Out of Home Care Specialist (Brevard, Seminole Counties)

Annual Salary: $52,000

Position Summary: This professional position serves as the centralized point of contact for all placement requests for children and youth requiring Licensed Out of Home Care Placement from Child Protective Investigators in Circuit 9, Orange, and Osceola Counties. This position will serve multiple functions which include participation in Multi-Disciplinary Staffing’s, Placement Stabilization Staffing’s, and Shelter Support Calls. This position networks with licensed family foster homes and group homes to secure the least restrictive, most appropriate placement for all children and youth served.

This position participates in the 1st tier On Call Rotation.

Technical/Functional Expectations:

1. Centralized Point of Contact-Essential Function: This position fields calls from Protective Investigators for new cases and accepts request for licensed placement,

2. Placement Identification in Licensed Care-Essential Function: Networks with licensed foster homes as well as any Child Placing Agencies to identify and secure appropriate placement setting for children in licensed out of home care. Which also includes working in collaboration with MFC to ensure children requiring MFC placement have all the required medical records/CMAT paperwork needed to determine placement needs.

3. Maintenance of Daily Movements Essential Function: Collect data as applicable to children in licensed out of home care to ensure accuracy.

4. Maintenance of Overcapacity Waivers Function: Complete and Track all overcapacity waivers and ensure paperwork is accurate and updated within the required time limits.

5. On Call Rotation: Participate in the first tier on call rotation to provide timely service delivery.

6. Customer Service: Work with clients and families to trouble shoot and assist with problem solving. To ensure client satisfaction.

7. Other duties as required: Job performance requires fulfilling other incidental or related duties as assigned, assisting, and training others, and performing duties of higher rated positions from time to time for developmental purposes.

Non-Essential Functions:

1. Other duties as assigned -This list of functions is not intended to be exhaustive but the job functions requires the core competencies listed below. The agency reserves the right to revise this job description as needed to comply with actual job requirements.

Behavioral Competencies:

1. Perceptivity: Able to interpret verbal and non-verbal communication; use perceptions to understand and relate to others; perceptively analyze the actions and opinions of others.

2. Analyzing: Able to break down problems and information to systematically identify the cause of problems or make recommendations; gather information from multiple sources; analyze complex information; organize information for analysis.

3. Analytical Problem Resolution: Able to use systematic techniques to define problems, options, and solutions; evaluate alternative solutions; solve technical or complex problems using logic.

4. Problem Solving: Able to exercise judgment in building realistic solutions to problems; understand the genuine issues behind problems; use common sense and take practical action to solve problems.

5. Project Management: Able to control and complete projects on time; involve others in planning; clearly define roles and goals and track performance.

6. Verbal Communication: Able to clearly express ideas, information, or concerns with the spoken word; present verbal information in a straightforward manner; ask questions to open channels of communication; listen to understand perspective of others.

7. Teamwork: Able to cooperate to build consensus; able to assist others to achieve team goals; participate in meetings so they are productive; take on extra work to meet team objectives.

8. Sensitivity: Work effectively with and show sensitivity to cultural differences and various socio-economic backgrounds of others.

9. Ethics: Adhere to and model principles and values of Agency and System of Care by being strength-based, solution-focused, maintains highest level of integrity and ethical standards and collaborate with employees, partners, stakeholders, and clients in all interactions.

10. Strong interpersonal, presentation, and organizational skills: This is required to effectively partner with various stakeholders and agency staff.

11. Strength Based Family Practice Orientation: This is required to effectively support the system of care and values.

12. Effective communication skills: This is essential to develop written summaries and recommendations for distribution within the system of care. Intermediate to advanced level skills in MS Office to include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, familiarity, and comfort using databases to populate and evaluate data, make case notes, and pull data.

Educational and Experience Requirements:

1. BA/BS - bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.

2. MA/MS - master’s degree or equivalent preferred

3. Child Welfare – 1 to 2 years: This position requires a broad knowledge of Child Welfare policy, procedures, and best practices.

4. Excellent Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills: This function requires the ability to independently assess, evaluate, and make recommendations regarding placement and services for children in licensed out of home care.

5. Valid Driver’s License – Hybrid position that will require some traveling.

Physical Requirements:

1. Carrying

2. Sitting

3. Standing

4. Writing

5. Typing

6. Speaking