Foster Care Services RPSW II

Progressive Life Center, Inc. (PLC) provides culturally-sensitivity human services to children, youth and families in the District of Columbia and surrounding Maryland, throughout Greater Philadelphia, and in most of Delaware. PLC’s array of community-based services includes foster care and adoption, independent living for youth aging out of foster care, family preservation, juvenile diversion, and parenting skills training. For more than two decades, PLC has earned accreditation from the prestigious Council on Accreditation (COA) for its demonstration of excellence in the delivery of services and achievement of outcomes. Learn more at plcCommunity.org. 

Program Summary

The Philadelphia NIA Foster Care & Resource Home Care programs provide general and treatment foster care services for children and youth from infancy to 21 years of age. Aligned with our goal to reunify children and youth with their biological parents or identify loving and safe permanent homes, Philadelphia NIA recruits, and trains and licenses new resource foster families/homes and provides case management support to resource foster parents, children and youth, and the biological parents.

Position Responsibilities

• Provide relevant support, advocacy service, community resources and program referrals.
• Serve as a team mentor to assist the Program Director in placing clients and licensing new foster homes.
• Maintain a mixture caseload of 13 to 16 foster care/resource home care cases.
• Complete intake assessments of program participants upon admission into program.
• Provide 24-hour, 7-day-week coverage via cellular phone when scheduled to be on-call monthly.
• Carry, monitor, and report all emergencies or after-hour calls to on-call phone, for a week, monthly.
• Provide case management, referral services, and link clients/biological families to follow-up services.
• Develop service plans, progress reports, termination summaries and follow-up documentation.
• Review, collect, and file all monthly foster parent licensing and other outstanding documents for resource foster parent and foster care client files & maintain fully compliant files and license documentation.
• Complete safety in home inspections and checks monthly (or as needed).
• Complete all Foster Care/Resource Home Care safety and support documentation for resource foster parent and their homes.
• Submit all CUA-only client documentation to the Foster Care Program Director bi-weekly.
• Begin and complete re-certification three (3) months prior to initial foster parent license date.
• Serves as a liaison between County & CUA workers and PLC.
• Complete monthly support notes (CUA) or case notes (FC) for all resource foster homes assigned to caseload.
• Send out quarterly foster parent licensing updates capturing current and projected foster parent licensing needs for the next 3-5 months to all resource foster parents/staff/supervisors to confirm compliance and any outstanding licensing documentation.
• Ensure training and foster home certification processes meet the requirements of the child placement license.
• Assist Director, as needed, with all CUA/County client placement referrals, requests, and new foster homes.
• When needed, participate and facilitate resource foster parent trainings.
• Develop and attend recruitment, training & licensing workshops, certification trainings, events to increase knowledge of resource home care development and solicit foster parent interest.
• Attend and participate in weekly supervision and case conferences.
• Attend and participate in interdisciplinary team meetings.
• Enter and maintain accurate data into PLC (e.g., FamCare) database or any other contractual databases (e.g., HCSIS/PA Foster Parent Registry/DHS/DELCO/Etc.).
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, education or other human service field from an accredited college or university.
• Master’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, education or other human service field from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum four (4) to seven (7) years of progressive experience working with children, youth, and families in human service setting.
• Experience in human services best practices & training.
• Experience utilizing MS Office Suite and databases.
• Ability to successfully interact with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability and enthusiasm for working collaboratively.
• Evidence of effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule to accommodate participant’s needs.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.
• Certification in NTU Service Delivery Model within one (1) year of hire.
• Certified in CPR/First Aid.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle with the ability to travel within the City of Philadelphia and surrounding regions.

Benefits

We offer exceptional benefits package with an opportunity for personal and professional growth, which include the following:

• Fringe Benefits – health, dental, vision, retirement fund, and more
• Paid Time Off
• Clinical Training with Continuing Education Units
• Mileage Reimbursement
• Hybrid Work Schedule after 90 Days of Employment

Physical Demands

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
• Ability to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Ability to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery (i.e., a calculator, copy machine, mobile device and computer printer); Manual dexterity needed for using a mobile device, calculator and computer keyboard.
• Ability to position self to stoop kneels, crouch, or crawl.
• Ability to navigate stairwells.
• Ability to frequently communicate with employees/customers/clients; and must be able to exchange accurate information by perceiving the nature of sound, near and far vision, depth perception, providing oral and written information.
• Ability to frequently move files weighing up to 20 pounds throughout the office space.
• Ability to participate in fire drills or other drills during an emergency.
• Ability to be available on call and often respond to situations during off hours which can disrupt normal sleep patterns and cause fatigue.
• Ability to face a significant amount of emotional stress which can cause related physical stress on muscles as well as other physical symptoms such as headaches and fatigue.
• In cases of child relocation, the incumbent may be required to assist the child by carrying belongings and must often lift, carry and/or comfort small children.

Work Environment

Normal office environment or residential facility, but also may travel locally to visit clients within their homes, meet with service providers, and/or attend meetings: schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, private practices, prisons, corporations, and numerous public and private agencies.

Equal Opportunity Employer

PLC is an equal opportunity employer.  PLC does not discriminate in employment on account of race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, political affiliation, military status, or other non-merit-based factors.