Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois
Specialized Services Child Welfare Specialist
Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, O'Fallon, Illinois, United States
Specialized Services Child Welfare Specialist
JOB TITLE:
Specialized Services Child Welfare Specialist (S-CWS)
REPORTS TO:
Specialized Services Program Manager
STATUS:
Full Time, Exempt
Benefits:
Click Here to view LCFS’ Full-Time Employee Benefits.
Salary Range:
51,336 - $56,336
OFFICE LOCATION:
The office location will be based on the office nearest to the candidate’s residency. Travel is required across the 102 IL counties in which cases are assigned. This is generally in the county where the office is located and the surrounding counties for work related responsibilities. Opportunities currently available in O\'Fallon and Mt. Vernon.
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. 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)
Impacts of the child welfare community by addressing institutional racism and implicit bias to increase positive outcomes for children and families of color
Creators of 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 organizational leadership, the Specialized Services CWS 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 part of a child welfare team consisting of child welfare specialists, medical and mental health personnel in building relationships, supports, partnerships and strengths amongst the youth, their identified caregivers and families to ensure youth who are involved in the Illinois foster care system and who have a history of medical, mental health issues and/or multiple placements, delinquency or other level needs. The goals of the role are to ensure:
Safety, permanency and well-being
Successful and sustainable transitions and maintenance in the least restrictive arrangements
Intensive wraparound and case coordination services for social, emotional and physical well-being
Natural and formal lifelong supports, connections, safety, stability and permanency
Supportive youth-led strength building, positive development, pro-social life skills opportunities, behavior and medical adaptability, skills and empowerment
ESSENTIAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
(non-exhaustive)
Serve with a team of supervisors and direct service child welfare professionals in partnership with children, parents and community providers to assess, plan, evaluate and make linkages for safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes
Implement and refer individualized and targeted services for youth and families, such as counseling, respite, mentoring, educational support, case management, crisis intervention, and continual language to services to meet the specialized needs of children/families
Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams and partners for continuous quality improvement, interventions, service delivery and the achievement of program outcomes
Participate in System of Care principles to include ensuring the provision of social/emotional/mental/behavioral/mental health specialty service provision, including regular participation in clinical and medical staffing and level of care eligibility/maintenance reviews
Participate in regular supervision, mediation, problem resolution, and crisis response by effectively responding to concerns and demonstrating the ability to manage crisis and difficult case situations (on-call support)
Assess and maintain knowledge of child welfare and population-specific laws, policies and trends for recommending program adjustments and implementation
Achieve organizational performance outcomes on KPIs toward safety, permanency, well-being and overall agency performance outcomes
Represent clients’ needs and agency interests to referral sources, DCFS, the judicial system and governmental agencies
Exercise discretion and judgment in performance of duties in conformance with applicable policies and regulations
Performs other duties as required or assigned within the scope of the duties above
ADDITIONAL CHILD WELFARE SPECIALIST ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Oversee children and families assigned to LCFS for providing child welfare services, monitor well-being, progress toward reunification, facilitate home visits and communicate with foster families; may transport in own vehicle and work evenings or weekends; travel to high-risk communities
Continuously assess the child’s needs related to safety, education, medical and social/psychological well-being; prepare required written and verbal reports to the court; handle crisis situations and client complaints with supervisory consultation as needed
Comply with DCFS SACWIS, prepare service plans, maintain up-to-date client files, and participate in QA and training requirements
Maintain regular communication with supervisor regarding case issues; ensure issues impacting youth safety and permanency are escalated as needed
Engage the child, birth parents, and foster parents; establish therapeutic alliances and teach effective parenting skills
Maintain knowledge of community resources and coordinate referrals; establish collaborative relationships with agency staff and providers
Correlate service plan outcomes with interventions to meet the needs of the child and birth parents
Ensure expenditures are appropriate and in line with policy; report expenditures accurately
Stay informed about changing regulations and participate in required training
Provide a welcoming environment and develop understanding of diversity, inclusion, and equity issues
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of risk and safety assessment and development of safety plans
Ability to write clear, actionable feedback for reports and documents
Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnosis, treatment methodologies, and crisis intervention
Knowledge of readiness for change, grief, human development, and trauma impact
Understanding of confidentiality and ethical duties; ability to be open to diverse populations
Critical thinking, detail-oriented, and strong verbal, facilitation and written communication skills
Ability to train and mentor others; participate in ongoing organizational training
Proficiency with computer software and databases; ability to navigate MS Office tools
Ability to travel and work flexible hours
QUALIFICATION – EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s in a related human service field with 1 year of related experience in child and family casework services. A Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL) in IL 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. May require driving and transporting to various locations. Willing to travel; must have a valid driver’s license and insurance.
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. LCFS offers a benefits package including health and dental insurance, 10 paid holidays, generous paid time off, resilience benefits, life insurance, a 403(b) retirement program and performance-based bonus potential.
