Caregiver Specialist, Family Care
Organization
Palmer Home provides superior care for children while introducing the love of God through our service to each individual child. Palmer Home ensures restorative environments where children feel safe, connected and supported. Each child served by Palmer Home has a safe place to call home with trustworthy, supportive adults to guide them as they grow and develop into all that God created them to be. Palmer Home provides holistic care to each child based on their unique physical, emotional, spiritual and educational needs.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Director of Family Care, the Caregiver Specialist is responsible for the recruitment, training, certification and retention of qualified caregiver families and is expected to work fully within the philosophy, goals and operating procedures of Palmer Home for Children, demonstrating exemplary Christian character, administrative competency and human relations skills.
Location: Remote from Nashville, TN Area
Responsibilities
- Recruit caregiver families and provide mandated state and agency training curriculums.
- Assist with the development of recruitment and marketing plans and materials that recruit quality caregivers.
- Record and maintain the information and statistics necessary to measure the effectiveness of various recruitment efforts.
- Responsible for implementing recruiting activities such as displays, booths, community events and speaking engagements.
- Maintain a tracking system of all inquiries and applicants, regularly reporting progress towards certification.
- Assist with the development and revision of training materials.
- Schedule, coordinate and document caregiver annual ongoing training as needed to maintain recertification requirements.
- Work with Caseworkers to develop training specific to the needs of caregivers and birth parents as those needs present.
- Independently gather necessary information to develop and complete thorough home studies for prospective caregivers.
- Prepare, compile, submit, and maintain accurate records, files, forms, statistics, and additional related information in accordance with agency policy and licensing requirements.
- Provide feedback, evaluation, motivation, and direction to prospective caregivers during the evaluation process.
- Provide guidance for prospective caregivers from the point of initial inquiry to the point of certification, responding to phone calls and emails in a timely manner.
- Maintain data about the process so decisions can be made about improving recruitment strategies, training initiatives, and continually evaluating the overall structure of certifying Palmer Home’s caregivers.
- Assist in matching children with potential caregivers, including new placements, emergency placements, and respite care.
- Visit each caregiver home annually and as needed to complete all necessary requirements for recertification.
- Cultivate an active network of caregivers, including respite care providers, and coordinate support activities that foster a sense of community among caregiver families.
- Create and maintain a productive and cooperative working environment based upon accountability and mutual respect.
- Support fund-raising efforts of the agency, sharing Palmer Home’s financial needs with individuals, agencies, and churches.
- Other duties that may be assigned from time to time.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in social work, human services, or related behavioral sciences field, with a minimum of one year experience in writing home studies full time for foster care/adoption preferred.
- Must be certified in using the Structured Analysis for Family Evaluation or willing to gain certification. Experience using a variety of home study models is preferred.
- Ability to work effectively within a faith-based agency, in agreement with the goals and processes utilized by Palmer Home for Children and advocate for alternatives to government funded foster care.
- Ability to assess individuals and families on clinical and social issues that could impact their ability to care for children in their home or to work with birth families.
- Ability to facilitate agency and state compliance regarding requirements for foster care certification.
- Willing to travel, maintain flexible working hours, and work evenings and weekends to accommodate families’ schedules.
- Detail-oriented, able to multi-task, meet deadlines and able to prioritize workload.
- Strong project management, customer service, and organizational skills.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to interview, harvest information, and interpret that information as it applies to caring effectively for children and working with birth families.
- Experience educating and preparing applicants to understand foster care issues and effective birth family work.
- Capable of training individuals and groups.
- Positive role model for effective, productive, cooperative working relationships within the agency, with caregiver families, and with birth families.
- Must be in agreement with the Palmer Home for Children Statement of Christian Beliefs and demonstrate a strong commitment to Christ consistent with the mission of Palmer Home status as a nonprofit religious organization.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of this position.
Apply
For consideration of employment, please send the following documents:
- Cover letter to include a statement of your religious affiliation
- Resumé
