The primary goal of this role is to engage families with the Hope & Home community – help foster families make connections with each other, with resources, and with Hope & Home as a whole. Ideal candidates will love working with both children and adults and be able to demonstrate thoughtfulness, empathy, and hospitality in all interactions. Working in a start-up region, this role also carries greater responsibility for family files, office administration, and general regional support.
Note: Part-time. Approximately 10-15 hours per week. Hours may include up to one evening per week (5pm-9pm, scheduled in advance). Additional evening and weekend hours will be expected of this position for scheduled events or as-needed placement support. $18/hour
Family Support for a Caseload of Families:
The Hope Worker is responsible for providing practical, wrap-around supports to families.
- Placement Support: The Hope Worker is responsible for coordinating resources and practical supports, as well as providing friendly and thoughtful emotional support and check-ins.
- Support Groups: The Hope Worker is the host for assigned support groups. In coordination with the region’s Program Manager, they are responsible for the preparation, execution, and follow-up of each group for adults, children, teens, foster parent leaders, volunteers, and staff. In this capacity, ideal staff would have experience working with children and teens.
- Child Care Spaces: The Hope Worker team is responsible to ensure that the childcare spaces are kept clean, well-stocked, and organized; restocking and replacing items as needed to ensure a safe and engaging environment.
- Ongoing Foster Family Support: The Hope Worker is responsible for maintaining regular contact with families on their caseload through encouragement, thoughtful connection, and practical supports.
Program Support:
Responsibility around resources, volunteers, events, building use, etc. will be required.
- Office Administration: This role will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance, organization, supplies, security, etc. of the office building.
- Events: This role will be responsible for planning, preparing, and executing events for foster families. Attendance is mandatory at family/community events. This role should encourage family, staff, and volunteer participation at these events, as well as ensuring that reporting is completed in a timely manner.
- Donation Boutiques and Family Resources: This role will be responsible for ensuring donation stores are kept in good condition and stocked with useful and meaningful items for children and families, while also maintaining and encouraging positive relationships with donors providing these resources.
- Volunteers: The Hope Worker should seek to engage with and support volunteers, encouraging them towards meaningful volunteering in support of the mission of Hope & Home.
Marketing Support:
This role is also responsible for providing “overlap” between clinical and marketing departments, sharing appropriate stories and content for various marketing needs.
- Recruitment: A significant emphasis is placed on recruitment of foster parents. Helping at recruitment events, participating in regional efforts towards the recruitment of foster parents, as well as volunteers and donors, will be expected of this position.
- Events: This role will be a part of the team working at various recruitment events as scheduled.
Skills and Abilities:
- Effective communication skills. Well written, thoughtful, and thorough communication.
- Loves children and comfortable leading others around work with children.
- Self-motivated and able to prioritize duties.
- Able to work well with others.
- Demonstrates integrity.
- Able to set and maintain interpersonal boundaries.
- Gracious and patient towards others. Engaging and high-functioning people skills.
- Highly organized.
- Comfortable with technology and able to learn new programs quickly.
Requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years of age; 21 and older preferred.
- Must complete CPR and First Aid training (upon hiring)
- Must complete Hope & Home orientation and training (upon hiring)
- Employee will often lift and/or move up to 50 lbs. Full mobility is required.
- Employee will drive as a part of this role. Must have reliable transportation. Mileage reimbursement provided.
Additional Details:
– This role is not “clinical” and should refrain from giving families explicit clinical advice or instruction. It will be important for this position to keep clear distinctions between these roles.
– All activities promoted and sponsored by Hope & Home should seek to provide stability and community to children and teens placed in foster care with the goal of placement preservation. All activities (especially volunteer activities) should reinforce the primary relationship between the foster parent and youth in care.
– Communication with other staff is crucial to this position. The Hope Worker will prepare reports, communication records, etc. for various uses as determined by supervisor.
Benefit Information:
Part-time employees at Hope & Home are eligible for the following benefits:
- Paid time off accruing immediately upon start of work and useable once accrued.
- Company paid life insurance, with employee option to add additional coverage and long-term disability coverage (if working 20 or more hours per week).
- Enrollment in 401K after working at least one year AND 1,000 hours, beginning the quarter following eligibility (must be 21 years of age to participate)
Please Note: Hope & Home’s benefit package is contributory. An employee is responsible for a portion of the monthly premium automatically deducted from the employee’s paycheck.
