Thank you for your interest!

This posting is specific to an internal position update.

Please apply to our full time openings: arizonaschildren.org/careers

Position Summary:

The Foster Care and Kinship Specialist is responsible for licensing foster and kinship homes, certifying adoptive families and/or completing assessment home studies for ICPC, kinship, and community foster referred families.  This position will collaborate with community partners and governmental agencies in the geographic/demographic areas assigned.

Essential Job Functions:

• Assists families with completing paperwork for home study processes.
• Writes comprehensive studies about interested families, evaluating skills and appropriateness for kinship placement, foster care licensure, adoption and guardianship.
• Monitors homes ensuring licensing standards, state laws and regulatory requirements are being met.
• Maintains timely and accurate client records in compliance with AzCA and governmental requirements.
• May assist or be responsible for training for adoptive, foster care or kinship families.
• Assesses the strengths and needs of kinship families, develop goals and supports in connection to needed resources.
• May assist or be responsible for writing recruitment plans and implementing or participating in recruitment activities.
• May assist with coordinating the sharing of information for adoption matching procedures for children and families.
• Conducts home visits and in-home courtesy supervision as needed.
• May assist or be responsible for facilitating support groups and/or orientation.
• Prepares summaries for reporting requirements.
• Participates in AzCA program and statewide committees as assigned.
• Safely and effectively monitor client activities.
• Attends and participates in all required meetings.
• Meets established productivity and documentation standards.
• Performs work and represents AzCA in accordance with our mission, vision and values and Foundations for Success.
• Maintains consistent attendance and punctuality to provide consistency in serving clients.
• Performs other duties as assigned, which are consistent with the general responsibilities of the position.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Demonstrates the knowledge and application of human development and family life cycle in children and families.
• Demonstrates the knowledge and application of the cultural situations involved in the treatment of child and family.
• Demonstrates proficiency in educational activities and training, including: behavior management and life skills, positive parenting skills, appropriate boundaries, community resources, adult training in group settings, general public awareness.
• Ability to work in a diverse, multi-cultural environment and be sensitive to the service population's cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.
• Ability to assess the strengths and needs of families and recognize/address safety concerns in the home.
• Ability to participate as a team member, utilize supervision and able to accept peer support
• Effective written, oral and interpersonal communication skills in the English language.  Might also require Spanish.
• Must be organized with the ability to take direction, prioritize tasks, and to work independently with minimum supervision.
• Must have ability to maintain confidentiality, and exhibit sound judgment while providing emotional support.
• Ability to interact professionally with all staff and guests.
• Must be able to recognize and communicate with your supervisor to address self-care needs in order to effectively maintain all job duties.
• Ability to work in a variety of environments to include but not limited to in/outdoors with various obstacles, stairs and unknown conditions.
• Must be able to physically demonstrate competency in the following areas: operate transport vehicles as needed (unless declared a non-driver).
• Able to operate common office equipment and be proficient with electronic health records, calendaring, word processing and other needed computer and electronic device skills.

Minimum Qualification & Requirements

• Must be 21 years of age (licensing requirement).
• Possess a valid Arizona driver's license and be insurable under the agency's automobile policy.
• Must be able to provide own transportation to and from clients' homes and/or other relevant organizations/agencies.
• Must be able to provide DPS fingerprint clearance.
• Must be able to provide a clear/negative pre-employment drug test and adhere to random drug tests after hired.
• Must be able to provide and maintain CPR and First Aid certification.
• Must be able to meet training and agency compliance requirements for the position.
• An individual may qualify for this position if the individual is able to ?perform safely? the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.  Perform safely means to perform without causing a direct threat to the health or safety of the individual or others that cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodations, as defined by 42 U.S.C. #1211 (b) and the Commission's regulations found at 29 C.F.R #1630.2 (r).

This position description is intended to indicate the basic nature of the position and does not necessarily list all possible duties that may be assigned.

Minimum Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field of study with 5 years of related experience OR a Master's degree in a related field of study with 2 years of related experience.
• Required experience in the Social Work, Psychology or Human Service Field (i.e. Group Home, Shelter Care, Behavioral Health field) working with children, families, and or adults.
• Relevant Degrees include the following areas of study: Child/Family/Human Development, Community Organization/Advocacy, Counseling, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Studies, Family Studies, Human Services, Psychology, Public Health, Social work. Criminal Justice degrees will be eligible with two years of related work experience.
• Other degrees may be considered; with a granted exception review by Human Resources, which includes verification of at least 20 Credit hours from an accredited university in the previously referenced degree specialty.