Sarasota/Manatee County Home Study Specialist

OVERVIEW

The Better Together Team seeks a Home Study Specialist for Sarasota and Manatee County. The Better Families Home Study Specialist is responsible for the development and completion of Host Family Home Studies. This is a contract position. Candidates will work from home and travel is required using own vehicle within the region.

The candidate must have a Master’s in Social Work or be a certified Child Welfare licensing counselor (CWLC) in the state of Florida. They should feel called to minister to children and families in crisis and share our passion for keeping children out of foster care and families together. He or she will be a self-starter who is comfortable working remotely, has a demonstrated ability to analyze problems and find creative solutions, and thrives when challenged.

CULTURE & FIT

Success at Better Together depends not only on a person’s skills but also on their ability to fit the culture of Better Together. If you answer “yes” to all the following questions, you may be a fit for the team if your skill sets match the requirements below. The vast majority of those who don’t get hired or don’t last at Better Together is due to a lack of fit with these values, so they matter. Be prepared to have very candid conversations about them in our interview process.

• Do you have strong administrative skills? Detailed oriented and able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks at once?
• Do you strive for excellence in all that you do even when no one sees your work?
• Do you wholeheartedly agree with our mission and belief that foster care is not always the best option for children and families?
• Do you believe that true charity is a hand-up and not a handout?
• Do you have empathy for parents in crisis?
• Do you understand poverty and consider yourself culturally competent?
• Are you able to build meaningful relationships (creating trust) with people you only see face-to-face a few times a month?
• Are you always trying to improve and do better?
• Are you self-disciplined and able to work in a remote setting?

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Home Study Specialist

• Screening of Prospective Host Families
• Home Study recording and documentation

These roles break down into several responsibilities, including:

Screening of Prospecting Host Families

• Identifying potential risk factors and strengths of the Host Family
• Conduct in-depth interviews with all parties
• Gather necessary information to develop/complete home studies
• Verify all references provided
• Review and Assessment of Safety Checklist
• Train and review water safety and SIDS paperwork with host family

 Home Study recording and documentation

• Prepare home studies using our template for new Host Families
• Reviewing and completion of required paperwork
• Meet all deadlines and consistently
• Home Studies are written professional, and work is checked for spelling and errors prior to submitting for approval
• Maintain professional relationship with all parties
• Work closely with program administrator to ensure continuity between the home study specialist and other Better Together team members.
• Participate via phone or video conference as needed
• Return all documents utilized to prepare home study to agency once completed

TIMING, LOCATION, & COMPENSATION

The job is a contractor role which will require work in the evenings and weekends. Better Together is headquartered in Naples, Florida; this contractor position must live in Sarasota and Manatee County. The work is remote and requires a home office. A Home Study specialist is compensated per Home Study completed, and that amount varies monthly.

Email Resume and Cover Letter to: isis@bettertogetherus.org