Family Support Worker - Kinship

The Kinship Worker’s responsibility is to support kinship families in providing safe, secure care for children in out-of-home placement.

• Supports kinship families to maintain placements and help children work toward permanency.
• Prepares and supports kinship families for transitions, including placement, change of placement and permanency.
• Assists kinship families to access resources within the community.
• Develops and individualized respite plan with the kinship family.
• Assists Case Management teams with coordination of transportation for visitation/interaction with children and birth families, appointments, court, and other agencies, as requested.
• Serves as a role model and source of feedback for staff, clients, and kinship families.
• Completes safety plans, as needed, with kinship families.
• Works with kinship family to ensure child’s Lifebook is updated and maintained.
• Completes KBI, CANIS, Adult Abuse Registry background checks and fingerprints for prospective relative families, as needed.
• Provides supports and services assisting the relative caregiver in addressing the effect maltreatment may have had on the child in their care.
• Participates in supervisory and kinship team meetings, sharing pertinent information about children/families’ progress, collateral contacts, and relationships with other agencies/communities.
• Completes and maintains written documentation, including monthly reports, in child/family’s case record accurately and within established timeframes.
• Mediates, as needed, the relationship between the parents/caregivers and family.
• Provides intervention for clients in crisis.
• Participates in office team meetings.
• Reports critical incidents verbally to DCF within 12 hours, written within 24 hours.
• Implements Saint Francis Ministries policies and follows directives as required. Follows and adheres to all pertinent Saint Francis Ministries Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s), rules, personnel policies, and procedures; related accreditation and licensure standards; and federal, state and local rules, statutes, regulations and contractual terms.
• Ensures clients’ rights are protected. Makes sure all clients have received their rights and maintains a signed copy in each file.
• Is knowledgeable of and follows all safety procedures.
• Reports unusual incidents through appropriate Risk Management, clinical and safety channels