Children's Home and Aid Foster Care Specialist Rockford, Illinois Apply Now
Brightpoint (formerly known as Children’s Home & Aid) invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.
The Foster Care Specialist is a critical member of the region’s child welfare team, working collaboratively within and across programs to ensure a relentless focus on keeping children safe and supporting families, consistent with our agency's Blueprint of Impact. As a Foster Care Specialist, you will gain experience in collaborating with families who have an indicated report of abuse or neglect to work towards a safe reunification or an alternative permanency plan to ensure the wellbeing of every child. Your daily routine will involve providing comprehensive and trauma-informed case management services to a reduced case load of families involved in the child welfare system and providing supplemental services to families assigned to Advanced and Lead Specialists. Case management services include assessing the safety and needs of children and families, engaging biological families to assist them in strengthening their parenting skills and knowledge, providing support to foster families, establishing collaborative relationships with service providers and institutions, monitoring biological families’ efforts and progress towards goals aimed at family reunification, and providing testimony in the Juvenile Court System regarding the best interest of children and families.
With support from your supervisor and the Lead Specialist on your team, you will be supported in developing the required competencies to be promoted into an Advanced Specialist position within 6-12 months of hire.
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or a closely related field required.
- Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL), Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP), and Child Abuse and Neglect (CANS) certification required, or the ability to obtain within 90 days of hire.
- Experience providing collaborative, strength-based services to kids and families preferred.
- Ability to attend in-person meetings and events as needed required.
- Valid driver's license, insurance, and a reliable vehicle required.
Job Details:
- Additional Compensation: One-time $3,000 CWEL recognition payment (issued 60 days after hire or following licensure issuance).
- Opportunity for Promotion: Eligibility for promotion into an Advanced Specialist role within 6-12 months of hire which includes a salary increase.
- Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day (PTO increases with tenure); 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match.
- Location: Hybrid (remote/in office); majority of your time will be spent in Winnebago, Boone and surrounding counties completing home visits to foster homes or meeting with clients in an agency office or community setting.
- Schedule: Full-time, salaried; general business hours with some flexibility required for accommodating client’s schedules and special projects. On call responsibilities on a shared rotation.
Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
We believe that by building diverse and inclusive teams of passionate advocates for youth and families, we can continue to show up for Illinois families, putting those families at the center of every decision, and strengthening the communities where we all work, play, and live together. If you are looking for an opportunity to do meaningful work, including raising your unique and authentic voice to disrupt the systemic inequality impacting children and families, we encourage you to apply today.
Brightpoint is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action. All employment activities are conducted in an equal and equitable fashion. The Agency prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, parental status, veteran status, source of income, and any other legally protected category.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.
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