Intact Specialist in Chester-le-Street

Brightpoint (formerly known as Children's Home & Aid) invites you to join our team of mission‐driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well‐being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data‐informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.

The Intact Specialist is a critical member of the region's child welfare team, working collaboratively within and across programs to ensure a relentless focus on keeping children safe and supporting families, consistent with our agency's Blueprint for Impact. The Intact Family Services program provides families with intensive, trauma‐informed case management services using Solution‐Based Casework (SBC), an evidence‐informed casework model of partnering with families to help them reach their goals.

As an Intact Specialist, you will work collaboratively with a reduced caseload of families who have an allegation of abuse or neglect and are at risk of having their children removed from the home, as well as providing supplemental services to families assigned to Advanced and Lead Specialists. Case management services include:

• Assessing the needs of children and families and helping to plan services.
• Establishing collaborative relationships with service providers and institutions that play a role in the family's situation.
• Monitoring the family's progress towards their goals.
• Providing testimony in the Juvenile Court System regarding the best interest of children and families.

With support from your supervisor and the Lead Specialist on your team, you will be supported in developing the required competencies to be promoted into an Advanced Specialist position within 6‐12 months of hire.

Candidate Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or a closely related field required.
• Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL), Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP), and Child Abuse and Neglect (CANS) certification required, or the ability to obtain within 90 days of hire.
• Experience providing collaborative, strength‐based services to kids and families preferred.
• Ability to attend in‐person meetings and events as needed required.
• Valid driver's license, insurance, and a reliable vehicle required.

What You'll Do

• Maintain a reduced caseload of families who have been referred for services following a child abuse or neglect investigation with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
• Actively participate in and successfully complete all modules of the agency's Intact Family Services Training Series, including training in Solution Based Casework.
• Work in partnership with individual family members to assess strengths, functioning and natural support systems; implement the Solution Based Casework Model to fidelity with all assigned families.
• Work with the families and identify support systems to find solutions for all family members to ensure families remain intact and out of the care of DCFS.
• Assume responsibility for comprehensive and consistent engagement with families to include needs assessment, service planning, case coordination, monitoring for child safety, service brokerage, linkages with community resources, monitoring progress toward goals and objectives, and making recommendations for ongoing services when necessary.
• Prepare court reports, attend scheduled court dates, and testify in court regarding the best interests of the children and family upon request.
• Schedule home visits at a time that is convenient for involved parties and complete all necessary unannounced visits as practice and policy indicates.

Job Details

• Compensation: $52,416/annual fixed salary ($57,416/annual fixed salary for qualified English/Spanish bilingual candidates).
• Additional Compensation: A $3,000 CWEL Stay Bonus payable in two installments: $1,500 after 6 months of consecutive employment and $1,500 after 12 months of consecutive employment.
• Opportunity for Promotion: Eligibility for promotion into an Advanced Specialist role within 6‐12 months of hire which includes a salary increase.
• Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day; 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match.
• Location: Hybrid (remote/in office); majority of your time will be spent in Winnebago, Boone, Dekalb, Jo Daviess, and Stephenson counties completing home visits to foster homes or meeting with clients in an agency office or community setting.
• Schedule: Full‐time, salaried; general business hours with some flexibility required for accommodating client's schedules and special projects. On‐call responsibilities on a shared rotation.

We don't just hire talent—we grow it: Emerging Leaders will have access to leadership development opportunities and one‐on‐one mentorship. Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).