Foster Care Case Manager

Foster Care

Case Manager

Job Summary, Position Details & Job Description

JOB SUMMARY

Job Title: Foster Care Case Manager

Department: Foster Care

Reports To: Foster Care Supervisor

Pay Range: $43,888.00-$48,000.00

Classification: Full Time Salaried, Exempt

POSTING DETAILS

JOB DESCRIPTION

1. MISSION STATEMENT: To help children and empower families by providing safety, advocacy, and support.

1. VISION: A safe, nurturing home for every child, a supportive community for every family.

1. VALUES:

• Exceptional Service: Client-focused and teaming at the center of our work.
• Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion: All are welcomed, valued, and belong.
• Excellence: Ongoing commitment to learning and improvement.
• Integrity: Responsibility and ownership of our actions and results.
• Creativity: Imagination, innovation, and intelligent risk taking.
• Passion: Relentless positive energy toward our mission and vision.
  1. SANCTUARY COMMITMENTS:
     • Nonviolence: Maintaining safety for all members of the community.
     • Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions so we don't hurt ourselves or others.
     • Social Learning: Together we accomplish more, we care for one another.
     • Democracy: Everyone has a voice, not necessarily a vote.
     • Open Communication: Respecting and sharing ideas of our team.
     • Social Responsibility: Say what you mean, don't be mean when you say it.
     • Growth & Change: Creating hope for ourselves and the people we serve.

This highly impactful role requires people with a unique blend of strengths including compassion, organization, communication, and perseverance. And while the foster care case manager has access to frequent supervisory support, the role still requires that the case manager is able to make frequent independent assessments and to creatively adapt to a diverse array of situations. Additionally, this position requires case managers who are committed to flexing their schedules to meet children and families in the community at times that are best for them.

So, what does a "normal" day in the life of a foster care case manager look like? Many case managers would laugh at that question, since every day is different for them, but we can at least offer you a list of core responsibilities that will frequently characterize your work and we can clarify that normally about half of your work is at a computer and half of it is in the community (foster family homes, birth family homes, court, school, and more).

Core Responsibilities of a Foster Care Case Manager include:

• Monthly home visits with foster children: while the frequency can vary by case situation, all foster children on your caseload must be visited at least monthly in their residence (e.g. foster home).
• Monthly visits with parents of foster children: since the goal for all foster children is reunification (until a judge will order otherwise), this requires monthly visits and additional communication with the child's parents. You will seek to engage them in treatment plans that help them succeed in reunification with their children.
• Timely report writing: About half of the case manager's job involves computer-based paperwork, most important of which is the quarterly report on each foster child and their family, written for several key readers including the judge and attorneys assigned to the case. So, it's critical that case managers can communicate effectively in writing and that they are able to do so in a timely manner.
• Court testimony: Since all foster children are in the foster care system as a result of a judge's order, that means that the court has an open Abuse/Neglect case on the children and their families; and that means that the court requires regular (normally quarterly) court appearances by the parents and the case manager to update the court on progress.

IS THIS JOB FOR YOU?

In sum, the role of a foster care case manager is impactful and life-changing for children and their families. But attending that opportunity is a high degree of responsibility. This is a demanding and difficult job. So, if you want a job that matters and that makes a true difference in people's lives, and if you're someone who can persevere in hard circumstances without immediate rewards, then this job may be for you.

CASE MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Commitment to learn and comply with MDHHS foster care policies and procedures as outlined in the Foster Care Online Manual (https://dhhs.michigan.gov/olmweb/ex/html/)
• Commitment to learn and comply with applicable rules and regulations from
• Department of Child Welfare Licensing (DCWL).
• Timely completion of computer-based and paperwork reporting.
• The Foster Care Case Manager should expect a caseload of 13 children.
• Cooperate and assist other agency staff (i.e., licensing, medical and adoption personnel) as well as partner agencies with necessary paperwork requirements.
• Comply with agency expectations related to general forms (i.e., expense vouchers, service area reports, etc.).
• Coordinate and monitor community resources available to clients (i.e., school conferences, psychological/psychiatric evaluations, parenting classes, substance use
• disorder, sexual abuse and mental health therapy and medical services, etc.).
• Attend agency and team meetings, case conferences, adoption planning conferences and in- service training, etc.
• Develop and implement initial and updated service plans, parent-agency agreements, aftercare treatment plans, and counsel parents in the completion of
• these plans.
• Participate in required case-related activities such as testifying at court hearings, pre- hearing conferences and Family Team Meetings (FTM), and Foster Care Review Board meetings.
• Safely transport youth.
• Must be available at night and weekends, in addition to our on-call team.
• Other responsibilities shall include those set forth in agency personnel policies or as assigned by the supervisor, management, and leadership.
• The ability to work more than 40 hours per week to achieve Agency objectives on a timely basis.

Supervision Received: General Direction - Plans and arranges own work. Uses a wide range of procedures to accomplish assigned objectives.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No supervisory responsibilities.

• Educational requirements are a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or a closely related Human Services field as approved by the Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing (BCAL). Master's degree is a bonus.
• Positive acceptance of supervision to learn and be trained in case management, assessment and treatment skills.
• Commitment to providing excellent child welfare services.
• Child welfare experience is a plus.
• Experience or training in working with children or adults within individual and family counseling, interviewing, family assessment and crisis intervention.
• Valid driver's license, good driving record and adequate insurance with a reliable vehicle always available.
• Possess an understanding and sensitivity to the client's cultural and socioeconomic characteristics with personal qualities of warmth, sensitivity, and the ability to establish meaningful relationships with people from various cultures.

1. CORE COMPETENCIES
   
   
   • Working Under Pressure: Ability to maintain composure when exposed to stress.
   • Planning and Organizing: Ability to set priorities and allocate resources properly in order to effectively achieve work responsibilities and objectives.
   • Customer Service: A desire to serve others by focusing efforts on listening and responding effectively to questions, providing services, and evaluating customer satisfaction.
   • Detail Orientation: Pay attention to detail, accuracy, and completeness.
   • Adaptability: Ability to fit into a changing work environment, priorities or organization needs by staying open-minded and being able to change based of new information.

Environmental Conditions:

DABSJ strives to be a fully inclusive organization as we support a diverse group of children and families. We are building a diverse team that represents our customers and our community, and recognize that each of us brings a unique perspective to the organization. We welcome differing thoughts, faiths, beliefs, groups, and lived experiences. The diversity and differences of each team member, foster parent, adoptive parent, child, and family make us #DABSJstrongertogether for children and families.

DABSJ is an equal opportunity, at-will employer, and will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment. DABSJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists; culture, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, socio-economic status, disability, or other legally-protected characteristics as required by law.

This job description does not list all duties of the job. Employees may be asked by management to perform other duties as needed. The Company reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and does not infringe upon the Company's at will employment status.