Home Finder (Foster Care)

Job Description

Job Description

About Our Organization :

St. Catherine’s Center for Children is a leading non-profit organization in New York’s Greater Capital District. Our comprehensive range of human services reach more than 1,000 children, 600 families, and hundreds of adults across Upstate New York each year.

Our multi-faceted programs are designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families, and adults we serve.

We offer residential and therapeutic foster care programs for children and youth, Kinship support, homeless and community-based services for adults and families, a special education elementary school for ages 5-13, and so much more.

St. Catherine’s employs more than 300 full and part-time staff. Our spectrum of services for children, families and individuals suffering from the lasting effects of abuse and neglect, family instability, mental illness, homelessness and other ongoing traumas, continues to grow.

We are committed to cultivating a culture where all employees can bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace.

Our DEI-B initiatives are designed to support and build a more equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace, one which exemplifies true respect and dignity.

Job Summary :

The Home Finder will provide support to the Lead Home Finder and Program Director of Foster Care and Kinship Services in managing delivery of services to the families served by Foster Care and Kinship Family Services Programs in the Kingston, NY area.

Along with the Program Director, the Home Finder will attract, orient, and train families for care giving throughout the foster care and kinship programs.

The Home Finder will ensure the maintenance of minimum numbers of families to retain the integrity of the programs and to allow for expected turnover of professional foster parents.

Duties & Responsibilities include, but are not limited to :

Organization of Professional Foster Parent Recruitment Campaign :

• Coordinate all aspects of the recruitment for Therapeutic Foster Care and Kinship Services Program of professional foster parents with the assistance of the Home Finder and Director.
• Write and submit program specific publications to the Director of Agency Advancement; Coordinate all media announcements and informative literature with the Director of Marketing and Communications.
• As a part of community outreach, create presentations representative of the pressing need for professional foster parents, to be presented to community groups and local organizations.
• Capable of presenting to large groups, detailed information regarding Therapeutic Foster Care and Kinship Programs, in addition to the overarching function and responsibilities of a professional foster parent.
• Ability to specifically reach out and actively recruit families as part of the Home Finding Recruitment and Retention plan.
• Become familiar with and maintain an understanding of NY State’s regulations for OMH, DSS, and OCFS.
• Ensure all foster and Kinship homes are in alignment with current and new OCFS administrative directives.

Screening of Prospective Professional Foster Care Parents :

• Assist with certification process of new Foster / Kinship family homes in the Specialized and Therapeutic Programs.
• Coordinate with Family Specialists in both programs to identify Kinship Relative / Non-Relatives to increase number of homes.
• Attend community events focused on the needs of the LGBTQ+ population to recruit and increase the number of foster homes that better align with the needs of children in our care who also identify with the LGBTQ+ population.
• Conduct initial (face-to-face) Parent Applicant interviews as well as the new Professional Foster / Kinship Parents Orientation.
• Complete regular outreach follow-ups with parent applicants.
• Under the supervision of the Director of Foster Care and Kinship Services, approve foster homes and appropriately investigate Professional Parents, including home inspections and the completion of all application materials, which also involves completing a home study.

Training of Professional Foster Care Parents :

• Assist in implementing : Deciding Together, Care for Our Own, and KinGap training for Professional Foster / Kinship Parents.
• Implement pre-placement training program for Professional Foster Parents.
• Plan foster parent meetings and training, along with Home Finder.
• Track training hours of all Foster / Kinship Boarding homes to ensure training requirements are being met.
• Ensure CPR training is up to date for current and new foster families.

Other Responsibilities :

• Share with the Lead Home Finder and Director of Foster Care and Kinship Services, perceptions of the Professional Foster Parent applicant’s strengths and concerns.
• Assist in the organization and implementation of semi-annual Professional Parents’ appreciation activities.
• Writing and distributing monthly newsletter.
• Maintaining a mailing list for Professional Foster Parents.
• Additional position-related duties and responsibilities, as assigned by the Director.

Organizational Relationships :

• The Home Finder is supervised by the Director of Foster Care and Kinship Services.
• The Home Finder works closely with Lead Home Finder, Family Specialists, Social Workers, and the Director.

Position Specifications / Requirements :

• Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field, required.
• Must have outstanding communication skills, and the ability to clearly and enthusiastically present program-related presentations to both individuals and groups.
• A background in public relations and human services is essential.
• CPR Certification and / or previous experience in CPR instruction.
• Clean and Valid New York State Driver’s License; actively licensed for at least one (1) year and have reliable transportation.
• Proficiency in various computer applications : Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Business Workspace Suite (Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, Meet, etc.), and the Internet.
• Comfortable working with and relating to culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged populations; Ability to exhibit empathy for those in need.
• Must have the ability to train potential care givers.
• Knowledge of child development; An understanding of kinship family needs.
• Ability to pass required pre-employment background checks, to include fingerprinting.

What We Offer You* :

• Competitive Pay with an Excellent Benefits Package
• Health Insurance options : Medical, Dental and Vision*
• Generous Combined Leave Time and Loads of PAID Holidays!
• $500 Employee Referral Bonus*
• Professional Development & Career Growth Opportunities
• We are a 501(c) (3) agency, which is a qualifying employer for eligible staff under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program*
• Pension Plan with Aggressive Agency contribution*
• Life Insurance Automatic Benefit, at no cost to you !
• Paid Training, including TCI and CPR / AED / First Aid Certification Update courses*
• Tuition Reimbursement*
• Travel / Mileage Reimbursement*
• Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
• The Comfort of a Business Casual Environment.
• some conditions may apply

EEO Statement : St. Catherine’s Center for Children is committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, reproductive health and pregnancy, family history and genetics, disability, age, military status, veteran status, politics, or other beliefs, and any other characteristics protected by law.

Background Checks : We run a thorough and complete pre-employment background check on all candidates being considered for a position, this includes fingerprinting.

All candidates must successfully clear the pre-employment background check process, which follows NYS / DOJ requirements.

We pay for all pre-employment background checks!