Located Statewide in Illinois
Job Summary
As a member of a specialized statewide child welfare training team, work collaboratively with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) and community partners to provide training, coaching, and professional development to child welfare agency staff and supervisors. This will include but not limited to providing both introductory awareness and post-training content reinforcement related to the Illinois Core Practice Model, effective child welfare agency leadership development and other key IDCFS initiatives. Facilitate and at times develop trainings, lead learning groups and provide ongoing field support to enhance the transfer of learning and reinforce application from the training environment to field operations.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Train, coach, and professionally develop child welfare agency staff and supervisors through individual coaching, group learning, and formal training on leadership, and promote collaborative partnering with external child welfare community service providers, and collateral entities. Provide child welfare field support, inclusive of conducting regular and frequent meetings with individuals and small cohorts within but not limited to a field office, agency or client residence. Field support will include coaching staff and supervisors to assess practice strengths and opportunities for improvement, application of programmatic frameworks and utilization of multiple methodologies aimed at outcome improvement. Coach and/or train direct service child welfare staff with incorporating job competencies into daily practice, support skill development across multiple domains/within various areas, and support and reinforce quality assurance processes with respect to the integration of agency practice models and other key IDCFS initiatives. Complete and maintain progress notes and needs assessments; author and submit regular reports, assists with data collection and entry.
- Co-lead and/or participate in workgroups as assigned which would be inclusive of attending and coordinating various meetings, drafting and disseminating notes/reports and reporting out to staff and management, work in close collaboration with the Field Implementation Support Program Managers in the performance and assignment of these duties to be inclusive of curriculum design/development, content research, revisions and enhancements. Remain current regarding emerging trends, research findings, and best practices in relevant subject matters, incorporating new knowledge into program activities and initiatives. As assigned, participate in and represent the program in various office, division, IDCFS meetings and training conferences.
- Utilize assigned IDCFS/UIUC equipment (laptop, copier/scanner, LCD projectors, presenters, smartboards, phones, and audio/video equipment), software programs, webinar and virtual platforms, various Microsoft Office products, Share Point, Excel, Qualtrics/Survey Monkey and D-Net appropriately and with proficiency as directed and required, utilize various training functions of the IDCFS Learning and Development Center online learning management system. Other related duties to further the mission of the unit as assigned.
Travel Requirements
Statewide travel required.
Minimum Qualifications
- Master\'s degree from an accredited college or university with course work in Social Work, Psychology or other recognized professional degree in human servi es.
- Professional experience of three (3) or more years in a public-sponsored, agency-based child welfare setting within a state system or its community partner agencies, providing direct child welfare casework services including Intact Family Services, Permanency/Foster Care, Investigations/Child Protection, Integrated Assessment, Child Welfare curriculum-based training facilitation/management, or other comparable human service experience.
- Two (2) of those years must include responsibility for supervision of child welfare direct service staff and/or management of child welfare services or other comparable human services. Other leadership experience will be considered.
- Experience with applying learning methodologies, such as coaching, transfer of learning, group facilitation, motivational interviewing, training and curriculum development.
Preferred Qualifications
- Eligibility for appropriate state license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Working knowledge of effective leadership, organizational change management strategies and implementation science. Established training, coaching and transfer of learning methodologies. Motivational interviewing, case study and clinical case presentation methodologies. Established evidence-informed child welfare practices and clinical interventions related to trauma and child maltreatment within family systems.