Foster Care Services RPSW II

Progressive Life Center, Inc. (PLC) provides culturally-sensitive human services to children, youth, and families in the District of Columbia, surrounding Maryland, Greater Philadelphia, and most of Delaware. PLC’s community-based services include foster care and adoption, independent living for youth aging out of foster care, family preservation, juvenile diversion, and parenting skills training. Accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) for over two decades, PLC demonstrates excellence in service delivery and outcomes.

About the Program

The Philadelphia NIA Foster Care & Resource Home Care programs provide general and treatment foster care services for children and youth from infancy to 21 years of age. Aligned with the goal of reunifying children with their biological parents or identifying loving, permanent homes, NIA recruits, trains, and licenses new resource foster families while providing case management support to foster parents, children, youth, and biological parents.

Responsibilities

• Provide support, advocacy services, community resources, and program referrals.
• Serve as a team mentor to assist the Program Director in placing clients and licensing new foster homes.
• Maintain a caseload of 13 to 16 foster care/resource home care cases.
• Complete intake assessments of program participants upon admission.
• Provide 24/7 on-call coverage via cellular phone when scheduled (one week per month).
• Monitor and report emergencies or after-hour calls to the on-call phone.
• Provide case management, referral services, and link clients/biological families to follow-up services.
• Develop service plans, progress reports, termination summaries, and follow-up documentation.
• Review, collect, and file monthly foster parent licensing and other required documents to maintain compliant files.
• Complete monthly safety inspections and checks in foster homes (or as needed).
• Complete all Foster Care/Resource Home Care safety and support documentation.
• Submit bi-weekly CUA-only client documentation to the Foster Care Program Director.
• Begin and complete re-certification three months prior to the initial foster parent license expiration date.
• Serve as a liaison between County & CUA workers and PLC.
• Complete monthly support notes (CUA) or case notes (FC) for all assigned resource foster homes.
• Send quarterly foster parent licensing updates to confirm compliance and address outstanding documentation.
• Ensure training and certification processes meet child placement licensing requirements.
• Assist the Director with CUA/County client placement referrals and new foster home requests.
• Participate in and facilitate resource foster parent trainings as needed.
• Develop and attend recruitment, training, and licensing workshops to increase knowledge and solicit foster parent interest.
• Attend and participate in weekly supervision and case conferences.
• Attend interdisciplinary team meetings.
• Enter and maintain accurate data in PLC databases (e.g., FamCare) or other contractual systems (e.g., HCSIS, PA Foster Parent Registry, DHS, DELCO).
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, education, or other human service field from an accredited college or university. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum four to seven years of progressive experience working with children, youth, and families in a human service setting.
• Experience in human services best practices and training.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite and databases.
• Ability to interact effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability and enthusiasm for collaborative work.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule to accommodate participants’ needs.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.
• Certification in NTU Service Delivery Model within one year of hire.
• Certified in CPR/First Aid.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle for travel within Philadelphia and surrounding regions.

Benefits

• $2,500 sign-on bonus.
• Comprehensive fringe benefits, including health, dental, vision, and retirement fund.
• Paid Time Off.
• Clinical training with Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
• Mileage reimbursement.
• Hybrid work schedule after 90 days of employment.

Physical Demands

• Ability to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
• Occasional movement within the office to access files, machinery, etc.
• Ability to operate computers, calculators, copy machines, and other office equipment.
• Manual dexterity for using mobile devices and keyboards.
• Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl as needed.
• Ability to navigate stairwells.
• Frequent communication with employees, customers, and clients, including oral and written exchanges.
• Ability to move files weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Participation in emergency drills.
• Availability for on-call duties, which may disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue.
• Ability to manage emotional stress and related physical symptoms (e.g., headaches, fatigue).
• Occasional need to lift, carry, or comfort small children during relocations.

Work Environment

Primarily a normal office or residential facility environment, with local travel required to visit clients in their homes, service providers, and meetings at schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, private practices, prisons, corporations, and other public or private agencies.