Foster Care Case Planner

Forestdale (FD) is a NYC child welfare agency working to prevent child abuse and neglect through parenting, prevention, and foster care services. We focus on low-income and immigrant communities in Queens and Brooklyn, helping thousands of families work through acute and complex trauma, parents raise the next generation of children, and youth successfully launch into adulthood. Our mission is “to ensure that children and families have the fundamental assets they need to thrive and live independently.”

About the Role

Case Planners will receive specific training in evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions to support families and caregivers in reaching permanency goals within a reasonable timeframe. You will be responsible for planning for families with the intent of achieving permanency for children—either through reunification with birth parents, discharge resources, or, if not possible, through adoption, KinGap, or APPLA.

Responsibilities

• Conduct field visits to foster homes and birth parents' homes
• Coordinate and supervise family visits at the agency and/or in the community
• Facilitate weekly groups for birth parents and foster parents
• Ensure each case adheres to ACS’ permanency timeline and ASFA guidelines
• Maintain case compliance via data entry and record keeping
• Accompany families to necessary drug treatment, medical, school, housing, and public assistance service appointments as needed
• Attend internal trainings as scheduled
• Attend court hearings with prepared court reports and/or permanency reports; proficiently report and/or testify to the Court on case progress and barriers to accomplishing service plan goals
• Participate in family team conferences, transition conferences, and goal change conferences
• Present at weekly case conferences
• Complete other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in social work, psychology, criminal justice, or counseling from an accredited college (or related field)
• Ability and motivation to facilitate birth parent and/or foster parent support groups, utilize family finding techniques, and successfully manage cases to comply with permanency planning timelines
• Understanding and respect for community needs and cultures
• Strong organizational, verbal, and written communication skills
• Ability to accommodate a flexible work schedule, including evenings and weekends
• Ability to travel in and around the metropolitan New York City region
• Ability to maintain composure and function well under stress
• Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, or Russian is a plus

Pay

• Bachelor's degree: $29.12/hr – $31.04/hr
• Bachelor's degree (Bilingual): $30.22/hr – $32.15/hr
• Master's degree: $30.22/hr – $33.24/hr
• Master's degree (Bilingual): $31.59/hr – $34.34/hr
• Master's degree (Bilingual & Licensed): $34.43/hr – $37.09/hr

Benefits

• Four weeks' vacation
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• Pension plan
• 401(k) with 7% employer contribution + 2% match
• Tax-deferred health care, dependent care, and commuter plans

Location: 384 Bridge Street, 3rd Floor, Downtown Brooklyn, NY 11201