Lead Certified Child Advocate Unit A-4

Company Summary: ChildNet, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit community-based care (CBC) agency servicing Broward and Palm Beach County. We are contracted with the State of Florida, Department of Children and Families, to provide case management support to abused, abandoned, and neglected children. ChildNet is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and employs over 450 staff at its location in Ft Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida.

Job Summary: This position promotes the safety, well-being and permanency of child(ren) in out-of-home placement from the time of removal until the case is closed. In addition, this position provides mentoring and coaching support to new Child Advocates within their unit. The Lead Child Advocate will provide regular coaching sessions, attends home visits and court hearings with new CA, handles case management on assigned cases in accordance with ChildNet's policies and practices. The Lead Child Advocate may assume supervisor role in their absence with some limited responsibilities.

Responsibilities: Manages the case of a dependent child ensuring that they receive all of the necessary services detailed in the case plan by:

• • Serves as a mentor, coach, and trainer for new Child Advocates by:
    • Conducting regular coaching and performance feedback sessions.
    • Providing guidance and direction regarding ChildNet procedures, DCF guidelines, use of FSFN, Florida Statutes and Administrative Code., JR reports, HV notes, family assessments.
    • Ongoing and consistent communication with the Supervisor and staff within the unit.
    • Assisting the Supervisor with various reports such as children seen/not seen, parental contacts, K-12 and medical and dental, assisting with writing referrals, attending treatment team meetings, home studies, court appearances and coverage of court hearings and home visits as needed.
  • Provides case management services to clients in accordance with established guidelines, regulations, policies, and practices by:
    • Promoting the safety, well-being, and permanency of children and their families
    • Meeting with children in their homes or placement location in accordance with DCF guidelines
    • Offering assistance in obtaining medical coverage, financial assistance or help with housing.
    • Developing, assessing, and maintaining up-to-date case plans.
    • Evaluating, preparing regular reports, and making recommendations on children and family status.
    • Attending required court hearing and providing recommendations to judges on cases.
  • Acts as back-up to the Supervisor and may fill in during PTO or times when the Supervisor is unavailable.
  • Manages the case of a dependent child ensuring that they receive all of the necessary services detailed in the case plan by:
  • Actively working to do whatever needs to be done to move the child from where he or she is to the best possible outcome in the shortest possible time during the intake and placement process fulfilling established federal and state mandates and Florida Statute, Chapter 39, ChildNets System of Care, policies and procedure.
  • Meeting with the Broward Sherriffs Office (BSO) Protective Investigator, the parents, the school board representative and ChildNets contracted providers, e.g., shelters, foster home providers and residential group care providers to coordinate the child(ren)s entrance into ChildNets System of Care keeping the child(ren)s best interest in mind.
  • Assists in gathering further information about the child(ren) and family concerning the case and begins the assessment and case planning process to support decision making by the court and ChildNets System of Care, i.e., the make-up of the household, the social history of the family, any previous abuse reports, the specific circumstances surrounding the alleged maltreatment, arranges for fingerprinting of the child(ren), receives completed background checks; photographs the child(ren) and completes all required forms and referrals, i.e., home study, placement referral form, etc.
  • Conducting a preliminary assessment of the child(ren) to determine or assess if an alert is warranted, e.g., sexual perpetrator, physically aggressive, sexual offender, juvenile sexual offender or arson.
  • Contacting the appropriate provider agencies to look for an appropriate match for children in care; i.e., completes Family Safety Contract, places all siblings together, in the same proximity as the family, as appropriate, same school zone, least restrictive setting consistent with the childs behavioral needs, or with other children carefully considering the mix of children present; facilitates the initial family contact visits for the child(ren) provides recommendations on placement and services to the Assistant Director of Intake and Placement or Director of Intake and Placement.
  • Preparing notes for the department staff on events that occurred throughout the shift and distributes the notes daily; completes tracking log, i.e., Log of Logs, Placement Attempts Log.
  • Crafting an initial plan for the child and families; explains or reinforces why child(ren) came into care, i.e., where the child will go to school the next day; assists the child(ren) or parents with the court ordered requirements; offers assistance to obtain Medicaid coverage for the child(ren); conducts supervised visits; coordinates, conducts or completes the child(ren)s transportation to the appointment or placement; provides direct supervision; provides medication as prescribed and with consent as needed.
  • Coordinating with the representative from the school board to determine the childs school status so that he or she can continue without disruption; complies with the Broward School Board Interagency Agreement.
  • Assembling, organizing and providing information to the Revenue Maximization Department and Medical Unit, e.g., profile, shelter petition, court order Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Form, birth verification; assigns the cases to the service centers based on geographical location and placement of the child(ren); conducts follow-up with Child Protective Investigator (CPI) to obtain missing information and forward to the service center.
  • Recognizing, respecting and responding to the unique, culturally-defined needs of others served.

The list of essential functions, as outlined herein, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification. It is not necessarily descriptive of any one position in the class. The omission of an essential function does not preclude management from assigning duties not listed herein.

* A Bachelors degree or higher education in social work or related area of study from an accredited college or university required.

* Must have an active and current Florida Department of Children and Families "Child Welfare Case Manager (CWCM) Certification.

* Two (2) years work experience in human services or child welfare programs preferred.

* Strong computer skills to include Microsoft Office 365 Suite and strong data entry skills

* Must possess a valid and clean Florida drivers license without any restrictions and/or citations that would affect job performance.

* Must have own reliable transportation and the ability to obtain and show proof of insurance.

* Must be available to work a flexible schedule to include nights and weekends in order to meet with children and families.

* Able and willing to work with a diverse client population.

Competencies:

Thoroughness: Ensuring that one's own and others' work and information are complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.

Stress Management: The ability to keep functioning effectively when under pressure and maintain self-control in the face of hostility or provocation.

Personal Credibility: Demonstrated concern that one be perceived as responsible, reliable, and trustworthy.

Flexibility: Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to modify one's preferred way of doing things.

Persuasive Communication: The ability to plan and deliver oral and written communications that make an impact and persuade their intended audiences.