Family Specialist KSS - FT

About the Organization

RISE is an innovative human services network originally established in 1987 to move individuals living in institutions into family settings. Since then, services have grown to support children, adults, and families with a variety of needs across multiple states, including residential settings, day programs, employment assistance, managed care, and home and community-based services. RISE Family Services specializes in finding and supporting loving and caring families for children and adults in need of foster and/or adoptive homes. Through the Family Services Program, we train, prepare, support, and mentor individuals and families to provide stable homes for children in the custody of Arizona's Department of Child Safety (DCS).

About the Role

We are recruiting a Kinship Family Specialist to assist kinship families referred by DCS who are seeking to become licensed kinship foster caregivers. This position is based in our Tucson, AZ office and focuses on providing service and support to kinship caregivers with navigating licensing requirements, policy compliance, and regulations while implementing RISE's mission, vision, and values.

Responsibilities

• Manage a family caseload of 18-22 cases
• Serve as a Kinship Family Training Instructor on a rotational basis
• Conduct monthly home visits and consultations with families, including attending court hearings, Foster Care Review Board (FCRB) meetings, and Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings
• Write home studies, renewals, and amendments
• Assist adoptive families through the Guardianship Review process
• Act as a liaison with DCS
• Participate in emergency phone rotation and referral coordination
• Advocate for and educate kinship caregivers, serving as a community resource and support
• Be flexible to meet the needs of families served, including possible evenings and weekends

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college in a related field such as social work, behavioral science, or human services
• Minimum of one year of social services work experience, including training
• Experience with cultural diversity, assessing family strengths and weaknesses, knowledge of child abuse and neglect, and child development
• Working knowledge of Arizona Department of Child Safety and Department of Economic Security programs
• Effective writing and excellent verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate in individual or group situations and demonstrate listening skills
• Ability to write and maintain accurate documentation and interpret policies and licensing regulations
• Strong time management skills and ability to adhere to contractual timeframes
• Reliable transportation to attend daily meetings outside of the office
• Valid Arizona driver’s license, minimum age of 21, and meet driver requirements as specified by RISE Insurance Agency
• Ability to pass a background check, drug screen test, and obtain a Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card
• Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office suite software systems
• Bilingual skills (verbal and written) in Spanish are a plus
• Passion for assisting families and children in the foster care system

Benefits

• Vacation and sick accruals
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability (STD, LTD)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution