Many of the social work jobs available in foster care deal with helping find parents willing to take in and foster children who were the victims of abuse and neglect. The job is extremely hard, and many people find that they need to take a break after a few years and focus on another area of social work. In addition to working with the kids, they also need to work with the prospective foster parents and ensure that all parties are satisfied with the arrangement.
Foster Care Recruiter
Foster parents agree to take in one child or multiple children after a government agency or another organization removes the children from their permanent home. Those parents may have children coming and going throughout the year, or they may find themselves adopting some of their foster children. Foster care recruiters are the social workers who advertise for new parents and run background checks on applicants. This often involves going to the home to ensure they have the space for a child and that the child will be happy there. They also interview the family and friends of applicants to get a better understanding of their interests and personalities.
Child Advocate
Do you love kids and want to help them lead happy lives? Child advocates look out for the best interests of foster children. After performing an investigation into their homes, they’re the ones who decide if the child needs to leave and how long the child will remain away from his or her home. They also suggest therapy and other types of treatments for victims of sexual, emotional or physical abuse. Child advocates work hard to ensure that foster children receive as much as help as they need.
Care Coordinator
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists foster care workers under the category of social and human services workers. The social work jobs available in foster care may come with a salary of $29,000 a year or less, which is less than the median salary found with other types of social work. Those working as care coordinators are the ones responsible for making arrangements and helping make the transition from one home to a foster care home smoother. They answer questions that foster care parents have, help children feel more comfortable in that new home and ensure that everyone is safe.
Family Service Specialist
Social work jobs available in foster care include positions as family service specialists. The process doesn’t end when a child enters a new foster home. Family service specialists perform inspections on those homes and stop by for unexpected visits, which gives them some idea about how the foster parents treat those children. They also meet with the kids to ask them questions about their experiences and to ensure that they are happy. Specialists in this field also talk with the foster parents and help them deal with having new children in their homes. They may deal with issues that arise between the parents and those children as well.
Related Resource: Family Consultant
Social work is easily one of the hardest job fields, which is why the turnover rate among many agencies is so high. Before you consider the types of social work jobs available in foster care, you might want to take some time to think about the difficulties of the job and if you can handle working in the field.
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