Criteria
- Must be 21 years or older
- Compensation: $48,000/Year, Tax Free
Professional Foster Care was created for youth exhibiting complex social, emotional and behavioral needs. Professional Foster Care serves youth aged 6 years or older with backgrounds of trauma, delinquency, behavior disorders, or significant attachment challenges. A Professional Foster Parent accepts the placement of a child who would otherwise be placed in a higher level of care such as a group home or residential treatment center. This is different from a general foster parent position.
A minimum of one-year experience as a foster parent or kinship care provider.
OR
A minimum of one year of experience working with or parenting youth with complex behavioral and mental health challenges. Strongly prefer past work experience in residential treatment centers (RTC).
OR
A college, vocational, technical or advanced degree in the area of a youth’s treatment needs, such as mental health, nursing, medicine, social work, or psychology.
and
Work or personal experience for which you have demonstrated the knowledge, skill, ability, and motivation to meet the needs of a youth with a history of trauma and significant needs (e.g.: therapist, teaching, serving at-risk populations, etc.)
Duties
- Provide direct care and supervision to a foster youth.
- Implement procedures for behavioral crisis intervention (both verbal and non-verbal).
- Plan and implement daily activity schedule and recreational activities; including trips to recreation centers, bowling, hiking, swimming, etc.
- Oversee the health and welfare of the youth including:
- Assisting youth with school related activities.
- Attending doctor visits, Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meetings, Permanency Round Table (PRTs), professional staffing meetings for the foster youth as needed.
- Managing in-home services as needed.
- Administering medications as prescribed.
- Communicating effectively with the youth’s team and report all concerns to the assigned 360 support worker
- Keep foster home clean, safe and orderly.
- Drive youth to appointments/programs/school. Mileage is reimbursed.
What you need to know . . .
This is a full-time position. Candidate must have at least one spare bedroom for a foster youth.
Must be able to attend 30 hours of trauma specific training, participate in a SAFE home study, pass a physical as well Colorado and Federal Bureau of Investigation background checks.
The ideal candidate…
We know there is no such thing as a “perfect” candidate – we’re all a work in progress and are growing new skills and capabilities all the time. We encourage you to apply for a position with us even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements.
- Superstar communicator – Able to communicate and listen well with youth, staff, parents, and the community.
- Experience–At least one year of experience with youth who present with emotional/behavioral disorders and/or experience in child development, working with students, and/or working in a classroom environment. Residential experience strongly preferred.
- Mindset – Compassionate, caring, resilient, empathetic, energetic, and flexible.
- Compassion and Understanding – Skills in crisis management, flexibility, patience, and ability to maintain composure under stressful conditions.
Professional Foster Parents receive additional training and support beyond the training required for typical foster parents. Topics of this additional training include trauma-informed care, trauma-informed behavior management, training on the child’s specific diagnosis/identified needs, confidentiality and cultural responsiveness.
