Foster Parent Training and Engagement Specialist

Description

Position: Foster Parent Training and Engagement Specialist

Reports to: Licensing and Recruitment Supervisor

Position: Remote with 50% travel

Funding Source: Carolina Complete Health (CCH). This position is grant-funded, and continuation of the position is contingent upon continued availability of that funding. In the event funding is reduced, discontinued, or not renewed, this position may be eliminated.

Our Parent Company Mission

Hope, Health & Healing for Generations.

Summary

The Foster Parent Training and Engagement Specialist drives the growth of our Foster Parent network within the community. Serving as the primary agency ambassador, this role manages the full lifecycle of prospective foster families—from initial outreach and screening to comprehensive onboarding and pre-service training, including the Teaching Family Model. The Foster Parent Training and Engagement Specialist will be responsible for strengthening the foster parent pipeline from inquiry through licensure and placement acceptance. This role will contribute to the improved conversion of prospective families, reduced drop-off during the licensing process, increased number of licensed foster homes, greater placement capacity, and ultimately census growth.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as the central hub for all foster parent inquiries, ensuring eligibility screening and follow-up are completed within 48 business hours
• Improve prospective foster parent experience resulting in higher conversion of families from inquiry to licensure
• Identify, plan and execute community-based events to enhance community awareness of Agency and build relationships with community members
• Serve as Agency representative at community forums and committees and facilitate presentations to advocate for the need for Foster Parents
• Monitor and track recruitment efforts, ensuring steady progress toward agency-defined metrics
• Lead informational sessions, provide follow-up calls between info sessions and pre-service to support foster parents moving to next step in pipeline.
• Facilitate Foster Parent pre-service training, inclusive of the NTDC Curriculum and Teaching-Family Model (TFM) framework
• Willingness to work non-traditional hours, inclusive of evenings and weekends
• Complete other duties to support foster care recruitment, training and engagement as identified by program supervisor
• Follow up and support licensing challenges and delays encountered by foster parents and/or trainers

Supervision responsibilities: None

Key Performance Indicators / Performance Metrics

• Increase number of inquiries engaging in pre-service foster parent training to a minimum of 25%
• Increase conversion of applicants (inquiries) that complete training to minimum of 15%
• Help improve number of families that become licensed per quarter to minimum of 20 per quarter
• Complete 25 community outreach efforts per month including but not limited to events, presentations, written and verbal communication and follow-up.
• Help effect increase in number of licensed homes that accept placement within 30 days to minimum of 80%

All employees have the following expectations:

• Mission: Contribute to and enhance company mission
• Organization: Prioritize and plan work responsibilities appropriately
• Professional Development: Attend and/or successfully complete all required trainings and meetings
• Timeliness and Accuracy: Perform quality work within given deadlines and expectations with or without direct supervision
• Professionalism: Comply with all applicable policies, practices, and procedures; report all out-of-compliance and unsafe activities to supervisor; interact professionally with other employees, volunteers, families, children, and the community
• Teamwork: Serve effectively as a team contributor on all assignments
• Communication: Utilize effective communication skills both verbally and in writing; provide effective feedback and is receptive to feedback
• Leadership: Work independently while understanding the necessity for communicating and coordinating work efforts with other appropriate individuals
• Cultural Competence: Is sensitive to the cultural, ethnic and religious views of the children and families served, and in community and public contact.

Children's Hope Alliance is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected status.

Requirements

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in Psychology, Social Work, Marketing, Communications, Human Services, or a related field preferred. A combination of lived experience as a foster parent and professional experience in recruitment, training, marketing, community engagement, or a related field may be substituted for the degree requirement.
• Certification in a state-mandated Foster Parent training curriculum or the ability to gain certification
• Experience in recruitment and/or training of Foster Parents preferred
• Must exhibit knowledge of Foster Care and the impact of trauma on children

Physical Requirements

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls, talk, and hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands or arms, stand, walk, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specifics vision abilities required by this position include close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Physical functions which are considered essential to the satisfactory performance of the job include the following: reading, typing, writing, speaking, and using the telephone and prolonged sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Employee must be able to operate a vehicle for job duties, and keep a valid NC drivers license with insurance.
• The work environment will contain slight to moderate office-related noises. The employee is not exposed to extreme weather conditions, toxic fumes, or airborne particles.
• The employee must occasionally travel to different locations in the course of work.
• Physical functions which are considered essential to the satisfactory performance of the job include the following: public speaking, reading, typing, writing, using the telephone, driving, therapeutically restraining children and adolescents in crisis situations.