Job Title: Foster Care Recruiter

General Description:

Foster care recruiters locate and screen potential foster families for children removed from homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The foster care recruiter solicits the support of both private and public agencies to facilitate informative presentations regarding the need for foster homes. The foster care recruiter will work with applicants from intake through completion of home study and licensure of a foster home, including recertification of all tribal placement resources and ongoing support and assistance to families. The foster care recruiter works with the Foster Care Manager to locate culturally appropriate placements for children in various settings. Foster care recruiters are required to become certified in a foster parent training curriculum and subsequently train applicants on a semi-annual and as-needed basis.

Supervision Received: Works independently, but under the general supervision of the Foster Care Manager after the Child Welfare Services Director.

Supervision Exercised: None

Essential Job Functions:

Recruit new prospective foster families.

Develop and implement strategies for recruitment and retention of tribal foster care resources.

Conduct in-home visits with potential and current resource families.

Write and complete home studies for foster care/adoptions.

Collects and keeps confidential all information necessary to evaluate resource candidates.

Keep foster home placement listing current.

Plan and attend frequent evening and weekend recruitment activities.

Assess compliance with foster care/adoption requirements and keep abreast of modifications.

Maintain close contact with the State Foster Care Unit, county child welfare offices, child placement agencies, and other tribes.

Send and process foster care and adoptive applications.

Provides follow-up to all applicants.

Facilitate trauma-informed training for all potential resource parents on a semi-annual basis or as needed including in-home and weekend training sessions.

Prepares monthly reports for submission to the Foster Care Manager.

Confidentially maintain all records of clients.

Employee speaks frequently to schools, community organizations, churches, youth groups, etc. to provide standard program information.

Track all aspects of the recruitment-to-certification for all foster care/adoption applicants.

Assure an ongoing pool of trained and approved foster homes.

Responsible for all other miscellaneous duties as assigned.

Provide continuous support and assistance to resource parents.

Responsible for continuously finding foster home, group home, shelter, therapeutic, respite care and other placements for foster children with limited notice.

All other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Preferred: Be thoroughly knowledgeable in the child welfare field with experience in working with Native American families.

Preferred: Have excellent writing and communication skills.

Preferred: Have good organizational and management skills.

Preferred: Be familiar with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel and data entry.

Preferred: Knowledge of laws and policy governing the foster care system is desirable including but not limited to the Indian Child Welfare Act, Adoption and Safe Families Act and state/tribal family codes.

Preferred: Assessing family’s strengths and needs.

Preferred: Attentive listening.

Preferred: Establishing and maintaining professional relationships with individuals of varying social and cultural backgrounds and with co-workers at all levels.

Preferred: Working effectively with individuals and demonstrating leadership and team-building skills with empathy and enthusiasm.

Preferred: Working within a highly complex and structured environment while maintaining a creative and flexible problem-solving approach with clients, co-workers, and leadership.

Preferred: Maintaining confidentiality.

Preferred: Working independently and meet strict timelines.

Preferred: Prioritizing work to pursue goals.

Preferred: Being persuasive and tactful in controversial situations.

Preferred: De-escalating, crisis intervention, and solution-focused techniques.

Preferred: Defining problems, collecting data, establishing facts, drawing valid conclusions, and making effective decisions in emergencies.

Preferred: Demonstrating moral character, honesty, tact, fairness, lack of prejudice, and a desire to help others; clients, and co-workers.

Preferred: Reliable transportation to and from work.

Preferred: Working extended hours and various work schedules and being able to work on a 24-hour on-call basis as required.

Preferred: Integrating training, experience, and common sense sufficient to identify potentially dangerous situations, make effective logical decisions, and exercise the appropriate level of tact to resolve the situation.

Education:

Preferred Bachelors: Baccalaureate degree preferred. Prefer individuals with a degree in human services, social work, or a related field with experience in marketing or public relations.

Education Note:

Training and Experience:

Preferred: Experience 6 months - 3 years’ Experience in child welfare.

Preferred: Experience 6 months - 3 years’ Experience with public speaking.

Preferred: Experience 6 months - 3 years’ Experience in writing home studies.

Preferred: Experience 6 months - 3 years’ Experience working with at-risk Native American families.

Licenses, Certifications, Other:

Required: Must be at least 21 years of age or older.

Required: Must possess and maintain a valid Oklahoma driver's license and a safe driving record.

Required: Must be able to pass a background check and complete a pre-employment drug test with a negative result.

Physical Requirements:

Preferred: Able to drive for long distances.

Preferred: Must be able to lift up to 30 pounds and secure baby carriers and or car seats in vehicles accurately.

Preferred: Must be able to walk, stand, bend, stoop, kneel, or crouch to engage children and families during work.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office environment. Individuals will be required to travel to and from meetings, offsite offices, training, and court. On-call, evening, and/or weekend work may be necessary. Work may include a certain amount of exposure to unmanaged emotions from children/families. May be required to deal with potentially dangerous situations.

Core Leadership Level: Not Applicable

It is the responsibility of each employee to attend any training required for their position or profession as determined by their line of support or the executive leadership of the Chickasaw Nation.

It is the responsibility of those who supervise, manage, or otherwise lead employees (or teams) to ensure that each employee receives all required training.