Child Welfare Clinical Specialist

Are you excited by the prospect of working for an organization that truly values your contributions, provides opportunities for growth and development, fosters diversity, equality, and inclusion, AND gives you a chance to make a difference in the lives of children and families?
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
The Child Welfare Clinical Specialist is an exempt position responsible for providing short term adoption competent clinical services to children; crisis intervention/support for children that do not have a stable living situation; and supportive counseling to dependency case management staff to reduce burn out and increase wellbeing. This position is based in Hillsborough County, FL with availability to service other Tampa Bay area children's programs as needed including Central Florida in the event of exceptional circumstances. This position will assist in strengthening and stabilizing children who struggle with trauma based behavioral challenges that affect placement stability as well as increase wellbeing and retention of case management staff, thus reducing length of stay of children in care.

• Provide direct short term adoption competent counseling to children who are on the waitlist for long-term treatment or whose caretakers are unable to afford the specialized services, in an effort to help meet the family's needs to stabilize the placement.
• Provide therapeutic crisis intervention services and de-escalation support, when needed, to assist case management staff in managing trauma-based behaviors in a therapeutically informed manner.
• Provide effective role modeling and psychoeducation to support case management staff in learning trauma-informed ways to manage the challenging behaviors of the children in care.
• Assist with a warm hand off to a long-term therapeutic provider for the children on caseload.
• Respond to crisis situations for children on an "on-call" basis, as needed.
• Provide supportive counseling to case management staff to assist with impact of secondary trauma experienced as a result of work with children in care to include de-escalation; processing support; identifying coping skills etc.
• Provide intervention support in the event a case management staff considers resignation and assist with communicating and advocating with leadership the needs of the staff to support retention efforts.
• Attend meetings, staffing's, and court hearings, as needed, to provide information and therapeutic insight into work with the children on caseload.
• Provide weekly collateral contact with CMO Case Management members to ensure continuity of care.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

WHAT WE OFFER:

• $55,000 annual salary
• 15 PTO days per year
• 12 Paid holidays
• Medical, Dental & Vision insurance
• Healthcare Concierge
• Financial Wellness Program
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Immediate eligibility for 403b Savings Plan with 25% match
• Supplementary Accident, Hospital Indemnity and Specified Disease insurance
• Paid Life/AD&D insurance
• Pet, Legal and Identity Theft programs
• Continuous training and professional development opportunities
• Mileage Reimbursement
• An opportunity to make the world a better place!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Master's degree in social work or a related area of study.
• Minimum of one [1] year counseling experience.
• Will be required to train to receive adoption competency credentials.
• Participate in continued education/training each year.
• Must have a valid drivers' license and proof of auto insurance coverage.

WHO WE ARE:
From babies to seniors, Gulf Coast JFCS serves all people in need, regardless of race, religion, culture or gender identity. Our programs span a broad human service spectrum, from behavioral and mental health, Child Welfare and adoption, family support, job and employment transition, housing, food, transportation or home care assistance for the elderly.
GCJFCS offers an opportunity to gain field experience and direct client contact hours for both Bachelor's and Master's level practicum and internships. For license-eligible candidates, we offer both individual and group supervision from a Board-Certified qualified supervisor to fulfill state requirements at no cost to the employee.
Gulf Coast JFCS is an equal opportunity employer. Gulf Coast JFCS is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free of harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behavior. Gulf Coast JFCS will not tolerate discrimination against its employees on the basis of their race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, citizenship, gender identity, sexual orientation, workers' compensation status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
EOE/Drug-Free Workplace/ E-Verify