Child Welfare Specialist

Gain a meaningful career helping children and families thrive. If you have a desire to help others, this might be the place for you. Join our welcoming environment and make an impact!

The team at LCFS brings their best to the important work of strengthening families and building futures for children and parents. As a leading child welfare agency with 16 locations across Illinois, our mission is to nurture and strengthen children and families in need. Be a part of a team that is a leader in innovative best practice and strong child welfare outcomes!

Professional Development/ Training and Support

Health and Wellness

Work/Life Balance

Life Insurance & Disability Insurance

Employee Recognition/Staff Engagement

• Tuition Assistance/ Reimbursement Program (up to $3,000/year after first year of employment)
• Employer paid licensure for LCSW and LCPC
• University tuition discount available upon hire:
• Chamberlain University: 10% discount
• Lewis University: 20% discount
• National Louis University: 10% discount
• Extensive Leadership Training and Professional Development Classes
• LGBTQ+ Training
• Supervisory support
• Public Loan Forgiveness Organization

LCFS is an equal opportunity employer and consideration for employment is made without regard to: race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Position:Child Welfare Specialist

Location: Decatur, IL

Job :1933

# of Openings:1

Effective Date: March 1, 2024

NON-MANAGEMENT JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Child Welfare Specialist

Exempt/Non-exempt: EXEMPT

Salary Range: $50,336 - $55,336

Essential Functions:

• Primarily responsible for overseeing children and families assigned to Lutheran Child and Family Services for providing child welfare services which includes monitoring the child’s well-being, 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 high-risk communities. Provide on-call services as assigned.
• Exercises discretion and sound judgment in performance of duties in conformance with applicable policies, procedures, statutes, rules and regulations.
• 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 regularly with multi-disciplinary teams and partners for continuous quality improvement, interventions, service delivery and the achievement of program outcomes.
• Actively participate in System of Care including the regular participation in clinical and medical staffing’s and level of care.
• Actively 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 on-call support.)
• Assesses and maintains 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, well-being and overall agency performance outcomes
• Represents clients’ needs and Agency interest to referral sources, DCFS, the judicial system and governmental agencies.
• Continuously assesses the child’s needs related to safety, education, medical and social and psychological well-being. Prepares accurate, timely 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…