Foster Care Case Manager

Foster Care Supervisor

Child Link provides foster care services grounded in the belief that the best place for children to grow up is in a family, and the most effective way to ensure children’s safety, permanency, and well-being is to provide services that engage, involve, strengthen, and support families. We know that the best teams work closely with each other – collaboratively wrapping children and families with a range of services driven by Best Practices. Child Link recognizes how critical the role of Supervisor is in ensuring foster care services are effective, and we back that up with intensive support, dedicated resources, individual development, and a specific focus on team interconnectedness.

Our standards are high and the work is challenging, but in return, you will have the full support of administration and the backing of an entire organization. If you’re up for a challenge, willing to work hard, and believe in helping to create positive change in the lives of the community’s most vulnerable children and families, this may be the job for you.

Foster Care Supervisor responsibilities include:

• Provide oversight and leadership to a team of Foster Care Case Managers
• Provide consultation on individual cases on a regular basis
• Evaluate staff performance
• Ensure that DCFS performance standards are met and develop methods to enhance the quality of services
• Provide back-up for team members, including providing services to clients when necessary

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Social Work or other human service field required
• Minimum of 5 years child welfare experience required
• 2 years supervisory experience preferred
• Child Welfare Employee Licensure required
• Valid driver’s license, auto insurance, and reliable transportation required

Foster Care Case Aid

We provide foster care services grounded in the belief that the best place for children to grow up is in a family and the most effective way to ensure children’s safety, permanency and well-being is to provide services that engage, involve, strengthen and support families. The Foster Care Case Aid (full-time) supervises family visits and transports children and families to locations in and around the Metro Chicago area. 

Case Aid responsibilities include:

• Supervise visits for families involved with DCFS.
• Transport children and families to appointments and other activities.

Qualifications:

• High School diploma required; some college experience in a human services field preferred.
• Valid driver’s license, insurance and reliable transportation required.

Therapeutic Counselor

The employee in this position coordinates all aspects of the clinical program, including supervision of therapist, clinical training and oversight of the DCFS cases.

Responsibilities:

● Provides clinical consultation to designated clients under CYS contract.
● Provides regularly scheduled supervision and mentoring to assigned staff
● Evaluates children’s physical and psychological makeup to determine needs. Counsels children and parents, guardians concerning plans for child’s care, interaction behavior modifications needed or rehabilitation.
● Oversees agency clinical training track.
● Provides direct in home or office based, individual group or family counseling service to agency clients, including children and parents. These services include comprehensive assessment, service planning, counseling, and information referral and linkage for other needed services.
● Coordinate client service plans and approves treatment plans.
● Coordinates client’s counseling schedule with school and community services.
● Counsels individuals and groups relative to personal and social programs.
● Provide weekly social work supervision for counseling staff. Manage the referral and admission of client, maintain agency licensing standards for DHS and assure casework services to foster families involved with substance abuse issues.

Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of counseling services. Also directly supervises counseling staff. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Master’s degree (M. A.) in Social Work or a related Human Service field. An LCSW or other designation as Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts under the Medicaid rule 132. At least 1 year in supervision, preferable in Child Welfare. Must pass the Illinois Child Care Act, The Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol, and any other IDCFS required testing, by the end of the 90 day introductory period.

Administrative Support / Receptionist 

Generous Benefits include:

• Merit based performance incentives 
• Paid time off: employees accrue 10 days of vacation and 3 personal days annually. These increase to 15 then 20 vacation days annually. In addition, there are 10 paid holidays and 12 sick days per year. 
• Choice of medical plans including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Humana plus dental, and vision insurance with the agency paying a majority of the premiums plus agency-paid life insurance. 
• 403B (401K) retirement plan with up to a 100% employer match
• Flexible spending accounts for health care and child care 
• Agency sponsored professional training as well as individual professional development opportunities. 
• Other benefits including an employee assistance program, employee wellness program, other voluntary insurance such as short term disability and critical illness insurance and more. 

Child Link is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action.

All employment activities are conducted in an equal and equitable fashion. The Agency prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, disability or handicap, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran status, source of income, and any other legally protected category in the recruitment, selection, hiring, determination of salary level and benefits, promotion, demotion, layoff, termination, and other terms and conditions of employment. 

Child Link recognizes, respects, promotes and celebrates the value of cultural diversity and will ensure that each client’s ethnic or cultural customs, practices, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, and/or community differences will be respected by agency staff. 

Intern With Us

Child Link may provide students from accredited universities or colleges with formal internship or field placement programs in relevant fields of study with an opportunity to apply their theoretical learning within a practical setting. Child Link aims to provide the best learning environment possible in order to increase the knowledge and competence of those in the social service field. Send resumes with cover letters and internship applications (including area of interest and intern dates/times availability) to: 

Internship Coordinator – Priscilla Aguilera at [email protected] 

Deadline for Spring Internship: September 30
Deadline for Summer Internship: March 15