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Kinship Home Finder

About Graham Windham

In full partnership with families & communities, Graham Windham strives to make a life-altering difference to children, youth and families affected by abuse, neglect and delinquency by providing each child we serve with a strong foundation for life: a safe, loving, permanent family and the opportunity and preparation to thrive in school and in the world. With over 600 full-time employees serving children and families in multiple programs throughout Westchester County, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem, Graham Windham provides an exciting & enriching work experience.

Graham Windham is the first organization in New York City to implement Solution -Based Casework (SBC). Solution -Based Casework helps children and families to be the solution to the seemingly insurmountable problems in their lives, from generational cycles of poverty, abuse, and neglect to unemployment, domestic violence, and severe health problems. By recognizing and reinforcing their innate strengths and ability to cope, we at Graham Windham empower them to take the lead in making change in their lives.

About the Program

At Graham Windham our Family Foster Care programs help children to get back to their families, adopted into a new family or connected to someone who is willing to be an anchor for children, throughout their childhood and into adulthood. To help us do that, we have hundreds of loving & highly qualified foster parents primarily in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County- who serve as our foster children's substitute family. 

About the Position

The Kinship Home Finder Specialist will search for and identify maternal and paternal relatives and fictive resources for children placed in non-kinship homes in our Community foster care and TFFC programs, within 30 days of placement with Graham using the Family Finding Model. Work in collaboration with case planners to engage and support kinship families through coaching and facilitation of support groups specifically for Kinship resources.

• Identify kinship resources for children in non-kinship placements.  Build relationship by having regular contact with kin/fictive resources to develop openness and trust. Builds a network with persons close to and knowledgeable about the child, and maintain regular and on-going contact with them.
• Engage in recruiting Kinship foster parents, by utilizing data base, social media, etc.  
• Provides family search efforts by implementing the process of identifying, locating, and contacting persons with whom the child already has, or had, a bond or positive relationship with, with the knowledge and approval of the child’s caseworker. 
• Prepares and submits reports, calendars and other deliverables as required by agency supervisor, NYC Children’s Services and/or OCFS. Assures scheduling, monitoring and tracking of all possible kinship resources.
• Facilitate and scheduled 30 day conference with case planning team to discuss the outcome or barriers in identifying kinships. Tracks all identified kinship resources until placement.  Actively participate in the Initial placement  conference for non-kinship cases
• Maintain and update foster parent “soft” files and CONNECTIONS records by completing related reports and inputting data in a timely fashion.
• Collaborate and work with families,  case management team (Case Planner, Supervisor and/or Director) in identifying next to Kin
• Participate in weekly supervision sessions with supervisor to discuss status and progress of identifying Kinship resources, etc. as well as to apprise of any impending problems and/or unresolved issues.
• Participate in staff meetings, seminars and training as scheduled; maintains and applies a current knowledge of internal and external regulations and policies applicable to foster care and adoption.
• The core of the kinship finder is to continuously assess, connect and sustain family relationship.
• Schedule and facilitate  monthly Support groups

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor's in Social Work, Education, Psychology or related field required, Master's preferred.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience working with children and families. Experience adoption recruiter and Home finder preferred.
• Experience with NYC child welfare programs and ACS requirements.
• Computer literate, MS Office; NYS Connections.
• Excellent time management, organizational, relationship building, active listening, problem-solving and presentation skills.
• Energetic, self-directed and goals-focused approach to the work with young children and families.
• Ability to travel within the NYC area to prospective  and  active foster homes (the five boroughs of New York, Westchester County, and Long Island.)
• Candidate must be flexible as evenings hours may be required
• Bilingual Spanish/English preferred.
• Valid NYS driver’s license a plus.

Competencies & Traits:

• Dedication for working with at-risk children and youth and their families
• Mission focused on helping children and families have the opportunity and preparation to succeed in life.
• Models and promotes dependable, responsible, professional and accountable behavior; promotes positive program norms and teamwork primacy; supports program mission and philosophy; effectively integrates with other disciplines; models enthusiasm and participation in program activities.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully navigate bureaucracy