Licensing Coordinator

Are you searching for meaningful work that ensures the safety of children and helps to build strong families in the community? Then our Communities Connected for Kids program has an opportunity that will interest you! We are looking for a motivated, dedicated and compassionate individual to be a Licensing Coordinator!

Licensing Coordinator Position Expectations 

As a Licensing Coordinator, you will be responsible for the initial foster home licensure and re-licensure of relatives and non-relatives who have accepted placement of children from the foster care system into their homes (Level 1 foster homes).  Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to home visits, completion of a quality home study, and a thorough assessment of the home to ensure quality and safety.  The Licensing Coordinator is also expected to identify family needs and provide ongoing support to all Level 1 foster parents and kinship caregivers.

As a part of Communities Connected for Kids, you will get the opportunity to work with other dedicated professionals who share your passion for helping individuals in need. We offer:

• Opportunities to make a positive impact in the lives of children in need of support
• Unique rewards that come from seeing families improve and flourish with the services you referred them to
• Quality Low-Cost Benefits and 30-day benefit eligibility waiting period for new hires!

Our Communities Connected for Kids Program provides services for children and families in the child welfare system, to ensure a community without abuse, neglect and abandonment. Based out of Port Saint Lucie, FL, this position is responsible for the initial licensure and the relicensure of Level I foster homes.  The position will also assist kinship caregivers to apply for appropriate benefits and provide ongoing support.

Essential functions of the position include:

• Facilitates all educational resource training requirements for Level 1 foster parents.
• Completion of all Level 1 licensing and re-licensing duties as required by FL statute, administrative code, and DCF operating procedures. Including, but not limited to: home visits, completion of a quality home study, and a thorough assessment of the home to ensure quality and safety
• Track all required documents and timeframes for licensure and re-licensure, which includes background screening and ongoing in-service training requirements.
• Connect kinship caregivers to community resources.
• Have the ability to identify family needs and provide ongoing support to Level I foster parents and kinship caregivers.
• Ensure accurate and timely submission of foster care initial licenses and re-licenses as required by FL statute, administrative code, DCF operating procedure, and the DCF region.
• Coordinate services with other professionals and paraprofessionals.
• Assist with Guardianship Assistance Program tasks as needed.
• Provide support, as needed, to families that have closed out permanent guardianship.

EDUCATION: 

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or related human services field.
• Required: Obtain credentialing in Child Welfare from the Florida Certification Board within 12 months of start date.
• Preferred: Licensing certification with the Florida Certification Board.

EXPERIENCE: 

• A minimum of two (2) years’ experience working with children, adolescents and families is preferred.
• Ability to navigate the Florida Safe Families Network (FSFN) preferred.
• Must be able to work flexible hours that may include evenings and occasionally special Saturday events.

About Communities Connected for Kids

Communities Connected for Kids provides oversight and coordination of the child-welfare system in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. At any given time, there are about 1,300 abused, abandoned or neglected children in our care. We are responsible for the safety and well-being of each one of them. We meet this responsibility through a mix of direct and contracted services. If you think about it in terms of building a house, we are the general contractor of the child-welfare system. The system is the house, we are the contractor, and our network of service providers are the subcontractors we pull together to make the house strong and ready to live in.

Who We Serve

Communities Connected for Kids offers a full range of care for children, adolescents, young adults and family members in Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast. We offer our services through a wide variety of approaches including in-home parenting and prevention services, family preservation, case management, residential programs and extended foster care services for teenagers and young adults.

In the tradition of true partnership, Communities Connected for Kids works closely with several agencies that are funded through Medicaid, substance abuse/mental health or private funds to offer a continuum of treatment services otherwise unfunded by Community Based Care dollars. These partnerships help families strengthen their capacity to care for their children or help children heal from trauma they’ve experienced.

Mission

Our mission is to enhance the safety, permanency and well-being of all children in Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast through a community network of family support services.

Values

Communities Connected for Kids values are:

We are accountable to the children and families we serve and to the communities in which we live.  We ensure services provided are:

• Individualized, based on the strengths and needs of the families we serve
• Respectful and culturally sensitive
• Effective and accountable
• Evidence based and data driven
• Permanency focused
• Ensure financial and human resources are managed and maximized 

Our Vision

We envision a community without abuse, neglect and abandonment so all children grow to their full potential.