Overview

Rising Ground 

Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 25,000 individuals. We do this through 50 programs in 70 locations throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity shows not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in downtown Brooklyn. 

Benefits

At Rising Ground, we encourage everyone to live a healthier life. When you enroll in health care benefits — medical, dental, and vision care, you and your family can take advantage of each plan’s preventive services, which will help everyone to stay well. Another way to remain healthy is to eat right and keep active. Ultimately, we all benefit when we make the right choices, whether through diet and exercise or health care services. You can also take advantage of other important benefits, including life and accident, disability benefits, the retirement savings plan, and the employee assistance program.

Responsibilities

• Engage, establish, and maintain friendly, compassionate, professional working relationships with parents and foster parents.
• Prepare parents and participate in Family Team Conferences and debrief after
• Encourage parents to participate in support services.
• Participate in New Parent Orientation to help new parents get acquainted with the foster care system.
• Be trained as a visit coach to support the parent child relationship during Family Bonding Time.
• Supervise and assist parents in establishing structure during visits and meeting the needs of their children by utilizing hands on teaching and modeling.
• Check-in with parents and foster parents to ensure positive communication between both. Facilitate meetings between the two as needed.
• Connect parents to community resources as needed and help develop the FFC Resource Guide
• Facilitate support groups and events that engage parents and foster parents.
• Recognize and celebrate parents when they make simple or significant progress towards reunification.
• Engage with fathers and support case planners in outreaching to absentee fathers.
• Collaborate and maintain effective communication with all FFC team members.
• Participate in Case Connection Meetings with case planning teams.
• Maintain documentation of interactions with parents and foster parents and provide updates to case planners, courts or others as needed.
• Participate in supervision and ongoing job-related training.
• Facilitate training for parents and foster parents.
• Assist parents in obtaining benefits including housing and vital documents.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field verbal and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development.
• The ability to work with and engage hard-to-reach populations, as well as families impacted by trauma, poverty, complex stressors, violence, mental health, juvenile justice and substance abuse.
• Culturally competency and trauma-informed approach.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to complete paperwork in a timely manner, flexible, willing to travel, while working well with peers.
• Capable of traveling and working with families in their homes and communities.
• Knowledge of the foster care system preferred.