Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three local and state organizations that appeal to me are Parents as Teachers, Social Services, and Baptist Children's Homes. When I was working on my Associate's degree in college I chose to observe a worker that had a job as a case worker as an parent educator.  She went into the homes of her clients and played with the children for a few minutes with an activity and then talked with and educated the parent about development issues and questions that the parent had about their child. I thought this would be an interesting job to have one day. I have always been interested in the adoption and foster care part of social services. I started to take classes for social work but was not able to complete the classes due to work and scheduling. I have wondered what it would be like to work in the childcare part of the Baptist Children's Home or work as a counselor/ case manager to the children that live their. There is a few of the homes within a short drive of my house. I have volunteered there one time to help do some cleaning for the home.

Job opportunities that I would be interested in include: adoption or foster care case worker ( I feel I would be more interested in the adoption aspect), parent as teacher educator, case manager for Baptist Children's Home.

Skills and experience needed to fulfill each of these roles:
Case Manager BCH -

	The Case Manager performs duties and responsibilities related to the function of the Human Services Ministry enabling the assigned cottage to function at the highest level of competency in carrying out the Agency’s policies, procedures and programs. These activities relate to teamwork, group work, work with family according to the developed plan, family and custodian contacts, community resources, and case record management.
Duties:	Supervision: •Prepares for and participates in regular supervisory conferences •Participates in 90-day and annual staff performance evaluations •Keeps supervisor informed on current status of total work responsibilities Policies and Procedures: •Functions within the guidelines of the Manual of Operations and the Program of Intentionalized Services •Represents the agency’s philosophy, purpose, and programs to groups, individuals, and referral agencies in a professional and objective manner Professionalism/Teamwork: •Demonstrates knowledge of and ability to work as a member of the cottage team •Has knowledge of and supports the roles of other team members •Respects the right of the team to be involved with the child and his/her family •Shares with their team members information necessary for cottage and Treatment Team decision making •Supports the team in providing daily care to meet the needs of children and maintaining a therapeutic cottage environment •Participates as a team member in team meetings and other staff meetings •Participates in ongoing monitoring of effectiveness of the team’s functioning •Researches and conducts staff training on appropriate subjects as assigned •Provides leadership in creating and maintaining therapeutic milieu •Respects the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of staff members and children in care and strives to create a positive relationship within BCH. •Participates in the agency’s Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) program as needed. Clients: •Facilitates FAC, admission, intake, transfer, and discharge conferences •Provides leadership role in child and family conferences and coordinates and implements the Plan of Service and Plan of Service Reviews with each family •Provides support, encouragement, recognition of feelings and problem-solving which compliments family work and family therapy •Arranges family contacts, emergency contacts, financial accounting, scheduling of appointments, behavior infractions, obtaining consents, in-home plans, and in reporting medical, school, and other daily events •Establishes and maintains relationships with resources for client systems and assists family/custodian in securing appropriate internal and external community resources to meet the family’s needs •Conducts psycho-educational groups to include but not be limited to peer pressure, social skills, anger management, independent living, group building initiatives, communication, decision making, chemical dependency, self esteem •Supports medical, dental and other appointments for youth in care •Keeps the focus on the custodian to be responsible for parenting the child’s placement •Supports the custodian in being responsible in the parental role during child’s placement •Sets the tone that clarifies BCH’s “Family Systems” approach to family work •The Case Manager’s workload is not to exceed 15 cases and is assessed and adjusted according to special circumstances. Record Keeping: •Keeps all client files and documentation of case activities current this includes, but is not limited to, Admission Documents, MIGS, Plan of Service, Plan of Service Review, Summary Dictations, Individual Crisis Management Plans, Outcome Measurements (including Duke Study), Consents, Progress Notes, Admission, Transfer, Discharge Memo’s, Alerting Slips, Court Reports, Aftercare Plans Knowledge and Training: •Continually increases knowledge and skills by taking steps necessary to stay in touch with current trends in the field of residential child care and programs for children and families •Has a body of knowledge and skills necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the position •Demonstrates a knowledge level of current trends in the area of services to families and children •Develops a pool of external resources for supporting services on an as needed basis •Demonstrates and implements a working knowledge of skills in working with family systems, individuals and groups •Participates in Family Systems Trainings
Qualifications:	•Bachelors Degree in Human Services or related field, from an accredited University or Accredited Seminary •Two years of experience is preferred •Minimum of 21 years of age. •Must have the capability to manage, plan, organize, implement, monitor and maintain agency programs as well as adhere to accreditation standards and N.C. licensing requirements. •Meets the general qualifications for employment as outlined in the institution's personnel policies •Respects the cultural diversity of children, and strives to create a positive relationship •Valid drivers license and safe driving record so as to be able to operate an agency vehicle to transport children.
Only thing I could find on social services but not directly with adoption and foster care. Included child protective services. MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Master’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative; or Master’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work plus one year of directly related experience; or Bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only) plus one year of directly related experience; or Bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work plus two years of directly related experience; or 4 year degree in a human services field plus three years of directly related experience; or 4 year college or university degree plus four years of directly related experience. (Directly related experience is defined as human services experience in the areas of case management, assessment and referral, supportive counseling, intervention, psycho-social therapy and treatment planning.)   Parent as teacher educator     POSITION QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS: Education and Experience Required: Bachelor’s degree in early childhood development or related field is preferred. Minimum of 60 college hours in early childhood development with a minimum of two years experience directly working with young children under the age of 5 required. Certificate in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, or 5 years experience in a pre-school setting preferred. Required continuing education to maintain certification. Skills Required: Ability to receive supervision and work independently, problem solve and be solution-oriented. Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain a positive rapport with children birth through age 5 and their parents; effectively communicate developmental issues to families. Knowledge and skill working with diverse populations. Bi-lingual Spanish strongly preferred. Display a positive, outgoing and flexible professional demeanor and be resourceful, non-judgmental and tactful in dealing with both children and adults. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from parents or community. Demonstrate good organizational skills. Ability to write reports, correspondence and maintain accurate records. Ability to perform CPR and First Aid. Advocate and Support Mission, Vision, and Core Values of KidsFirst. Intermediate level of proficiency in MS Outlook and MS Word. Must be willing to undergo background check and drug testing. Must possess a valid California driver’s license, provide own transportation and have a clean DMV report. Other duties as assigned.

  References
http://ssw.unc.edu/dssjobsnc/index.php?q=jobs_list&distance[postal_code]=&distance[search_distance]=

http://bchfamily.org/

http://www.nprcenter.org/job/parent-educator-parents-teachers-pat-program