Role and Responsibilities
The Case Manager plays a pivotal role in supporting children in care at Divinity Family Services, ensuring they trauma-informed care through incorporating principles of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). The Case Manager is responsible for conducting assessments, planning, implementing, monitoring, and advocating for children’s well-being. This includes building relationships with children, foster families, and treatment teams to meet identified needs and goals. This role also involves coordination across systems, including child welfare agencies (e.g., DFPS), courts, mental health providers, other community partners, and acting as a liaison with schools to ensure children receive comprehensive and cohesive support.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Child and Family Support:
- Conduct regular visits (at least monthly) to the foster home to monitor and assess the child’s needs and progress, establishing rapport with the foster family and the child.
- Develop strong, supportive relationships with the child, foster family, conservator, and treatment team.
- Case managers are also responsible for supporting and educating foster parents in regard to licensing standards and how to remain in compliance with regulatory entities.
- Address potential issues and conflicts within the foster home, foster family, or with other involved parties to ensure optimal care.
- Work closely with foster parents to ensure they have the necessary support and resources to fulfill the child's needs.
- Ensure transportation to appointments, services, and activities is provided by foster parents.
- Educational Advocacy:
- Serve as the education liaison, ensuring that the child's educational needs are met in the public-school setting.
- Attend ARD meetings, advocate for necessary special services, and work to ensure the child receives the educational support required.
- Court and Legal Responsibilities:
- Attend Judicial Hearings and contribute valuable information for planning and decision making for the child's care.
- Accurate documentation of visits, including observations made about the child’s well-being and the state of the home. This documentation is crucial for ongoing monitoring and legal proceedings.
- Reporting any suspected abuse or neglect of a child.
- Service Plan Development:
- Gather relevant information from multiple sources to develop comprehensive Service Plans for the child.
- Ensure all invested parties receive and are informed of the child's Service Plan.
- Ensure the child’s Individual Plan of Service is implemented and that foster parents are actively involved in working toward the child’s goals.
- Document progress on goals and provide ongoing feedback to relevant parties.
- Health and Well-Being:
- Ensure the child’s health care needs are met, by following up on medical, dental, and behavioral health appointments.
- Maintain accurate records regarding all services provided to the child.
- Coordinate and support the child's needs across various systems, including healthcare, education, behavioral health, and other services.
- Professional Development:
- Attend staff meetings, trainings, workshops, and conferences to ensure ongoing professional development and completion of annual continuing education requirements.
- General Responsibilities:
- Complete additional tasks assigned by supervisors and leadership.
- Maintain a flexible, adaptable approach to address the evolving needs of children in care.
Qualifications and Education Requirements:
The employee must meet the minimum age requirements for full-time work in accordance with Texas child labor law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. This job description will act as an acknowledgment that the employee does meet the minimum age requirements set by state and federal labor guidelines.
Minimum Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or a related field.
- Experience in social, human, or protective services (either paid or volunteer) working with at risk populations, families, or children in foster care is preferred.
- Licensing and Certification:
- Valid Texas driver’s license.
- Successful completion of criminal background checks and drug screening as part of the hiring process.
- Skills and Competencies:
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, but not required.
- Knowledge of TBRI and trauma-informed care practices to guide interactions with children and foster families.
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
- Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
Conditions of Employment:
- Regular travel within a 150-mile radius of the Divinity Family Services office assigned at hire.
- Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when necessary to meet the needs of the children in care.
- On-call and after-hours availability.
This job description outlines the core duties and responsibilities of the Case Manager role, but it is not an exhaustive list. Other tasks may be assigned based on organizational needs. Flexibility and adaptability are key in this position to meet the needs of children in care effectively.
Acknowledgements:
Employees must maintain a valid Texas driver’s license and motor vehicle insurance coverage as required by Texas law. In accordance with Texas law, Divinity Family Services (DFS) will conduct criminal background checks on all candidates and reserves the right to conduct random drug screenings during employment. Employees may be required to work weekends or evening hours as necessary to meet the needs of the organization. Employees are required to always keep a functioning cellular phone to ensure availability for on-call and afterhours duties.
The physical demands of the position may require employees to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. On rare occasions, employees may be required to lift 30 pounds.
In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), employees are required to adhere to all applicable federal and state laws, as well as DFS’s policies and procedures, regarding the safeguarding of confidential healthcare information.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Divinity Family Services (DFS) may make reasonable accommodations for qualified employees with disabilities, upon request, unless doing so would cause undue hardship to the organization.
DFS is committed to diversity and inclusion, adhering to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines. The organization does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic, in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