Note:
This description summarizes the principal duties and responsibilities of the position and is not intended to be all-inclusive. LCFS reserves the right to modify duties as needed.
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Specialized Services Child Welfare Specialist (S-CWS)
REPORTS TO:
Specialized Services Program Manager
STATUS:
Full Time, Exempt
Benefits:
Click Here to view LCFS’ Full-Time Employee Benefits.
Salary Range:
51,336 - $56,336
OFFICE LOCATION:
The office location will be based on the office nearest to the candidate’s residency. Travel is required across the 102 IL counties in which cases are assigned. This is generally in the county where the office is located and the surrounding counties for work related responsibilities. Opportunities currently available in O\'Fallon and Mt. Vernon.
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. 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)
Impacts of the child welfare community by addressing institutional racism and implicit bias to increase positive outcomes for children and families of color
Creators of 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 organizational leadership, the Specialized Services CWS 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 part of a child welfare team consisting of child welfare specialists, medical and mental health personnel in building relationships, supports, partnerships and strengths amongst the youth, their identified caregivers and families to ensure youth who are involved in the Illinois foster care system and who have a history of medical, mental health issues and/or multiple placements, delinquency or other level needs. The goals of the role are to ensure:
Safety, permanency and well-being
Successful and sustainable transitions and maintenance in the least restrictive arrangements
Intensive wraparound and case coordination services for social, emotional and physical well-being
Natural and formal lifelong supports, connections, safety, stability and permanency
Supportive youth-led strength building, positive development, pro-social life skills opportunities, behavior and medical adaptability, skills and empowerment
ESSENTIAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
(non-exhaustive)
Serve with a team of supervisors and direct service child welfare professionals in partnership with children, parents and community providers to assess, plan, evaluate and make linkages for safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes
Implement and refer individualized and targeted services for youth and families, such as counseling, respite, mentoring, educational support, case management, crisis intervention, and continual language to services to meet the specialized needs of children/families
Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams and partners for continuous quality improvement, interventions, service delivery and the achievement of program outcomes
Participate in System of Care principles to include ensuring the provision of social/emotional/mental/behavioral/mental health specialty service provision, including regular participation in clinical and medical staffing and level of care eligibility/maintenance reviews
Participate in regular supervision, mediation, problem resolution, and crisis response by effectively responding to concerns and demonstrating the ability to manage crisis and difficult case situations (on-call support)
Assess and maintain knowledge of child welfare and population-specific laws, policies and trends for recommending program adjustments and implementation
Achieve organizational performance outcomes on KPIs toward safety, permanency, well-being and overall agency performance outcomes
Represent clients’ needs and agency interests to referral sources, DCFS, the judicial system and governmental agencies
Exercise discretion and judgment in performance of duties in conformance with applicable policies and regulations
Performs other duties as required or assigned within the scope of the duties above
ADDITIONAL CHILD WELFARE SPECIALIST ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Oversee children and families assigned to LCFS for providing child welfare services, monitor well-being, progress toward reunification, facilitate home visits and communicate with foster families; may transport in own vehicle and work evenings or weekends; travel to high-risk communities
Continuously assess the child’s needs related to safety, education, medical and social/psychological well-being; prepare required written and verbal reports to the court; handle crisis situations and client complaints with supervisory consultation as needed
Comply with DCFS SACWIS, prepare service plans, maintain up-to-date client files, and participate in QA and training requirements
Maintain regular communication with supervisor regarding case issues; ensure issues impacting youth safety and permanency are escalated as needed
Engage the child, birth parents, and foster parents; establish therapeutic alliances and teach effective parenting skills
Maintain knowledge of community resources and coordinate referrals; establish collaborative relationships with agency staff and providers
Correlate service plan outcomes with interventions to meet the needs of the child and birth parents
Ensure expenditures are appropriate and in line with policy; report expenditures accurately
Stay informed about changing regulations and participate in required training
Provide a welcoming environment and develop understanding of diversity, inclusion, and equity issues
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of risk and safety assessment and development of safety plans
Ability to write clear, actionable feedback for reports and documents
Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnosis, treatment methodologies, and crisis intervention
Knowledge of readiness for change, grief, human development, and trauma impact
Understanding of confidentiality and ethical duties; ability to be open to diverse populations
Critical thinking, detail-oriented, and strong verbal, facilitation and written communication skills
Ability to train and mentor others; participate in ongoing organizational training
Proficiency with computer software and databases; ability to navigate MS Office tools
Ability to travel and work flexible hours
QUALIFICATION – EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s in a related human service field with 1 year of related experience in child and family casework services. A Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL) in IL 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. May require driving and transporting to various locations. Willing to travel; must have a valid driver’s license and insurance.
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. LCFS offers a benefits package including health and dental insurance, 10 paid holidays, generous paid time off, resilience benefits, life insurance, a 403(b) retirement program and performance-based bonus potential.
Note:
This description summarizes the principal duties and responsibilities of the position and is not intended to be all-inclusive. LCFS reserves the right to modify duties as needed.
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