Foster Care Specialist, CEDARS Foster Care Program
CEDARS is hiring a Foster Care Specialist to Join our Foster Care Team!
WHO WE ARE:
At CEDARS, we are a team of professionals with a deep commitment to caring. As a team, CEDARS vision is strong. We strive to be:
- fully devoted to our mission of helping kids in crisis and building strong families,
- committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds and perspectives,
- known for the quality of our services, persistent in our organizational integrity,
- successful as an independent leader in the protection and development of vulnerable children and the strengthening of their families,
- strong in our human and financial resources,
- and balanced as we meet the needs of our children and families today, while building our organizational strength to provide quality services in the future.
WHAT WE DO:
For nearly 75 years, thousands of kids and families have found refuge and a new beginning at CEDARS. One of Nebraska’s most trusted child-service organizations, CEDARS makes sure that kids feel safe and secure. At the same time, we’re giving parents, foster families, and partnering agencies the support they need to care effectively for kids.
DIVERSITY AT CEDARS:
At CEDARS, we embrace diversity, and we know the journey towards belonging never ends. Click [here] to learn more about our journey.
THE CEDARS FOSTER CARE TEAM:
- Works closely with children, biological parents, and foster families to build and maintain relationships
- Serves children birth to 18 years of age whose needs can be met in a structured, nurturing, specialized foster home environment
- Helps youth move from crisis to a stable situation all the while working to either return the youth home safely or find permanency in the form of adoption, guardianship, or independent living
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TEAM:
- Support youth in foster care
- Provide support and training to foster parents
- Serve as a liaison to schools, DHHS, court and other agencies
- Ensure that the foster youth is successful while placed in a foster home
- Coordinate services to meet the needs of youth who are in foster homes
- Develop and maintain enduring relationships with assigned foster youth and families
- Ensure all documentation and tracking of services is completed and up to date
- Develop youth driven service plans
- Conduct visits in the foster family’s home in order to understand their specific needs, family dynamic and culture
SCHEDULE:
Monday through Friday 8:00am-5:00pm; Some weekends and evenings with participation in the on call rotation.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF:
- You have bachelor’s degree in social work, human services or closely related field
- You have at least 2 years of experience working with children and families and/or other work related experience
- You have a genuine interest in and concern for all youth and families
- You have excellent computer skills
- You are a strong communicator *Bilingual (Spanish/English) communication skills preferred but not required*
- You have a valid Nebraska driver's license and a good driving record
If you are passionate about helping children and youth and building stronger families, CEDARS may be the right FIT for you!