Family Support Manager for Southwest Florida

OVERVIEW

The Better Together team seeks a Family Support Manager to manage and directly support families in crisis through our Better Families Program in Southwest Florida, which consists of Collier, Lee, Hendry, Glades, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. He or she will direct all aspects of family support needs including evaluating the situation, matching families to approved volunteer host families, facilitating intakes, developing life goals and plans, and working with and advising host and/or mentor families to achieve successful reunification.

An ideal candidate will have a Human Service-related degree and a Masters in Social Work or equivalent experience working with vulnerable children and families. They should feel called to help children and families in crisis and share our passion for keeping children out of foster care and families together. They should have demonstrated skills in leadership, communication, organization, networking, coaching/training, and motivating volunteers and the community. He or she will be a self-starter who is comfortable working remotely with minimal supervision, has a demonstrated ability to analyze problems and find creative solutions, and thrives when challenged.

CULTURE & FIT

The people who consistently succeed at Better Together are those whose actions and behavior reflect our five core values. If you adhere to these values and answer “yes” to each of these questions, you may be a fit.

1. Owner’s Mindset: You are invested in the outcomes of our mission.
   • Are you a self-starter who is able to take initiative in order to complete a task?
   • Do you often seek opportunities for professional growth?
2. Choosing Gratitude: There are many things in life that can make us upset. Every day we have a choice to either be negative or give thanks.
   • Do you often go out of your way to help others?
   • Have you written a thank-you card in the last 30 days?
   • Are you a positive person who is more focused on opportunities instead of obstacles?
3. Love Others: We aim to love others like Christ loves us. Our hope is that our lives would be filled and overflowing with love, so that we can make a difference in this world.
   • Do people often say you are a good listener?
   • Do you make decisions based on what’s best for others over yourself?
   • Do you often find yourself looking for ways to make others feel empowered, important and appreciated?
4. Partnership-Oriented: Internal and external relationships are not transactional. That starts with our team members and the perspective that we need the rest of the team to succeed in order to win personally.
   • Are you comfortable creating your own structure for work, such as setting work hours, your own priorities, and creating clarity and a work plan from a broad goal?
   • Do you tend to be the one who initiates conversations with colleagues, rather than waiting for them to come to you?
5. The Sky is the Limit: We have a big vision at Better Together. No one on our team is counting hours or widgets. We are here to get results, and sometimes that will require going the extra mile or doing a job that isn’t technically ours.
   • Do you often set yourself audacious goals?
   • Do you wholeheartedly agree with our principles, which include that people’s lives are made better through work and that we can and will end the foster care crisis?

The vast majority of those who don’t get hired (or don’t last) at Better Together lack a fit with these values. Be prepared to have very candid conversations about them in our interview process.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Family Support Manager is responsible for making decisions and taking actions appropriate to ensure that every child has a permanent home that provides physical and emotional safety. To ensure this occurs, Family Support Manager position has three main areas of focus:

1. Assessment and Evaluation
2. Matching and Support Plan Development
3. Mentoring and Coaching

Assessment and Evaluation

• Assess the needs and strengths of the parents, children, and volunteer families in order to make recommendations regarding the temporary and permanent placement of at-risk children.
• Reach agreement with volunteer families on their strengths and interests in mentoring families seeking support, including hosting at-risk children.
• Evaluate the needs for behavior changes and services required by families seeking support and make recommendations and take actions based on your independent assessment of the situation

Matching and Support Plan Development

• Collaborate with other BT Regional Staff to match volunteer support families with families seeking support.
• Develop an individualized Support Plan based on your assessment of the characteristics, strengths, and needs of both the volunteer helper families and help-seeking families.
• Take appropriate actions to reach consensus with both families regarding the Support Plan and the general path forward for all parties.

Mentoring and Coaching

• Provide ongoing mentorship and coaching to both volunteer and support-seeking families to ensure successful implementation of the Support Plan.
• Offer guidance, resources, and support to facilitate positive interactions and progress towards agreed-upon goals.
• Promote the development of social and personal competence.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Human service-related degree, and a Masters in Social Work or equivalent experience working with vulnerable children and families.
• Examples of professional work experience could be, although not limited to:
  • DCF Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting
  • Applied Behavioral Analysis
  • Child Protection Investigator (CPI)
  • Certified Child Welfare Case Manager
  • Higher Education Leadership and Administration
• Valid Driver License
• Must possess an operational private vehicle for use in the performance of daily work activities. Employees are required to provide proof of vehicle registration and documentation of the appropriate insurance coverage within 30 days of hire as a condition of employment.
• Match Better Together’s core values (described above)
• Technological requirements: Salesforce, Zapier, WordPress and Basecamp

TIMING, LOCATION AND COMPENSATION

Better Together seeks to fill this position as soon as possible. The job is full-time and will require some work in the evenings and on weekends. In addition, Family Support Managers participate in our on-call schedule rotation. Better Together is headquartered in Naples, Florida, but this position must reside in Southwest Florida.

A majority of your work time in this role will be spent in the community, helping families. Individuals in this role must be comfortable functioning and making decisions in crisis situations. This can involve personally helping individuals relocate to safe spaces and transporting to a safe space. Additionally, individuals in this role will be expected to attend weekly in-person team meetings and discuss the status of their cases with the team. There also will be quarterly in-person team meetings during which goals will be set and you will be expected to make suggestions on how to seize new opportunities.

Compensation:

• $56,000 – $60,000 Annual Salary
• Sign-on bonus eligibility
• Retention bonus eligibility
• Relocation stipend eligibility

Better Together offers a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a health benefit and generous paid leave plan. Please email a cover letter and resume to hiring@bettertogetherus.org.