Specialized Services Child Welfare Specialist
Specialized Services Child Welfare Specialist
Posted on :
08-04-2025
Employer Active
1 Vacancy
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via emailValid email field required
Send jobs
Share
Send me jobs like this
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via emailValid email field required
Send jobs
Monthly Salary
Not Disclosed
Salary Not Disclosed
Vacancy
1 Vacancy
Posted on :
08-04-2025
Job Description
JOB TITLE: Specialized Services Child Welfare Specialist (SCWS)
REPORTS TO: Specialized Services Program Manager
STATUS: Full Time Exempt
Salary Range: 51336 $56336
OFFICE LOCATION: The office location will be based on the office nearest to the candidates residency. Travel is required across the 102 IL counties of 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 Chicago Oakbrook Joliet and Kankakee.
WHAT WE DO
Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois improves the wellbeing of people across the state of by protecting children strengthening families and building futures for those who have experienced trauma. We do this as a leading provider of a variety of child welfare services. 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 its 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 specialist 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 whom 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 wellbeing
- Successful and sustainable transitions and maintenance in the least restrictive arrangements
- Intensive wraparound and case coordination services for social. Emotional and physical wellbeing
- Natural and formal lifelong supports connections safety stability and permanency
- Supportive youth led strength building positive development prosocial life skills opportunities behavior and medical adaptability skills and empowerment
ESSENTIAL ROLES AND RESPONSILITIES (NONEXHAUSTIVE LIST)
- 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 wellbeing outcomes
- Implementation and referral of 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 specialize needs of children/families
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and partners for continuous quality improvement interventions service delivery and the achievement of program outcomes
- Participate in System of Care principles (i.e.: collaborative service delivery for coordinated/integrated youthfocused family centered/engaged orientation) to include ensuring the provision of social/emotional/mental/behavioral/mental health specialty service provision. (This includes regular participation in clinical and medical staffings and level of care eligibility/maintenance reviews)
- Participate in regular supervision mediation problem resolution and crisis response by effectively responding to parent child provider and other stakeholder concerns and demonstrating the ability to effectively manage crisis and difficult case situations. (This includes oncall support.
- Assesses and maintain knowledge of child welfare and population specific laws policies and trends for recommending program adjustments and implementation that aides program effectiveness children families and communities
- Achieve organizational performance outcomes on Key performance indicators metrics/dashboard towards safety permanency wellbeing and overall agency performance outcomes
- Represents clients needs and Agency interest to referral sources DCFS the judicial system and governmental agencies
- Exercise discretion and judgment (under supervision) in performance of duties in conformance with applicable policies procedures statutes rules and regulations
- Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the values philosophy policies procedures and scope of the duties and enumerated above
ADDITIONAL CHILD WELFARE SPECIALIST ESSENTIAL FUNTCTIONS
- Primarily responsible for overseeing children and families assigned to Lutheran Child and Family Services for providing child welfare services which includes monitoring the childs wellbeing the birth parents progress towards reunification facilitating home visits and communicating appropriate information to foster families in their efforts to assist the child and birth parents. Transport child and parents at times in own vehicle. May work evening and some weekends in order to complete tasks. May travel to highrisk communities
- Continuously assesses the childs needs related to safety education medical and social and psychological wellbeing. Prepares required written and verbal reports to the court and collateral contact information as appropriate upholding all consents and confidentiality issues. Handles all crisis situation and client complains with sensitivity and consults with supervisory chain when appropriate to resolve the matter
- Complies with all requirements regarding utilization of the DCFS electronic recordkeeping system (SACWIS). Prepares written service plans for each client as required by DCFS contract. Maintains uptodate and accurate client files and databases as required by agency/programmatic policies and procedures professional standards and external requirements of all relevant regulatory licensing or accrediting bodys. Implements continuous quality improvement in all aspects of performance
- Maintains regular communication with supervisor regarding case issues and properly notifies the same of all significant issues particularly those that may impact the youth permanency safety and wellbeing as well as risk management and contractual compliance
- Engages the child the birth parents and the foster parents incompetently assesses the dynamics of the relationships and establishes a therapeutic alliance. Teaches effective parenting skills specific to the needs of the family
- Maintains knowledge of community resources and coordinates appropriate referrals and follow up as needed and required for child birth parents and foster parents. Establishes collaborative relationships with agency team members such as Case Aide other child welfare specialists service providers and institutions
- Correlates service plan outcomes and interventions to the integrative assessment and safety determination with specific interventions and at meeting the needs of the child and birth parents.
- Ensures expenditures are appropriate and according to agency policy and DCFS guidelines and reports expenditures in an accurate and timely manner.
- Maintains knowledge of changing regulations policies and rules from agency DCFS legal and accrediting bodies. Attends and participates in all required agency and DCFS training and timeframe required.
- Provides a welcoming and receptive environment. All contacts clients agency staff and collateral contacts. Develops understanding and continuously develops selfawareness related to diversity inclusion and equity issues.
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
- Knowledge of risk and safety assessment and developing affective safety plans that reduce/mitigate future risk of child abuse neglect and improve child safety
- Ability to write prepare and give clear actionable accurate and comprehensive feedback for reports or documents number
- Knowledge of the medical and mental health diagnosis treatment methodologies and crisis intervention for highrisk situation
- Knowledge of readiness of change grief human development and the impact of trauma
- Knowledge and understanding of the role of a change agent and interventions needed for a successful helping relationship in maintenance of confidentiality
- Ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills be detail oriented with highly effective verbal facilitation and written communication skills
- Ability to develop skills and the skills of others via training application and supervision (must participate in organizational training and an additional 15 hours of training specific to the specialized youth population served annually)
- Knowledge and ability to be open and excepting of others ethnicities race sexual orientation and expression (SOGIE)
- Ability to collaborate and coach a diverse population of staff with competence understanding and sensitivity to the workforce and service populations cultural and socioeconomic characteristics
- Proficiency in the usage of computer software; demonstrate an understanding of computer files systems and databases E. G. Microsoft office XL Outlook teams etc
- Ability to travel and work flexible hours
QUALIFICATIONEDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Bachelors 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 feels objects or controls; reach with hand and arms. Objects include a computer and keyboard calculator typical business machines such as a fax machine and copier. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision distance vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee may work in and/or visit agency offices children and family services throughout Illinois and must be able to safely transport him/herself to these environments. The employee is required to have a valid drivers license insurance and must be able to safely operate a motor vehicle. 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. Lutheran Child and Family services offers a benefit package to health and dental insurance includes 10 paid holidays a robust paid time off/vacation/sick time policy workforce selfcare and resiliency benefits life insurance a 403(b) retirement program and performance based bonus potential.
Required Experience:
Unclear Seniority
Employment Type
Full Time
Report This Job
Disclaimer: Drjobpro.com is only a platform that connects job seekers and employers. Applicants are advised to conduct their own independent research into the credentials of the prospective employer.We always make certain that our clients do not endorse any request for money payments, thus we advise against sharing any personal or bank-related information with any third party. If you suspect fraud or malpractice, please contact us via contact us page.
