Caregiver Support Specialist

At Wellpoint Care Network, our mission is to facilitate equity, learning, healing, and wellness by restoring the connections that help children and families thrive.

Every person deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. It’s part of human nature, and the promise of our country, that everyone be given a fair chance to be and do their best. Yet, many in our community live with unresolved childhood and generational trauma.  

That’s where we come in. We believe we can create a world where children and families have a clearer path to their fullest potential. Wellpoint Care Network has championed the restoration of families for nearly 175 years.

Job Purpose: 

Our next Caregiver Support Specialist will provide licensed foster parents and relative caregivers of children in court-ordered care with a variety of services to enhance their ability to meet the children’s needs. The primary goals of the program are to increase placement stability and to help ensure that caregivers, who are an imperative part of the team, feel supported. This service is caregiver-driven and delivered through regular, face-to-face contact in the caregiver’s home. Caregiver Support Specialists work one on one with caregivers in their home to provide education on many different topics including trauma informed care and parenting, resources and services for the children and caregivers, and overall support to caregivers as they navigate the child welfare system. 

Qualifications: 

• Master's degree in Social Work or related degree preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related degree required.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in service provision to child welfare kids/families with preference given for case management and licensing experience.
• Crisis intervention experience.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Knowledge of community resources.
• Advanced knowledge of Trauma Informed Care concepts with the ability to enhance caregiver’s skill set. 
• Proficient in the usage of computer software; demonstrate an understanding of computer file systems and computer software packages, e.g., Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook, Teams, ADP, etc.
• Must be honest, dependable and able to meet deadlines; Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Physical exam, drug screen, motor vehicle report, and background checks are required for this position.
• A valid Wisconsin Driver’s License or occupational driver’s license, reliable transportation and insurance is required. 
• Regular travel in personal vehicles is required with the ability to move intermittently throughout the workday.
• Willingness to work beyond normal working hours: evenings, nights and weekends.
• Involved with students, personnel, family members, visitors, volunteers, interns, government agencies, etc., under all conditions and circumstances.
• Subject to dysregulated clients, students, family members, etc.
• Hybrid on-site/remote work is available with reliable broadband connection

Job Responsibilities:

• Clinical & Direct Support Services & Assessment
  • Effectively and quickly responds to crises
  • Contributes to caregiver skill development and knowledge base (i.e. regarding child welfare system, mental health related issues, behavioral interventions, child developmental/emotional needs, etc.)
  • Provides caregivers with practical information, resources, and guidance that contributes to positive outcomes
  • Demonstrates competence in successful utilization of community resources
  • Motivates caregivers to use resources successfully and independently
  • Contributes to program outcome goals through interventions that support educational and placement stability
  • Supports and educates the team in transition planning for children 
  • Appropriately advocates for families within the given system and empowers and supports caregivers to advocate for themselves.
  • Demonstrates ability to work independently and effectively towards goals
  • Demonstrates the ability to work collaboratively and form positive relationships with treatment team members (Child, Birth Family, Caregiver Family, Purchaser, and Collateral Providers) towards meeting family needs.
  • Practices ethical behavior in all interactions
  • Comprehensively assesses caregivers and child’s needs and utilizes assessment information to establish relevant, measurable, strengths-oriented goals that are trauma-informed. 
  • Provides individualized and child specific recommendations/interventions for the child and caregiver.
  • Assesses all enrolled children to determine if child would benefit from additional assessments, such as a NMT, OT, Birth to Three, etc.
  • Program Development and Documentation
    • Supports the development and implementation of programs and initiatives aimed at improving quality outcomes.
    • Monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of strategies.
    • Uses data and feedback to continuously improve efforts and strategies.
    • Documents and prepares reports on activities, outcomes, and impact.
    • Produces quality, well-written and efficient case documentation (reports, progress notes, CoBRIS entries). 
    • Documentation is completed within required timeframes consistently.
    • Admission/intake and discharge reports are completed within the required timeframes.

• The Agency is committed to the philosophy and practice of trauma informed care including the participation of all employees in an active understanding and promotion of the Agency’s trauma informed care model, The Seven Essential Ingredients. 
• These ingredients include Prevalence, Impact, Perspective Shift, Regulation, Relationship, Reason to Be, and Caregiver Capacity and form the framework for an environment that maximizes the achievement of positive client outcomes. The Agency strives to create and recognize trauma informed champions across all programs and departments.
• All employees will be evaluated on their demonstration of a consistent commitment to the Agency’s Seven Essential Ingredients, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and engagement in the strategic initiatives of the organization. This will be measured by their active participation in committees, workgroups, and by their communication and practice within their daily work and in the community.

Position Details & Extras:

• Full time.
• Onsite / Hybrid work is available with reliable broadband connection.
• Fast paced, flexible work schedule includes evenings and some weekends to accommodate program needs.
• Moderate exposure to noise.
• Subject to frequent interruptions with ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the cultural differences among diverse groups and the need to adapt service provision to match these differences in respectful ways.
•  Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) - Wellpoint employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. 
• Interaction with personnel, clients, family members, visitors, volunteers, interns, and vendors under all conditions and circumstances. 
• Organizational Information: 

   

  At Wellpoint Care Network, we have seen exactly how trauma, poverty, systemic racism, social injustices, and other barriers create instability in all areas of life. The people in our care face education and health disparities, high unemployment rates and unaffordable housing. What’s worse, many have lost connections to resources, family, friends, and other support systems. We have seen the toll it has on a person’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being to try and successfully navigate complex systems that may have failed them in the past.

   

  We believe there is a better way. So, we have anchored ourselves in our 170 years of caring for our neighbors through modernized human services.

  Wellpoint Care Network provides a rich continuum of services, including:

  •        Child Welfare and Foster Care 

  •        Support for youth who have aged out of care

  •        Care Coordination and Wraparound services 

  •        Mental health therapy and supports such as our Clinic, Family Preservation, Caregiver Support, and Integrated Community Treatment

  •        Professional education and clinical consultation (for organizations, schools, and individual/family) 

   

  Wellpoint Care also works to promote a diverse and caregiving environment to ensure that those we serve, and employ are valued, accepted, respected, and treated equitably.

    

  •        Equity means we work tirelessly toward fair and just treatment, systems, and policies. At Wellpoint Care Network, we believe that we are accountable – individually and collectively – when inequity or injustice replaces equity and inclusion. 

  •        Inclusivity means that we consciously build groups that welcome and celebrate differences in age, race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, gender expression, education, socio-economic background, personal history, geographical location, marital status, parental status, and work experiences.   

   

  Interested parties please apply online. We are committed to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion and strongly encourage minority candidates to apply. For more information, visit our website www.wellpointcare.org.

   

  
  

   

  Equal Opportunity Employer