Homefinder

Homefinder - Regular full-time.
About Graham Windham.In full partnership with families & communities, Graham Windham strives to make a life-altering difference to children, youth, and families affected by abuse, neglect, and delinquency by providing each child we serve with a strong foundation for life: a safe, loving, permanent family and the opportunity and preparation to thrive in school and the world. With over 400 full-time, part-time, and on-call employees serving children and families in multiple programs throughout Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem, Graham Windham provides an exciting & enriching work experience.

Graham Windham is one of the first organizations in New York City to implement Solution - Based Casework. Solution - Based casework helps children and families to be the solution to the seemingly insurmountable problems in their lives, from generational cycles of poverty, abuse, and neglect to unemployment, domestic violence, and severe health problems. By recognizing and reinforcing their innate strengths and ability to cope, we at Graham Windham empower them to take the lead in making changes in their lives.

About the Program.At Graham Windham, our Family Foster Care programs help children to get back to their families, be adopted into a new family, or be connected to someone willing to be an anchor for children, throughout their childhood, and into adulthood. To help us do that, we have hundreds of loving & highly qualified foster parents primarily in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester County- who serve as our foster children's substitute family.

Position Overview.Graham Windham seeks a Homefinder to identify, certify and monitor foster and adoptive parents that will attend to the physical and emotional well-being of the children placed in their homes. Together with the Foster Care & Preventive Case Management team, the Homefinder will oversee that the foster parents provide good care for the children in their care as demonstrated by quality family life, safety, education, prompt medical care, good nutrition, routines, and structure.

Duties & Responsibilities (but not limited to):

• Responds to and process inquiry forms for prospective applicants.
• Opens recertifies and closes foster homes as appropriate.
• Engages in soft recruitment of foster parents, distributing recruitment flyers when on field visits.
• Conducts visits to applicants’ homes, using focused interviews for purpose of assessment and preparing a comprehensive written home study for supervisors’ review and approval.
• Secures required documents and assists with the completion of documentation such as SCR, fingerprints (of foster parents, relevant family members, and babysitting/transportation resources), medicals, etc. within the time frames as required by NYC Children’s Services, Office of Children and Family Services.
• Evaluates existing foster homes for re-certification and Process intake of kinship referrals for the completion of the expedited home study as per NYC Children’s Services, Office of Children and Family Services protocols.
• Maintains and updates foster parent “soft” files and CONNECTIONS records by completing related reports and inputting data in a timely fashion.
• Prepares and submits reports, calendars, and other deliverables as required by the agency supervisor, NYC Children’s Services, and/or OCFS.
• Assists the Intake Department in making matches of foster parents to children based upon service needs and foster parent skill level and expertise.
• Upon opening a foster home, on a routine and as-needed basis, assesses for safety and risk by assuring that the foster home complies with the agency, city, and state mandates; addresses issues, repairs, etc. within the foster home so that follow-through occurs within a reasonable time frame through collaboration with the FPPS case management team (Case Planner, Supervisor and/or Director.
• Participates in weekly supervision sessions with supervisor to discuss status and progress of foster homes, certifications, etc. as well as to apprise of any impending problems and/or unresolved issues.
• Participates in staff meetings, seminars, and training as scheduled; maintains and applies current knowledge of internal and external regulations and policies applicable to foster care and adoption.
• Acts as a conduit between foster parents and agency-based resources for support and referrals especially pending assignment of cases to the agency case planner.
• Participates in case planning and foster parent meetings to promote positive teamwork towards achieving agency fidelity.
• Demonstrates a willingness to travel within the NYC area to prospective and active foster homes.

Qualifications:

• Requires BSW or Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or a related field.
• Knowledge of MAPP and Mini-MAPP, knowledge of internal and external regulations and policies applicable to foster care and adoption.
• Mapp Leader Certified preferred.
• Experience as a Home-Finder or foster care/residential caseworker preferred; Community organizing experience and bi-lingual (Spanish/English) a plus.
• Must be able to travel within the NYC Metropolitan area.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, time management, and organizational skills; Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and collaboratively with colleagues and community-based resources.
• Computer literate, MS Office; NYS Connections.
• Ability to work with diverse populations; Must be able to climb stairs and conduct recreational outings and field visits to community-based partners; Flexibility to work evenings and occasional weekends as needed.
• A valid NYS driver’s license is a plus.

Salary and Benefits:

• The base pay range is $60,000/yr.
• Medical Insurance.
• Vision Insurance.
• Dental Insurance.
• Pension plan.
• Holiday pay.

About Graham Windham:

About the Company In full partnership with families & communities, Graham Windham strives to make a life-altering difference to children, youth and families affected by abuse, neglect and delinquency by providing each child we serve with a strong foundation for life: a safe, loving, permanent family and the opportunity and preparation to thrive in school and in the world. With over 400 full-time, part-time and On-call employees serving children and families in multiple programs throughout Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem, Graham Windham provides an exciting & enriching work experience. Graham has pioneered programs for New York City’s children, families and communities for over 200 years. Today, Graham is one of New York City’s leading social services organizations, providing educational and social services to over 4,000 children, young people, and parents throughout NYC.

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