Neighbor to Family, Inc.

Foster parents are employees of NTF and offered health benefits, respite, and vacation time. NTF recognizes the value of their input in the service planning and engages them in the delivery of services from initial placement until permanency is achieved.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Provides children with physical care and safety and a nurturing , predictable family environment.
• Provides nonphysical discipline that promotes self-esteem and respects culture, ethnicity, and agency policy.
• Participates as a professional member of the agency interdisciplinary team in assessing, planning with, and providing service and treatment for children and their families.
• Provides emotional support and counseling on attachment, separation, loss, abuse, and neglect to the infants, children, youth, and their families.
• Provides continuity in the outgoing development of cultural and ethnic identity, and ensure cultural sensitivity in services provided.
• Monitors visits between infants, children, youths, and their families and assists families toward reunification when this goal is part of the case plan.
• Provides ongoing assessment of the strengths and needs of all parties involved.
• Maintains appropriate confidentiality.
• Manages crisis effectively.
• Arranges activities to meet recreational, cultural, and spiritual needs.
• Shares information about progress toward case goals with the case managers.
• Participates in hearings involving children and youths as appropriate and necessary.
• Helps prepare children and youths for self-sufficient and responsible adult lives.
• Records service plans, strengths, needs, and progress, and share this information with other team members.
• Share pertinent psychological, educational, behavioral, police, or court information with other team members.
• Advocate for the resources to meet the unique needs of the infants, children, youths in their care.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

High school diploma or general education degree (GED); or one to three months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Valid state driver's license, appropriate insurance and reliable car.
• Must submit to and pass a pre-employment drug test.
• Must submit to pass random drug tests during employment.
• Must successfully pass all background screens as required by the state.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and depth perception.

WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Foster parents Retention

*NTF has demonstrated positive outcomes in the retention and recruitment of foster parents as documented by the following related outcomes:

• 89% Annual Foster Parent retention rate
• 100% Foster Parents Satisfaction
• 100% Children maintained in initial placement
• 100% Sibling groups maintained together while in NTF placement*

For more information about joining Neighbor To Family's team contact the program in your state: