Fostering Connections – Foster Care Specialist

Hull Services has an organizational commitment to pursuing truth and reconciliation, decolonization and anti-oppression.

About Us:

Hull Services has long had a reputation for providing leading edge child, youth, and family mental health services. We work with children, youth and families who have experienced mental health struggles, behavioural problems, developmental delay, neglect, abuse and trauma. Hull offers them an opportunity to seek well-being and happiness, with a focus on mental health. Hull’s vision is for resilient young people and families to thrive within communities that support their mental health and well-being. Hull’s programs and services include prevention and early intervention, family-based treatment, school-based services, community group care, campus-based care, adult services and education and training. Located in Calgary, we have been serving Alberta’s young people and families for 60 years, and support over 7,000 young people and families each year.

For more information about Hull Services, please visit our website: www.hullservices.ca

The Program:

Fostering Connections provides children referred by Calgary and Area Children and Family Services with a surrogate family, when they are unable to reside at home. We provide specialized training to foster parents and ongoing support to foster families to ensure children receive the best care. Fostering Connections provides foster care services to children from birth to 18 years. We serve children from a variety of backgrounds, abilities and needs. For those children who come from more intensive treatment settings, we provide additional support to help them reconnect with their community.

The Position:

The Fostering Connections program has a part time, Foster Care Specialist position available. This position has the potential to become full time. The Foster Care Specialist is responsible for the ongoing supervision, training and support for foster parents, as well as providing support to foster children. This position involves coordinating the resources needed to meet the needs of foster families and the children in their care. This role requires a flexible schedule as it includes some evenings and weekend work as necessary. The Specialist will also participate in the after hours on-call rotation for the program.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide ongoing support, training, and consultation services for foster families including ongoing feedback, treatment planning, clinical supervision, problem solving, observation, written feedback and participation/ attendance at support meetings.
• Conduct regular in-home visits with foster parents and foster children to facilitate training, assessment documentation, and supervision requirements in accordance to program, Agency, and accreditation standards.
• Complete annual performance evaluations of foster parents
• Work collaboratively with the child and family team and other professionals to help achieve desired outcomes and advocate for families and children in schools, communities, courts, and social service agencies as needed.
• Keep thorough and up-to-date records of program participants. Develop individualized treatment plans, progress reports and document contact and interventions.
• Act as a liaison between Children and Family Services, the foster family and members of the child’s team
• Assist with foster parent recruitment, onboarding and training activities
• Provide on-call services including sharing responsibilities for weekday, weekend and statutory holiday emergency on-call services.

Qualifications and Skills:

• A degree in a related field (Human Services / Social Sciences) is preferred; a diploma with some family work experience will be considered.
• CYCC Level II qualification is preferred but not necessary.
• Sound clinical judgment working with children and families from a variety of backgrounds.
• Skilled in the areas of crisis management, conflict resolution, and team collaboration.
• Relevant foster care experience is an asset.
• Some experience with adult learning and supervision is an asset.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong writing, administrative and organizational skills.
• Excellent self-care practices (wellness).
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and with personal accountability.
• Cross cultural competence; knowledge of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the recommendations, goals and activities of the commission.
• A Police Information Check, which includes a vulnerable sector search, is required (or is in process of being completed) prior to employment.
• A Child Intervention Record Check is required upon commencement of employment.
• Reliable transportation, valid driver’s license and ability to drive Agency vehicles is preferred (min. 3 years driving experience with a class 5/GDL class 5 license).
• Completion of ASIST, First Aid, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and Certified with CYCAA would be considered an asset.

How To Apply:

• If interested, please inform your Coordinator and direct your cover letter and updated resume to careers@hullservices.ca
• Please indicate “Your Full Name – FC Specialist” in the subject line of your email.

The deadline for application is Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Salary Range: $56,064 – $70,680 (Full Time) *This amount to be prorated to a 0.6 FTE.”

At Hull, one of our core values is Inclusion and we seek to understand people’s lived experience, holding a deep respect for their unique backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities, cultures and identities. It is our desire to humbly build trust and mutual respect with the people we serve who have often been marginalized and oppressed for their differences. To achieve this, Hull seeks open, self-aware individuals who reflect the diversity of those we serve and can help us build a safe, healthy, inclusive culture. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, place of origin, religious beliefs, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, marital status, family status, or sexual orientation.