Salary Wage/Grade: Starting hourly wage: 12.87/hour

Position Summary: The Kinship Care Navigator is a liaison position that works directly with kinship caregivers to provide support and advocacy to help ensure caregivers have the required resources to meet each child’s physical, emotional, financial, and basic needs. This position will assist caregivers in navigating the child welfare system to promote permanency, safety, and well-being and serve as an expert resource and ancillary support to kinship families. The Kinship Care Navigator provides information, referral, follow-up, and linkages to benefits and services. This position educates kinship caregivers about available resources to meet the needs of the children they are raising, in addition to their own needs as caregivers. The Kinship Care Navigator promotes effective partnerships among stakeholders for placement stabilization and family preservation. Kinship caregivers that receive the Kinship Intervention Model will also be provided a Kinship Home Assessment, Needs Assessment, Support Plan, and monthly home visits.

 Technical/Functional Expectations:

1.  Relationship Maintenance-Essential Function: Foster and maintain collaborative working relationships and rapport with Kinship Caregivers.
2. Service Provider Liaison -Essential Function: Advocate and liaise with Kinship Caregivers to ensure adequate supports are provided and to facilitate positive outcomes for children served.
3. Caregiver Advocate: This position advocates for the needs of Kinship Caregivers by ensuring their voice is heard and that their needs are being addressed.
4. Family Team Conferences: Attend and participate in Family Team Conferences to identify needed supports and services to promote placement stability.
5. Navigator: Assist Kinship Caregivers in navigating the system to ensure the children under their care are receiving needed services and the caregivers feels supported.
6. Data Entry and Data Collection- Assure accurate and complete data collection for the Kinship Intervention Model. Data entry into the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS/FSFN).
7. Other duties as required: Job performance requires fulfilling other incidental or related duties as assigned, assisting, and training others, and performing duties of higher rated positions from time to time for developmental purposes.

Behavioral Competencies:

1. Verbal Communication: Able to clearly express ideas, information, or concerns with the spoken word; present verbal information in a straightforward manner; ask questions to open channels of communication; listen to understand perspective of others.
2. Trust and Respect: Able to demonstrate respect and treat others in an honest and straightforward manner; keep dealings with others confidential; keep word and follow through on commitments.
3. Customer Service: Able to anticipate and respond to customer's needs, concerns, or questions to meet or exceed their expectations; help evaluate needs and options; show care and concern to demonstrate customer importance and value.
4. Develop Relationships: Able to relate with others while building credibility and rapport; give personal support and reassurance; put others at ease; build cooperative relationships.
5. Integrity: Able to demonstrate consistency of words and actions; protect confidential information; do what is right even when no one is watching; demonstrate sound business ethics; consistently comply with organizational values.
6. Adaptability: Able to adjust approach when dealing with arrogant or inflexible people; adapt to changes in situation, direction, or people; adjust to needs of others without losing self-esteem.
7. Sensitivity: Work effectively with and show sensitivity to cultural differences and various socio-economic backgrounds of others.
8. Ethics: Adhere to and model principles and values of Agency and System of Care by being strength-based, solution-focused, maintains highest level of integrity and ethical standards and work collaboratively with employees, partners, stakeholders, and clients in all interactions.

Business Experience:

1. Valid Driver License - Essential: Required to travel throughout the County and other locations for client and other meetings.
2. Previous Caregiving Experience-Essential:  Lived experience as a Kinship Caregiver increases the credibility of the position and the ability to effectively engage and empathize with families.
3. Effective verbal and written communication skills: This is required to effectively and clearly express ideas, information, or concerns and to present verbal information in a straightforward manner; ask questions to open channels of communication; listen to understand perspective of others.
4. Computer and data entry skills: This is required to develop presentations, graphics, spreadsheets, brochures, and flyers in support of the program.
5. Collaboration, negotiation, and problem-solving skills: These are necessary to effectively communicate and collaborate with various stakeholders, partners, and consumers to achieve productive and positive relationships and outcomes.          

Educational and Experience Requirements:

1. High School Diploma required
2. 1 to 2 years lived experience as a former consumer/caregiver in child welfare required.
3. 2 to 5 years lived experience as a former consumer/caregiver in child welfare preferred.

Physical Requirements:

1. Lifting
2. Carrying
3. Sitting
4. Standing
5. Bending
6. Reading
7. Speaking
8. Listening
9. Typing