Foster Care Case Worker

About the Role

This position is responsible for providing case management services to youth placed in foster care and treatment foster care and their certified provider families. The Case Worker Trainee coordinates cases for youth on their caseload. Hours vary according to the needs of the provider families and the youth placed in the provider home.

Experience & Education

• Master’s degree in social work from a Council on Social Work Education‑accredited program, or a related field such as sociology, psychology, special education, or counseling, plus a student placement in casework services to children and families or one year of experience providing such services.
• Bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field (sociology, psychology, special education, counseling) plus one year of experience providing casework services to children and families.
• Bachelor’s degree in any field plus two years of experience providing casework services to children and families.

Essential Duties

• Develops and monitors child‑specific treatment plans for assigned cases; implements child‑specific interventions to support the treatment goals and objectives identified in the plan.
• Facilitates quarterly treatment‑team meetings for youth; ensures all team members are invited, collects signatures, and obtains timely copies of the treatment‑plan review.
• In collaboration with DSS, coordinates and facilitates visitation for the youth with biological family (including siblings) to preserve family connections, heritage, culture, and religion.
• Provides case management services to youth and the resource family by coordinating services, reducing barriers, and linking youth with comprehensive medical, social, educational, and other needed services.
• Monitors and assesses youth in placement to ensure basic, developmental, psychosocial, emotional, nutritional, medical, educational, and permanency needs are met.
• Attends and participates in all FPM/TDM meetings, FAPT, IEP meetings, VEMAT, BID, and court proceedings; represents HTFS professionally.
• Conducts face‑to‑face interviews with youth and provider families in homes and community settings per HopeTree Level System, LCPA, CARF, and DMAS standards; meets with the youth privately at least once per month.
• Educates, counsels, and guides youth, provider families, and biological families to promote the HopeTree Treatment Plan and Foster Care Service Plan.
• Plans, prepares, and implements independent‑living activities and interventions aligned with the Casey Life Skills Assessment.
• Plans, prepares, and facilitates psychoeducational groups for youth and approved provider families.
• Assists in identifying placement matches; obtains required placement paperwork, including clinical information and contractual documentation.
• Plans and prepares for appropriate transition of care/discharge planning with youth and the treatment team.
• Immediately notifies agency supervisors of any potential emergency, completes SIR documentation promptly, and provides it to the legal guardian and relevant team members.
• Provides ongoing training, support, and guidance to approved provider families on parenting, attachment, child development, grief and loss, trauma, independent living, conflict resolution, problem solving, communication, and other identified needs; documents training in case notes.
• Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with youth, approved provider families, and biological families while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Conducts monitoring visits of approved provider homes and supplies documentation to the Foster Home Case Worker in a timely manner.
• Collaborates with the Foster Home Case Worker to address non‑compliance and develop corrective‑action plans.
• Provides consultation to approved provider families and biological families to identify problem areas and develop plans that minimize placement disruption.
• Assists provider families in securing resources/services for the youth as outlined in the treatment plan and supports transportation coordination.
• Maintains youth and provider‑home case records (hard file & electronic) in compliance with LCPA, CARF, and HopeTree standards.
• Ensures accurate, professional, and timely completion of all required reports, logs, notes, and documentation per HopeTree and VDSS standards.
• Provides