Case Manager

Department and Classification

Department: Case Management | Reports To: Clinical Director / Program Director / CPMS | FLSA Status: Exempt

Summary

The Case Manager counsels and aids children in care requiring foster placement through Houston Strong by providing comprehensive, T3C-aligned, TBRI-based case management services. The Case Manager is responsible for the safety, wellbeing, educational support, permanency planning, and service plan implementation for each child on their assigned caseload, and for providing direct support and coaching to foster families.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides case management services to children in care and assists staff with regulatory compliance
• Facilitates placement of children in matched, appropriately verified foster homes
• Participates in development of admission assessment, preliminary service plan, initial service plan, service plan reviews, discharge planning, and aftercare planning
• Reports all suspicions and allegations of abuse or neglect to the administrator on duty and immediately to DFPS via the Texas Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-252-5400) or txabusehotline.org
• Maintains regular contact with foster family and child monitoring psychological, mental, emotional, physical, and environmental wellbeing through phone contacts, email, and minimum two monthly home visits
• Provides resource information and referrals to community organizations for therapeutic treatment including behavior modification, stress management, therapy, and specialized services
• Helps foster families develop a therapeutic milieu conducive to healthy child development and TBRI-based attachment
• Provides crisis intervention as needed to prevent escalation of high-risk behavior, relapse, hospitalization, placement disruption, and other negative outcomes
• Provides on-call services on a regular and equal rotation basis including providing awake, continuous coverage throughout the night to meet the particular needs of a child when required
• Consults with medical doctors, specialists, and/or treatment team members concerning treatment plans and makes recommendations as needed
• Inputs and updates all required child and family information into the ExtendedReach MIS within required timeframes
• Ensures medical and psychiatric appointments are scheduled and completed within applicable regulatory and contractual timelines
• Attends all required service planning meetings, treatment team meetings, court hearings, school ARD/IEP meetings, and other required collaborative meetings
• Completes all required documentation within required timeframes: Case Notes, Incident Reports, Admission Assessments, Service Plans, Education Portfolios, medication log reviews, and all other required forms
• Coordinates with DFPS/SSCC caseworkers and chain of command per required timelines for all reporting obligations
• Maintains compliance with all applicable DFPS Minimum Standards, T3C Blueprint requirements, and SSCC contract obligations

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities. The Case Manager works under the direct supervision of the CPMS and Program Director/LCPAA.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in a human services field (social work, psychology, counseling, sociology, or related field) required. Minimum one year of related experience working with children and/or families in a child welfare, human services, or therapeutic setting preferred.

Licensure:

No specific license required at hire; licensure track encouraged.

Other Requirements:

• Valid Texas driver's license, appropriate vehicle insurance, and reliable personal vehicle
• Must pass pre-employment drug test and all required background checks
• Must pass random drug tests during employment
• Must successfully complete all required background screens per DFPS Minimum Standards Chapter 745
• Must complete all required pre-service training within applicable timeframes

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent written communication skills for case notes, service plans, and correspondence
• Ability to develop trust with foster families and children using TBRI-aligned relationship skills
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret professional literature, regulatory documents, and assessment reports
• Ability to write reports, service plans, presentations, and business correspondence
• Ability to respond to inquiries from regulatory agencies, families, and community organizations
• Ability to interpret technical instructions in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form
• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as percentages and proportions for data reporting
• Demonstrated cultural competency and ability to serve children and families of diverse backgrounds

Physical Demands and Work Environment

While performing duties, the employee is regularly required to use hands to handle, feel, and use computer equipment; talk and hear. The employee frequently stands, walks, and reaches with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Home visits in a variety of residential settings are required. Use of a personal vehicle for work purposes is required.