Family and Resource Engagement Specialist

Family and Resource Engagement Specialist (FRES)

REPORTS TO: Licensing or Other Child Welfare Supervisor

STATUS: Full Time, Non-Exempt

OFFICE LOCATION: The home office location will be based on the office nearest to the candidate’s residency. Travel is required across the 102 IL counties of which cases are assigned. This is generally in the county where the office is located and the surrounding counties for work related responsibilities.

What We Do

Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois improves the well-being of people across the state by protecting children, strengthening families and building futures for those who have experienced trauma. We do this as a leading provider of a variety of child welfare services. LCFS is a welcoming organization serving children, individuals, families and communities of all faiths, races, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender expressions and gender-identifications.

Who We Are

• Champions in supporting children, youth and families throughout Illinois so they are able to reach their full potential
• Dynamic and innovative leaders who believe in collaboration with their team of professionals and are revolutionizing the
  
  
  

impact on services to families

• A community which embraces and is committed to being WIDE (welcoming, inclusive, diverse and equitable)
• Impactors of the child welfare community by addressing institutional racism and implicit bias to increase positive outcomes for
  
  
  

children and families of color

• Creators of a culture focused on supporting families and ensuring all children find safe, loving permanent homes, particularly by
  
  
  

reuniting them with their families

OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION

Under the direction of IL child welfare licensed leadership, the Family and Resource Engagement Specialist is part of the child welfare team that achieves the LCFS vision for all children and families having the opportunity for safe, healthy and meaningful lives. This role is a non-case carrying member of the team aimed at building relationships, supports, partnerships and strengths amongst youth, their identified caregivers and families for the expansion of familial/natural, informal and formal life-long supports, connections and resources. Additional goals of the role are to ensure:

• Successful and sustainable transitions and maintenance in the least restrictive living arrangements
• Intensive wraparound and case coordination services for social, emotional and physical well-being
• Supportive youth and family led strength building, positive development, pro-social life skill opportunities, behavior and medical
  
  
  

adaptability, skills & empowerment

Essential Roles & Responsibilities (non-exhaustive List)

• Serves as a non-case carrying member of multidisciplinary team of foster parents, birth parents, youth, supervisors, direct service child welfare professionals and other identified supports to find and facilitate connections with prior, existing, or new caregivers
• Assist in the collection of information, service identification and resource development to support case work staff in stabilizing youth involved in the IL child welfare system
• Utilize innovative and traditional research, investigation and general search methods to identify and locate family members and supportive connections for youth in care
• Collaborate with the licensing and foster care team to identify/recruit potential placement options of licensed providers, relatives and fictive kin to support engaged, affirming, stable and life-long connections, placement, stabilization and permanency
• Support newly identified relatives and fictive kin as they develop their role in the life of a youth in the child welfare system
• Collaborate with the licensing and foster care team for expediting and supporting the licensure process for relative caregiver resources
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams and partners for continuous quality improvement, interventions, service delivery and the achievement of program outcomes
• Participate in regular supervision, mediation, problem resolution, and crisis response by effectively responding to parent, child, provider and other stakeholder concerns and demonstrating the ability to effectively manage crisis and difficult case situations
• Maintains knowledge of changing regulations, policies and rules from agency, DCFS, legal and accrediting bodies. Attends and participates in all required agency and DCFS training in time frame required.
• Achieve organizational performance outcomes on Key Performance Indicators metrics/dashboard towards safety, permanency, wellbeing, and overall Agency performance outcomes
• Exercise discretion and judgment (under supervision) in performance of duties in conformance with applicable policies, procedures, statutes, rules and regulations
• Provides a welcoming and receptive environment to all contacts, clients, agency staff and collateral contacts. Develops understanding and continuously develops self-awareness related to diversity, inclusion and equity issues.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the within the values, philosophy, policies procedures and scope of the duties enumerated above
  
  
  

Knowledge And Abilities

• Understanding of family centered practice, genograms, ecomaps and social histories
• Basic understanding of the child welfare system
• Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions
• Ability to successfully apply learned knowledges and techniques to a working environment
• Physical, visual and auditory ability to carry out assigned duties
• Ability to write, prepare and give clear, actionable, accurate, and comprehensive data and feedback for reports and documentation
• Knowledge of readiness of change, grief, human development and the impact of trauma
• Knowledge and understanding of the role of a change agent and interventions needed for a successful helping relationship and maintenance of confidentiality
• Ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills, be detail oriented with highly effective verbal, facilitation and written communication skills
• Ability to develop skills and the skills of others via training, application and supervision
• Knowledge and ability to be open and accepting of other’s ethnicities, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE)
• Ability to collaborate and coach a diverse population of staff, with competence, understanding and sensitivity to the workforce and service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics
• Proficiency in the usage of computer software; demonstrate an understanding of computer file systems and databases, e.g., Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc
• Ability to travel and work flexible hours
  
  
  

Qualification-education & Experience Requirements

Bachelors in a related human service field and related experience in child and family casework services or person location is highly preferred. (Proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in English and Spanish preferred.)

PHYSICAL AND SPECIAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, or controls, reach with hands and arms. Objects include a computer and keyboard, calculator, typical business machines such as a fax machine and copier. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee will need to work in Agency offices, travel and/or transport children and families throughout Illinois and must be able to transport him/herself to these environments. The employee is required to have a valid driver’s license, insurance and must be able to safely operate a motor vehicle. LCFS is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Compensation And Benefits

Compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. This is a non-case carrying position, thus compensation is less than case carrying counterparts. Lutheran Child and Family Services offers a benefit package to health and dental insurance, includes 11 paid holidays, a robust paid time off/vacation/sick time policy, workforce self-care and resiliency benefits, life insurance, a 403(b) retirement program and performance based bonus potential.