Family Services Specialist IV - Resource bei City of Lynchburg, VA

About the Department

The Foster Care and Adoption team is seeking a qualified and energetic candidate to serve as a lead worker for the Resource unit. The employee will perform difficult professional work serving as a liaison between foster and kinship families and Family Services Specialists. The Resource Coordination team assesses, trains, approves, supports, and recertifies over 120 local foster and kinship homes for the City of Lynchburg. This includes completing extensive background checks, home visits, meeting with foster families and assessing the suitability of individuals as foster parents, including kinship care. The Senior Resource Coordinator provides orientation, pre-service training and ongoing training as well as speaks at community events in an effort to recruit additional foster parents within the community. The Coordinator will serve as support for the supervisor by performing tasks such as ensuring staff coverage, workload balance, attending Family Partnership Meetings, training staff, reviewing files, and providing back-up supervision of staff. Employee may take the lead on and provide consultation on complex cases. Employee will work within established policies, procedures and guidelines with a high degree of independence, seeking supervisory assistance only in unusually complicated and difficult cases/situations. The Senior Resource Home Coordinator must be flexible, engaging, and highly organized. 

Position Duties

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Other duties to provide direct or indirect service to the citizens may be assigned.

• Collaborates with the Resource team to complete certification requirements for prospective foster and kinship parents including orientation, training and certification packet completion, and Mutual Family Assessments;
• Facilitates Foster and Kinship pre-service training, in-service training, and manages staff in service training opportunities for the foster care and adoption units;
• Evaluates and monitors foster and kinship homes for compliance with state and local guidelines;
• Maintains meticulous foster parent files, quarterly status reports (at a minimum) and records regarding the certification status of each foster home; 
• Responds to certification alerts and implements policy changes;
• Performs compliance and approval duties for over 120 resource families (including extensive background checks, training, home visits, assessments and recertification); 
• Identifies kinship placements for children and initiates the assessment process in order to support children remaining safely within a family home;
• Makes comprehensive assessment of families/clients in crisis and offers supports;
• Analyzes needs and coordinates resources, which will support the family/client;
• Develops and implements a plan of action for the family/client which directly involves family/client input;
• Engages family/client and community in problem solving, conflict resolution and achieving goals in order to resolve the crisis;
• Stabilizes and improves family/client living and interpersonal skills through counseling and referrals to collateral resources;
• Executes complex and critical decisions involving families/clients in crisis, under possible adverse conditions;
• Performs scheduled and unscheduled field visits;
• Participates in extensive networking and collaboration with community and professional agencies, both public and private;
• Provides analysis, recommendations and testimony in complex court proceedings, which requires thorough assessment and documentation of the family/client's situations; 
• Interprets, implements and administers complex policies, regulations, and laws, and refines established complex procedures which require frequent independent thinking and resourcefulness in a complex environment;
• Performs other duties as assigned.
   
  ADDITIONAL DUTIES
• Assists in the evaluation of programs and services rendered to families/clients
• Processes financial documentation related to family/client services
• Interprets agency programs to other agencies, community groups, and associations;
• Identifies homes suitable for placement of children and youth in care 
• Researches and develops community resources, gives presentations, and participates in interagency meetings such as FAPT, Family Partnership Meetings, Best Interest Determination, eligibility, and IEP meetings with schools;
• Assists in the operation of emergency shelters.
• Other duties to provide direct or indirect service to the citizens may be assigned.
• When unusual situations occur and/or the City Manager declares a State of Emergency, all City employees may be required to accept special assignments and perform as needed to ensure appropriate service delivery.
  
  SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
  May serve as supervisor in absence of unit supervisor, or supervise interns, volunteers or other staff.

Minimum Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree in a human services field (social work, sociology, psychology, etc.) or a bachelor's degree in any field accompanied by a minimum of two years of human services appropriate and related experience. Individuals who do not meet the degree requirement at the time of application for employment must be in their last semester of a degree program in a human services field.  

To be considered for promotion, individuals must meet the above requirements or have four years of appropriate and related experience in a human services area and must have successfully completed all required training related to the promotional area.

Other Qualifications

Possess valid driver's license issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia and acceptable driving record according to City criteria. View City's Driving Criteria. 

Must satisfactorily complete criminal background check, drug and alcohol screen and Child Protective Services Registry check.
 
Must successfully complete IS100 and IS700 National Incident Management (NIMS) training within 90 days of employment. May also be required to complete higher levels of NIMS training as determined appropriate for the position.

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