Respite Worker

Position Title: Respite Worker
Department: Foster Care (FC)
Reports to: Program Operations Assistant II

About the role

The respite worker’s duties and responsibilities in direct care for children will vary based on the individual circumstances and requirements of the child.

Responsibilities

• Cooking meals, puree food in the blender
• Feeding medically fragile children
• Assist the foster parent with bed baths and diaper changes of medically fragile children
• Disposing of household garbage
• Light housekeeping responsibilities: washing dishes, sweeping, cleaning refrigerator and stove
• Participate in and/or supervise activities with the children, appropriate to the age and developmental level and physical capabilities of the child: sit with the children and read to/with them, sing songs with the children, creative play with puppets, finger painting, assisting the children with building blocks
• Responsible for small loads of laundry (including folding and putting away clothes)
• Assist the foster parent during any community outings or walks with the children (may be required to push wheelchairs)
• Drive children to doctors’ visits
• Purchasing household and toiletry supplies
• Performs other related tasks as assigned or required

Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent preferred
• Car and valid IL Drivers License with auto insurance
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of classified information
• Skill and a license to drive a motor vehicle
• Ability to hear and speak well enough to supervise children near streets and in crosswalks
• Ability to compose all required documentation following specific formats where available
• Ability to lift up to 25lbs., (carry non-walking children and toy boxes)
• Ability to walk up stairs in the absence of elevators
• Ability to run after children in order to redirect them in the direction of their transportation of the office or to prevent them from harming themselves
• Ability to communicate with children and adult clients and others in a courteous and professional manner
• Ability to read a map
• Professionalism and work conduct: behaves with integrity, demonstrates high ethical standards, displays a positive image of UCAN, acts professionally at all times, maintains appropriate boundaries with clients, demonstrates accountability for results and keeps commitments, reports to work prepared and as scheduled, demonstrates openness and respect for cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and coworkers, accepts feedback and ideas from team and supervisor and is constructive when giving feedback, discusses alternative problem solving and is open to new ideas and ways of doing things

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Voluntary Short-Term Disability
• Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance
• Voluntary Accident Coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
• Retirement Plan (401k) Match
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Group Life and AD&D Insurance (provided at no cost)
• Group Long-Term Disability (provided at no cost)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (provided at no cost)

Schedule

Able to work with a flexible schedule – Hours will vary according to the children’s school schedule.