The Center for Youth and Family Solutions (CYFS) is seeking compassionate, committed, and culturally competent individuals who align with our mission of helping children and families in need with dignity, compassion, and respect to resolve life challenges. CYFS is one of central Illinois' largest, nationally accredited social service agencies, serving over 20,000 individuals in 37 counties. We are committed to supporting children and families who have experienced life-changing trauma, abuse and neglect, and other significant life challenges by providing strengths-based, family-centered, and trauma-responsive programs, services, and interventions. Join our team and help develop solutions for those who need them most.

Benefits of working at CYFS:

• 12 Paid Holidays
• Accrual of 15 vacation days and 8 sick days, plus 5 personal/wellness days
• Flexible Work Schedule, with the ability to work remotely on occasion
• Competitive Compensation
• Educational Reimbursement
• Ability for advancement
• Supportive atmosphere with the ability to be yourself while learning and developing
• Employee Assistance Program to help with Work-Life Balance and other potential well-being challenges
• Choice of 4 medical plans including PPO and high deductible plans with HSA
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• 401k plan with employer match
• Employer Paid Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Plan and Dependent Care Plan

About the Job

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a non-case carrying member of the multidisciplinary team of case manager, supervisor, foster parent, birth parent and youth to find and facilitate connections with new relatives and fictive kin.
• Engage youth, birth parents, foster parents, and child welfare team to complete the New Beginnings initial and ongoing packets for the youth.
• Assist current foster care licensing and casework staff with a New Beginning process when needed. This includes reaching out to relatives and fictive kin as well as traditional foster parents and shelter protocol when needed.
• Provide professional technical assistance and resources development support to case work staff who serve children with specialized and challenging behavioral needs.
• Uses both traditional and nontraditional search methods to identify and locate family members and supportive connections for youth in care.
• Collaborate with the recruitment team to identify potential placement options of newly identified relatives and fictive kin to support stabilization and permanency.
• Support newly identified relatives and fictive kin as they develop their role in the life of a youth needing safe and consistent connections.
• Collaborate with the Transitional Foster Home program to find placement options for youth served in this program.
• Keep statistical data including but not limited to family finding efforts.
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively work independently as well as part of the CYFS foster care team.

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree (required), preferred in social work, human service, or a related field. Must be able to pass DCFS exams including Child Care Act, 402 and CWEL
• Experience: 2 years of experience in a child welfare setting. Experience working with children with special needs a plus.
• Completion of DCFS criminal background check (Required)
• Bilingual (Preferred)

For information on The Center for Youth and Family Solutions, including more information on employee benefits and our company culture, visit our website at https://www.cyfsolutions.org/.

The Center for Youth and Family Solutions is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.