Buckner Children and Family Services Community: Foster Care and Adoption Program
Location: Dallas, TX - Onsite
Address: 5310 S Buckner Blvd
Job Schedule: Full-Time
We are seeking a Foster Care Therapeutic Family Specialist to join our Program. As a Therapeutic Family Specialist, you will Shine Hope as you will be responsible for the coordination and provision of services to foster children placed in approved and licensed therapeutic foster homes. You will also provide the development and provision of services to lower level of care as well as prepare child/teen for permanency. Join our team and shine hope in the lives of others!
What you'll do:
- Participate as a member of the Foster Care team to meet the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of foster children during the time they are placed in a Buckner foster home, as outlined in each client’s plan of service.
- Provide ongoing case management for clients living in Buckner therapeutic foster homes in accordance with established Buckner guidelines and procedures.
- Complete ongoing assessments and treatment interventions based psychological and psychiatric evaluations, developmental evaluations, medical conditions, social and trauma history, and consistent observation and interaction with children classified as therapeutic.
- Participate in regular supervision and support with the client and therapeutic foster parents during frequent home visits, office visits, and telephone contact as is required by state licensing and Buckner policy and procedure.
- Coordinate individual, family and/or support group counseling to foster care clients and/or therapeutic foster parents.
- Develop, monitor, and review with clients their Plan of Service designed to increase strengths, address needs, and reduce conflict in the home. The Plan of Service must also align with the DSM diagnosis. Coordination must also occur with the Multi Dimensional treatment team (attorneys, CASA, therapist, psychiatrist, CPS, etc.)
- Coordinate counseling and crisis intervention support as required.
- Coordinate and implement the recruitment of therapeutic foster parents for the Foster Care program through church engagement and community presentations.
- Provide education to the community about the resources that are needed for the foster care population, specifically for children that are considered “harder to place” that have higher levels of care (i.e. specific DSM diagnosis or specific behaviors related to a trauma history). The information that is presented is through statistics provided by DFPS, but also through needs assessments at the local level.
- Consult with CPS on appropriate referrals to Buckner for therapeutic foster children as well as how Buckner can provide support to therapeutic foster parents to prepare the foster child for permanency through evidence based programming, promising practices, or generally approved interventions.
What you’ll bring:
- Bachelor’s Degree in human services or other related field required.
- Minimum 2 years prior related experience with therapeutic care required.
- Counseling and/or social work licensure is preferred.
- Requires ability to drive assigned vehicle(s) or personal vehicle, with appropriate state license, following all laws applicable; must provide proof of liability insurance and must be eligible to be insured under Buckner’s insurance policy. Must be age 21 or older to drive on behalf of Buckner.
- Requires ability to use up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force continuously to move objects and/or people.
- Requires ability to walk, stand and sit, sometimes for prolonged periods of time.
The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the essential functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.
About Buckner Children and Family Services:
Since 1879 Buckner has been transforming lives through hands-on ministry, serving the most vulnerable from the beginning to the ending of life. Buckner is one of the oldest and most unique faith-based social service organizations of its kind, serving hundreds of thousands of people each year in the United States and around the world. Learn more about our programs and ministry at buckner.org. Buckner is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The same way we treat our employees is how we treat all applicants – with respect. Buckner is an equal opportunity employer (EEO is the law). You will be treated fairly throughout our recruiting process and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status in consideration for a career at Buckner.
