass background check through DSHS & Washington State Patrol.
• Ability to understand and identify with clients is important for effective communication.
• Availability to work flexible hours (evenings, nights, weekends).
• Proof of negative TB test within past ten years.
• Ability to make visual assessments of family home conditions and crisis situations.

Retention Specialist Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with at-risk youth and their families
• Knowledge of problems encountered by people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Knowledge of community organization and community development.
• High School/GED in social sciences, social services or mental health field background.
• Volunteering over one year with social services and mental health agencies to work with people who need assistance.