Lawrence Hall is Hiring a Family Finding Resources Specialist Near Chicago, IL
WHO WE ARE: Annually serving over 1,400 youth and families, Lawrence Hall is a community-based organization committed to helping Chicago's youth, families, and communities heal from the adverse effects of childhood trauma. For more than 150 years, Lawrence Hall has been delivering high-quality care throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and is a statewide leader in highly effective, evidence-based, and innovative therapeutic treatment. Their core programs-Child and Family Treatment Center, Therapeutic Day School, Creative Therapies, Foster Care, Transitional/Independent Living Program, Workforce Development, and Community Wellness-have met the changing and complex needs of youth and families by not only becoming more community based, but also by developing more preventative programs that help curb violence in Chicago's communities. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Reporting to the Licensing Supervisor, the Family Finding & Resource Specialist interviews and recruits placement resources for youth in care. Must be comfortable in establishing rapport with families to identify family needs, supports and placement resources. Acts as a liaison to transition youth into the identified placement resources successfully. Requires knowledge of trauma exposure, knowledge of the 5 S's of trauma: Safety, Self-Regulation/Soothing, Supportive, Strengths, Self-Care, and an understanding of and recognition of the signs of traumatic stress. Must be able to effectively use both verbal and physical intervention skills with individuals (6) to twenty-one (21) years of age. Physical intervention skills require the ability to kneel and return to standing without assistance. Flexible schedule is required as this position may work outside of normal business hours occasionally. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Understand implicit bias and how to work within a system that impacts decisions for youth and their families when locating placement options. Has the ability to have crucial conversations with staff and other child and family team members
Will do extensive research, investigation, and outreach in locating absentee parents/guardians
Identify and locate potential extended family/fictive kinship relationships
Provides professional technical assistance and resource development support to casework staff who serve children with specialized and problematic behavior service needs
Will assist the family caseworker with facilitating the expansion of resources needed to better serve children and their families involved in foster care
Will drive to various locations to attend meetings, conferences, or to locate and assess family homes as needed
Will utilize a family-centered, trauma-informed, strength-based, and EDI lens through which youth and family needs are assessed
Have the ability to engage the youth (as age-appropriate), birth parents, family and social connections, foster parents, and staff to facilitate and support stability and permanency for the youth
Possesses strong, creative problem-solving skills, and can use non-traditional search methods to identify and locate family members and supportive connections
Has strong data analysis skills needed to conduct diligent search activities across multiple databases, systems, social media, and other websites. Will complete required forms and SACWIS documentation, send written correspondence, and log / track data for use by the foster care team
Uses ecomaps, genograms, and other tools to map and locate prospective supports and placement resources for the youth and family
Serves as a team member within the multidisciplinary team or Child and Family Team Meeting consisting of case manager, supervisor, foster parent, birth parents and youth to facilitate connections between newly found family/fictive kin members, supports, and other collateral resources to resolve complex and stalled cases to improve permanency outcomes
Possess the ability to identify and engage familial supports and connections including relatives and fictive kin for the purpose of life-long connections and permanency achievement
Assist in training potential foster parents and biological parents/relatives of foster children, as assigned
Engages in a variety of techniques to meet and communicate with potential foster parents, including attending events, networking, social media, and other strategies
Support potential foster parents to provide information and encourage engagement through the licensing process
Will take the lead in engaging in both proactive general and target foster family recruitment efforts for youth in the foster care system
Targeted recruitment efforts will include specifically reaching out to potential families who are most likely to meet the needs for the specific youth, including but not limited to, attending, and participating in community events throughout the area
Coordinates services and attends meetings with other agencies, systems, and community providers to meet the needs of the clients
Uses active and reflective listening skills and affirmations to demonstrate respect and empathy, avoiding negative and derogatory labels that foster disrespect
Understand that behaviors, responses, attitudes, and emotions are a collection of survival skills often developed in response to traumatic experiences
Maintain confidentiality of employees, volunteers, and program participants to provide a safe environment
Attend at least two trainings related to being trauma informed in a twelve-month period
Ability to work effectively with program participants and family members, employees and vendors in a culturally diverse environment to support healing and recovery
Maintains electronic calendar to provide accounting for daily activities and provides permissions for viewing to the appropriate individuals
Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's degree in social work or other human service field, criminal justice or communications
Experience in investigation and person location preferred
Strong communication skills, research skills and experience working with children and youth with special needs a plus
Strong leadership and organizational skills
Knowledge of childhood trauma and prior experience working in settings with youth and families that have been exposed to trauma or experiencing traumatic stress preferred
Personal vehicle or access to vehicle and proof of insurance
Valid Illinois/Indiana/Wisconsin Driver's license
No history of child abuse or neglect
Ability to pass background and drug screen
Highlighted benefits
Provides full time employees 2 times their salary in term life insurance for no additional cost
Reimburses your gym memberships up to $20 per month to aid on your overall fitness and health
Offers 100% match up to 3% on your retirement savings after 1 year of service
All employees start off with an average of 17-25 days of PTO
Employee Referral Program gives employees an opportunity to receive up to $1500 for referring candidates
9 paid holidays off
Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Lawrence Hall encourages you to apply even if you do not meet all listed qualifications. We look forward to your application. This position meets the FLSA requirements for Exempt Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V