Licensing Specialist - Foster Care

The Licensing Specialist is responsible for engaging families with a heart to serve and provide safe, loving, and nurturing homes for children in foster care. They will work closely with interested parties, alongside the Recruitment Specialist, including individuals as well as through church coalitions, to recruit foster families, provide orientations and training, assess eligibility and appropriateness throughout the process, and to oversee the application and home study process for these individuals, including the creation and maintenance of their family file. Additionally, the Licensing Specialist will maintain relationships with approved families to ensure ongoing licensing compliance by maintaining files and systems with current state regulations. This includes tracking and maintaining compliance with performance-based contracting measures and licensing regulations. The ultimate purpose of this position is to license and ensure ongoing compliance of foster homes that will aide in the permanency, safety, and well-being of children in care.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain relationships with the church community, other community-based organizations, and families to promote and build awareness about the need for foster families
• To be a viable team member by investing in all activities and functions of the agency’s services
• To participate in conferences and other training opportunities when requested by the Manager of Recruitment
• To be a positive factor in public relations by representing the agency well in contact with visitors and people from the community
• To maintain an understanding of the foster care/child welfare system
• To understand and meet compliance standards which govern the approval of foster homes as set forth by RCCL, DHS, and COA regulations
• To monitor and audit foster parent records to ensure compliance with DFCS policy, OPM Minimum Standards, RCCL Licensing standards including but not limited to: home study requirements, updated training, current medical records, current annual evaluations, and current auto documentation
• Provide orientation and facilitate pre-service training for prospective foster parents
• Assess the appropriateness of applicants to assure they meet minimum licensing standards, using NTDC training and corresponding assessments
• To manage a caseload of potential applicants and approved homes
• To review and ensure the quality and compliance of documentation required for approval and ongoing licensing of homes
• To visit potential applicants and licensed foster homes in the home environment to assess the appropriateness of the home and the capacity of the family
• To complete SAFE home studies, SAFE Re-evaluations, and addendums, including home interviews with families and inspection of homes
• To participate in or facilitate other activities as deemed necessary by the Manager of Recruitment
  
  

Qualifications

• Have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university, preferably in a human service or behavioral science field
• Have a minimum of two years of experience of working in child welfare, and in a role, that includes recruiting, training, or public speaking and presentations
• NTDC trained, preferred
• SAFE trained and certified, preferred
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent presentation and public speaking skills
• Ability to assess foster families and applicants by working autonomously to assess family and complete approval/reapproval process
• Sound decision making skills and judgment
• Proficient using Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office applications
• Own, drive, and maintain an automobile in good working condition, receiving a reimbursement for agency business mileage
• Understand that this job will require evening and weekend hours of employment
• Agree to support the agency’s mission statement, organizational values and beliefs, and its quality assurance plan