Family Finder
The Family Finder is part of the Orange County Family Finding Engagement and Search program and has the responsibility of searching for family members, fictive kin or natural supports of youth under the age of 21 referred by Orange County Social Services. The Family Finder works closely with a youth’s Social Worker and Child and Family Team to identify connections the youth has lost contact with due to placement in foster care. They are responsible for conducting thorough case record reviews and family finding searches in order to identify family members and other meaningful people who can provide positive support and a permanent lifelong connection to the youth being served. They then work closely with the SSA social worker and other providers to prepare the youth for initial and ongoing contact and communicate and document all findings with the SSA worker.
"My favorite part of being a Family Finder is how unique the role is, you get to essentially be a private investigator and try to piece together this family story/tree; while also getting to know these family members and helping them advocate for themselves within a very complicated system. I think it’s so important for whoever is applying to know that you are going to be stepping into such an intimate space for youth and their family, it’s such a privilege and you really need to be willing to create waves and fight for these families. It is so incredibly rewarding, you have the opportunity to help reconnect a family after years of being apart (whatever the circumstances are). The team is also magical, you will learn so much from them!" -Seneca Family Finder
Seneca Family of Agencies is committed to providing traditionally marginalized communities a network of outstanding mental health, community based, and educational services. We are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourages people of color to apply. Our programs are deeply engaged in conversations and trainings on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in order to bring equity and justice to the youth and families we serve.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate closely with Child Welfare Workers on Family Finding search efforts.
- Engage in file mining, case reviews, Family Finding searches and interviews with providers to identify potential relatives/supportive adults to connect youth with.
- Meet with potential connections to determine commitment to youth and joins Child and Family team to develop plan to support youth in learning about and/or developing relationship with identified healthy supports.
- Attend trainings related to Family Finding and applies findings from research on Family Finding best practices.
- Receive consultation from Family Finding experts hired by Seneca.
- Understand and apply the principles and stages of Family Finding, from discovery to engagement to planning to implementation to evaluation of results.
- Meet with youth on an ongoing basis to build rapport and engage youth in the Family Finding process.
- Participate in youth’s therapeutic process to support the youth’s progress with Family Finding and permanency.
- Complete progress notes, family trees, outcome measures and monthly reports for youth’s Social Worker and Program Supervisor.
Qualifications
- Must have BA or BS degree.
- Bilingual in Spanish/English a plus..
- Must show a combination of experience and demonstrated interest in helping youth maintain or gain contact with relatives.
- Must have demonstrated competence in the skill areas of positive client engagement and communication.
- Must have experience working directly with youth and demonstrated understanding of the issues they potentially face as they are connected to family members.
- Must have demonstrated competence, reliability, and good writing skills in clinical documentation.
- Must be willing and able to work flexible hours and spend time in the field and possibly travel out of state.
- Clearance of TB test, fingerprints, and any other mandatory State/Federal licensing or certification requirements.
- Valid California driver's license and insurability with Seneca's automobile policy.
- Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and booster required.
Schedule
- Full-time.
- Monday - Friday, with some flexibility on weekends as needed.
Benefits
- Starting at $19.00 per hour.
- Additional compensation provided upon passing bilingual language proficiency exam.
- Annual performance evaluations provide the potential for a generous salary increase each year.
- Comprehensive employee benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and chiropractic coverage, as well as partially paid premiums for dependents.
- Employer-paid Employee Assistance Plan (EAP).
- 4 weeks of flexible paid time off and 11 paid holidays.
- We provide a 403b retirement plan.
- Scholarship opportunities, ongoing training, and professional development opportunities.
Key Words: nonprofit, non-profit, mental health, mental health agency, behavioral health, healthcare, youth advocate, family advocate, children advocate, adolescent, advocate.