Fostering Hope Program Coordinator

This is a unique opportunity to be a key participant in a nonprofit organization that values its employees and those that it serves. The successful candidate will recruit volunteer teams from faith communities to provide foster parents and their families with natural and practical supports– like those of an extended family. The Coordinator manages the training, development, and ongoing facilitation of the volunteer teams as they work with their assigned foster parents. The program’s success springs from the difference the volunteers make in the lives of foster children and the families that work to heal them.

Chief Responsibility:

To enable volunteers to assist foster parents in creating stable, developmentally enriched, trauma-sensitive environments for the children in their care.

Responsibilities:

• To coordinate with governmental and private child welfare agencies to ensure compliance with their regulations, policies, and procedures. •To present the Fostering Hope program to faith communities in El Paso County, solicit their interest, and guide them through the process of participating in the program. •To work with interested faith communities and assist them in recruiting and developing a Fostering Hope team of volunteers. •To maintain an ongoing relationship with the sponsoring faith communities. •To provide training for the volunteer team in compliance with Fostering Hope’s curriculum that will enhance their ability to understand and support foster parents and to assist in the planning of special programs for the ongoing training and development of the volunteers. •To provide facilitation and coaching for the support team and foster parents that includes assistance with communication, identification of needs, accepting help, and encouraging empathy, as well as to ensure practical as well as emotional support to the foster family. •To monitor and respond to emotional and relational issues in the volunteers and the foster parents to minimize attrition and promote growth. •To view the ongoing facilitation of the foster parent/team relationships as a sustainable ministry, valuing the importance of the emotional, spiritual and relational aspects of support to the families. •To participate in the ongoing development of the program. •To assist in the documentation of the program. •To assist in fundraising efforts.

Qualifications:

• Experience in child welfare; knowledge of the foster care systems and the impact of maltreatment on children. •MSW preferred. Would consider commensurate experience in other fields if accompanied by experience with child welfare system. •Strong commitment to the well-being of families. •Strong relational skills with a reliance on the dignity of the person and the healing power of relationships as guiding approaches. •Comfort in integrating faith into the core values of the social work (or other) profession. Ability to utilize one’s faith experience as a resource in dealing with the sadness and uncertainty inherent in the child welfare system. •Pastoral background or openness to professional development in the area. •Respect for and comfort in working with the diverse religious traditions within the El Paso County community. •Previous experience with working with and supporting volunteers helpful.
• To apply, send cover letter and resume to:    http://www.indeed.com/viewjob?cmp=Fostering-Hope&t=Program+Coordinator&jk=618a885b556c7f87&q=program+coordinator%2C+fostering+hope