Title: Community Family Services Specialist
Department: Community Family Services (CFS)
Reports to: Community Family Services Associate Director (CFSAD) and Community Family Services Director (CFSD)
Job Function:
The CFS Specialist (CFSS) is supervised by the CFSAD and CFSD. The services of Community Family Services include Coordination of Medical Services, Diligent Ongoing Relative Search, and Accelerated Permanency Support. Community Family Services supports agencies who work with foster children in the legal custody of Missouri’s Children’s Division.
The CFS Specialist can be assigned to both Diligent Ongoing Relative Search (DORS) cases and Accelerated Permanency Support (APS) cases. DORS services include searching for new alternative care cases to find relatives, both family and kinship, for possible placement as well as ongoing relative engagement with the child(ren) in the foster care system. The Specialist gathers relatives’ information and communicates back to the legal guardian. In addition, the CFSS may conduct relative searching activities for active alternative care cases needing extra help locating family connections. Regarding APS, The CFS Specialist will work with the legal guardian and placement provider to accelerate the permanency for the child(ren) through either Guardianship or Adoption. This may include assisting in collecting and completing needed documentation for the identified permanency goal. The Specialist will coordinate between various parties towards the end goal for the child(ren).
Specific Duties and Responsibilities as it relates to DORS:
- Assessing families and advocating for the child.
- Initiates contact with the legal guardian and gathers information about the child and family.
- Completes database searches on multiple platforms to find relatives and kin for the child(ren).
- Conduct background checks of potential placement options for the child.
- Ability to appropriately document all case activities in a timely manner as outlined by Diligent Search, House Bill 186.
- Organize and maintain documentation of all communications with relatives and provide to the legal guardian to be included in the child’s case record.
- Attend Family Support Team meetings involving multiple professionals, family members, and community members to gather familial information.
- Conduct virtual meetings and phone calls with identified relatives and occasional in-person meetings when needed and appropriate.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities as it relates to APS:
- Coordinate and collect information needed based on the case goal of Guardianship or Adoption.
- Conduct either virtual meetings or phone calls with identified permanent resource for the child(ren).
- Communicate between the assigned attorney, identified permanency resource, and the case manager to keep the plan moving forward.
- Assist the permanency attorney in collecting needed documents to obtain an Adoption/Guardianship date on the court docket.
Duties as it relates to CFS and OLH:
- Performs other responsibilities assigned by CFSAD and CFSD.
- Attend training, workshops and seminars relating to children and families to equate to 30 hours every 2 years.
- Provide outcome and needed service information to the management team and attend interagency meetings.
- Maintain positive working relationships with service providers, legal guardians and various community members.
- Comply with all confidentiality and security standards imposed by HIPAA, COA, and other external bodies as well as those specified in internal organizational policies.
- Conduct activities in a manner to facilitate the fundamental goals of the programs and uphold duty to do no harm.
Skills and attitudes required for success in the job:
- Ability to effectively communicate with potential relatives of children in alternative care.
- Commitment to ensuring that every child is connected to family.
- Effective team player
- Non-judgmental attitude.
- Excellent assessment skills.
- Ability to work with a culturally diverse population.
- Ability to advocate assertively for children and their families.
- Ability to recognize and apply a sense of urgency to case responsibilities.
- Independently arrange a weekly work schedule to accommodate clients’ and agency needs.
- Ability to prioritize and organize needed tasks to be successful in the position.
- Ability to make independent decisions through application of common sense, data, and knowledge gained through training and education.
- Proven ability to utilize Microsoft office products (i.e. Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams etc.) and navigate various electronic databases. Sufficient typing skills required.
- Ability to represent the agency and the job in a positive manner to others.
Skills and attitudes required for success in the job:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or other related fields.
- Minimum of one (1) year of experience working with children and families.
- Knowledgeable in the area of child welfare preferred.
- Proficient in Microsoft Outlook and Teams. Use of Excel spreadsheets required.
- Ability to organize time and plan activities accordingly.
- Ability to solve problems effectively and in a timely manner.
- Good human relations skills; ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with clients as well as other professionals.
- Work production skills (i.e. attention to detail, organization, decision making, etc.)
- Ability to work independently and as a team member.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Work Environment:
- Duties can be performed both within an office environment and remote.
- Requires the ability to perform light lifting.
- Operation of standard office equipment.
- Sitting for long periods of time is possible.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Note: Our Little Haven holds the rights to modify the terms of this job description as necessary; terms may change without prior notification.
To submit resume or inquire about opening, contact: Community Family Services Director Nicole Pashia at npashia@ourlittlehaven.org or call (314) 669-9754
