FAMILY FINDING & PERMANENCY ACHIEVEMENT SPECIALIST at Children's Home Association of Illinois (CHAIL)

About Children’s Home Association of Illinois (CHAIL):

CHAIL is a youth, family, and community focused 501(c)(3) organization with multiple locations and 450 staff, located in Peoria, IL. For over 159 years CHAIL has been helping the kids and families who need it most.  Children’s Home Association of Illinois (CHAIL) is the largest social service agency for youth and families in downstate Illinois. The services we provide don’t just impact the individual child, they create positive ripple effects within their immediate family, neighborhood, community, and world by providing an opportunity to thrive.  

Here at CHAIL, employees experience a “People First - Culture of Care” working atmosphere. From the most tenured staff to the newest team member, everyone is welcomed into a community that prioritizes diversity, equity, wellness, belonging, and good health. Starting with our CEO/President and migrating to every employee, this agency takes pride in taking care of each other. We believe if our employees are cared for, they can better live out the mission of the agency which is to help the kids and families who need it most. By putting our people first at CHAIL, they have the opportunity to share their expertise, talents, and passions with clients as they are changing the lives of the kids who will change the world. Our employees at CHAIL will tell you that they love working for the agency because they love what the agency does!

About the Position:

The Family Finding & Permanency Specialist supports Youth in Care by identifying, engaging, and strengthening lifelong connections while advancing permanency through reunification, adoption, or guardianship. This position combines diligent family search and engagement efforts with permanency planning expertise to eliminate barriers and achieve timely permanency outcomes. The Specialist works closely with the treatment team, families, and community partners to ensure youth maintain long-term stability and support.

Job Function:

• Conducts diligent searches using traditional and non-traditional methods (databases, social media, outreach) to identify relatives, fictive kin, and other lifelong supports.
• Develops and utilizes tools such as ecomaps and genograms to assess family networks and prospective placement resources.
• Engages youth, parents, relatives, foster parents, and community supports to strengthen family systems and provide consistent connections.
• Provides technical assistance and coaching to caseworkers in family finding and resource development strategies.
• Supports kinship caregivers (before and after placement) to ensure stability and connection for the youth.
• Assists with targeted foster family recruitment when family or kin placements are unavailable.
• Serves as the permanency resource expert on child/family teams; identifies and removes barriers to reunification, adoption, or guardianship.
• Educates families on permanency options, including adoption subsidies and guardianship supports, while maintaining extended family connections.
• Prepares and submits required legal, subsidy, and ICPC documentation to DCFS and monitors progress until permanency is finalized.
• Coordinates with adoption staff, attorneys, courts, and community providers to resolve delays and expedite permanency.
• Tracks permanency timeliness data and reports progress to the treatment team.
• Provides post-permanency resource linkages to families for ongoing support.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in social work, human services, or related field required
• Minimum of two years of experience in child welfare preferred, including work in family finding, kinship care, or permanency planning
• Experience with children with special needs, reunification, adoptions, or guardianship preffered
• Ability to pass the State of Illinois written examination on Licensing Standards for Foster Family Homes (402), the Child Care Act, and CWEL.

Benefits & Pay:

• PTO (paid-time-off) accrual 3 weeks first year (full-time)
• 9 paid holidays
• 1 floating holiday
• Summer pay - less working hours, increased hourly rate for the summer! 
• Sick Leave accrual 12 days per year (full-time)
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• 401K with company match
• Company paid life insurance, STD and LTD
• Supplemental life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Program
• Opportunity to Further Education

CHAIL provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.