Foster Care Mentor / Case Aide

The Case Aide position offers the opportunity to work with youth in foster care as a positive support person engaged in their lives on an as-needed basis. You will provide case-related services to foster youth and families by assisting with transportation to appointments, participating in community-based activities and recreation, providing supervision and other service plan related duties as directed to address goals, youth needs and safety. The service area of this position is throughout Thurston, Mason, & Lewis county and will require spending time with the youth in their community or home. Flexibility in scheduling is required and evening/weekend availability is preferred.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Build strong relationships by doing recreational activities with clients, meeting clients’ needs, being a positive role model, maintaining healthy boundaries, and responding appropriately to behaviors from a trauma-informed standpoint.
• Plan activities based on clients’ treatment goals, interests and abilities, length of shift, allotted budget, and purpose of shift.
• Provide transportation for clients to and from appointments and/or activities throughout Thurston, Mason, & Lewis county.
• Provide enrichment activities in the community or in the foster home that supplement school work.
• Communicate effectively with foster parents/guardians and Case Managers about how time was spent (face-to-face communication, accurate written documentation, phone calls, and occasionally texts).
• Complete and maintain documents such as Case Aide Reports and Time Sheets.
• Follow all guidelines related to clients’ needs and safety and respond to all emergency situations as they arise.
• Must be able to adjust job assignments when the supervision needs of individual children warrant.
• Attend staff meetings and other mandatory trainings as required by Youthnet.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS/EXPERTISE:

• Must be at least 21 years old
• Possess a valid Washington State driver’s license and have proof of automobile insurance that meets the statutorily required minimum amounts of coverage;
• Must have the ability to pass a Washington State criminal check and FBI fingerprinting if required;
• Must have a high school diploma, GED or HSEC, preferred Associates Degree in Human Services or related field;
• Have one year of experience working with children and families OR two years of social services education;
• Have the skills and abilities to work successfully with challenging behaviors of children in care;
• Have a basic understanding of family systems and child development;
• Have effective written and verbal communication and problem-solving skills;
• Possess the ability to work with diverse groups and populations;
• Possess the ability to make objective, visual assessments of home conditions and crisis situations AND to communicate information appropriately;
• Possess knowledge of community resources for youth;
• Have the ability to interact as a team member;
• Must be proficient with basic computer software, such as Microsoft Office suite.