Foster Care Lead Specialist (Northern)

Brightpoint (formerly known as Children’s Home & Aid) invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.

The Foster Care Lead Specialist is a critical member of the region's child welfare team, working collaboratively within and cross programs to ensure a relentless focus on keeping children safe and supporting families, consistent with our agency's Blueprint for Impact, which includes replacing what we currently think of as child welfare services with what we know to be child, family, and community well-being solutions. As a Foster Care Lead Specialist, you will gain experience in collaborating with families who have an indicated report of abuse or neglect to work towards a safe reunification or an alternative permanency plan to ensure the wellbeing of every child. Your daily routine will involve providing comprehensive and trauma-informed case management services to a reduced case load of families involved in the child welfare system, and providing training and leadership to Foster Care Specialists, Advanced Specialists and interns to gain supervisory and leadership experience. 

Candidate qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or a closely related field required. Master's degree preferred. 
• Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL), Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP), and Child Abuse and Neglect (CANS) certification required.
• You have at least eighteen months of prior child welfare experience; Illinois experience preferred.
• Successful completion of the agency's Foster Care Training Series strongly preferred.
• Ability to attend in-person meetings and events as needed required.
• Valid driver's license, insurance, and a reliable vehicle required.

Job details:

• Compensation: $55,711/annual fixed salary ($60,711/annual fixed salary for qualified English/Spanish bilingual candidates). The salary range provided represents our current estimate for this role at the time of posting and is subject to change. The final salary will be determined based on a range of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate's relevant experience, education, qualifications, skills, certifications, and alignment with organizational needs. We are dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to fostering a diverse workforce while providing equal opportunities for all candidates.
• Location: Hybrid (remote/in office); majority of your time will be spent in Winnebago, Boone and surrounding counties completing home visits to participants homes or meeting with participants in an agency office or community setting, with other opportunities to complete service documentation and other case coordination from your preferred location (in office, or remotely).