Guardian Assistance Program Coordinator

Mission Statement

The Children’s Network of Southwest Florida is committed to working with the community to protect children and preserve families.

General Purpose of Job

To identify, assess and maintain placements with relatives, non-relatives, and fictive kin through coordination and provision of the Guardianship Assistance Program.  

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Completion of initial GAP eligibility paperwork and annual redeterminations with caregivers and serve as ongoing support to Permanent Guardians post case closure.
• Promoting the Guardian Assistance Program (GAP) and the importance of relative, non-relative and fictive kin placements
• Work in cooperation with Child Welfare Case Managers to explain the licensing levels and GAP to current and prospective kinship caregivers.
• Attend appropriate staffings and court hearings in order to advocate for the best interest of the children served and make placement recommendations
• Provide and locate ongoing support services for Kinship/GAP Caregivers regardless if cases are active or closed
• Develop ongoing resources for Kinship/GAP Caregivers and make them accessible both electronically and manually
• Track and log all appropriate information for GAP caseload
• Complete level 1 licensing assessments through the Unified Home Study process including completion of abuse registry and criminal background screenings as needed. 
• Traveling throughout the Circuit
• Other duties may be assigned as special projects may be requested

WORKING HOURS

CNSWFL work week is Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week and business hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  However, this position will be responsible for conducting home visits and home studies which may be scheduled outside normal business hours and may involve weekends and evenings.  Your Supervisor will advise you of your work hours.

TRAVEL

Travel in and outside of Circuit 20 (Lee, Charlotte, Collier and Hendry/Glades counties) is required.

TRAINING

All employees must complete (15) hours of on-line or classroom Training on an annual basis.  If the employee is a Certified Child Welfare Professional, Training hours must total twenty (20) annually.

Supervisory Responsibilities

There are no supervisory responsibilities for this position.

Education and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required. A degree in the Human Service or other related field is preferred. 
• Current Certification as a Child Protection Professional – preferred or obtain certification within one year of hire. 
• A minimum of two years of experience as a child welfare case manager, child protective investigator or other child welfare experience is preferred
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Applications 

Skills and Abilities

Must be able to operate standard modern office machinery, including fax, telephone, calculator, computer, scanner, printer, copier and mail machine. Must be competent with Microsoft Office Suite programs, including Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, Publisher and Outlook. Must be competent with basic e-mail protocol and procedures including sending, receiving, replying, attachments, and meeting scheduling; excellent written and oral communication skills; effective listening skills; ability to work as a team member, and the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment. Must possess excellent organizational skills and abide by the highest standards of confidentiality.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Certificates, License, Registrations, backgroundS, drug screens, etc.

• Current Certification as a Child Protection Professional – preferred or obtain certification within one year of employment

• Valid driver’s license required, with proof of insurance
• Driver’s license check is a requirement
• Criminal background screening (fingerprinting) Local Law Enforcement and FBI/FDLE)
• Drug Screening is a requirement
• Children’s Network participates in E-Verify

Other Requirements

Language Skills

Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business periodicals, common scientific and professional and technical journals and procedures, financial reports, legal documents, and governmental regulations. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, speeches, articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, public groups, and boards of directors.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent, to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to define and solve practical problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions furnished in written, oral, schedule, mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job requires the ability to sit for extended periods; walk; stand; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel or crouch; talk and hear. This job requires visual acuity sufficient to read and operate standard modern office machines. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is administrative work in an indoor office environment with a moderate noise level (business machines, printers, computers, telephones).

ADA:      Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, LLC will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

EEO:       Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, LLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, religion, veteran status, or disability in employment, in provision of services, or in access to programs.

Children’s Network of Southwest Florida. LLC is a Drug-Free Workplace.

I certify that the statements above to the best of my knowledge accurately describe the duties performed and agree that I am qualified in education and skill to meet the requirements of the position.  If the employee does not agree, indicate here:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required. A degree in the Human Service or other related field is preferred. 
• Current Certification as a Child Protection Professional – preferred or obtain certification within one year of hire. 
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience as a child welfare case manager, child protective investigator or other child welfare experience is preferred
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Applications

Salary : $53,865 - $58,401