LGBTQ+ Child Welfare Specialist

ROLE SUMMARY

The LGBTQ+ Child Welfare Specialist reports to the assigned program supervisor and provides comprehensive child welfare case management and advocacy for youth living in the Lakewood Affirming Care Group Home. The position coordinates placement, service planning, visitation, permanency, family and supportive-adult engagement, education, health care, court involvement, transition planning, and required documentation in partnership with youth, families, DCFS, schools, providers, legal partners, and the interdisciplinary Lakewood team.

This role is intentionally LGBTQ+ affirming and centers youth voice, identity, strengths, safety, family and community connection, and long-term stability. Practice must be trauma-informed, culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and consistent with Lawrence Hall and DCFS requirements.

Lawrence Hall fosters a culture built upon four core values: Respect, Empowerment, Safety, and Teamwork. Through CARE-informed practice, the LGBTQ+ Child Welfare Specialist uses relationships, reflection, collaboration, and an understanding of the impact of trauma to help youth build safety, regulation, connection, competence, and hope. These principles guide engagement, case planning, advocacy, and responses to challenging situations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide comprehensive child welfare case management for youth in the Lakewood program, including placement, assessment, service planning, visitation, monitoring, permanency planning, transition planning, and coordination of services.
• Develop and update individualized Client Service Plans in collaboration with youth, families, supportive adults, the supervisor, and the treatment team; present plans and progress at Administrative Case Reviews and other required meetings.
• Maintain a strong focus on permanency and relational stability by engaging birth parents, relatives, siblings, fictive kin, chosen family, and other supportive adults when safe and appropriate.
• Attend court hearings and provide timely, accurate information regarding case status, progress, barriers, recommendations, and permanency efforts.
• Participate in Child and Family Team Meetings, school meetings, clinical/treatment meetings, staffings, and other case-related conferences.
• Maintain regular contact with educational, medical, behavioral health, legal, and community providers; follow up on recommendations and integrate information into case planning.
• Advocate for youth and ensure their voice, identity, strengths, goals, relationships, and preferences are reflected in planning and decision-making.
• Connect youth to affirming community, educational, health, behavioral health, developmental, and transition-age resources.
• Support youth in navigating child welfare, education, health care, behavioral health, housing, legal, and community-based systems.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation in SACWIS and other required systems, including case notes, court reports, ACR reports, service plans, unusual incident reports, hotline reports, and permanency documentation.
• Conduct diligent searches and family-finding activities when parents, relatives, or other important connections are unknown or unavailable, and support appropriate engagement when connections are identified.
• Apply CARE-informed, trauma-informed, and healing-centered strategies that seek to understand what a youth's behavior may be communicating, recognize survival responses in the context of trauma and development, and respond with curiosity, regulation, relationship, and support rather than relying solely on compliance-based responses.
• Use active and reflective listening, affirmations, respectful language, and strengths-based engagement to build trust, strengthen relationships, support co-regulation, and help youth and families identify strengths, needs, and achievable next steps.
• Provide services in a culturally responsive and LGBTQ+ affirming manner, including respect for each youth's name, pronouns, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, family relationships, and individual understanding of identity.
• Use CARE principles to look beyond the immediate behavior and consider the underlying need, emotion, trauma response, relationship dynamic, or environmental factor that may be influencing a youth's response.
• Support youth in developing emotional regulation, problem-solving, self-advocacy, healthy relationships, and other competencies that promote resilience, permanency, and successful transition to adulthood.
• Participate in reflective supervision and team reflection to consider the impact of the work, identify relational and systemic barriers, and maintain thoughtful, consistent, and youth-centered responses.
• Collaborate closely with Lakewood residential, clinical, nursing, education, permanency, and leadership staff to support coordinated care and consistent case planning.
• Keep the supervisor informed of significant case developments and involve supervisory and program leadership in critical decisions as required.
• Remain current on DCFS and Lawrence Hall policies, rules, procedures, required trainings, and practice expectations.
• Comply with mandated reporter responsibilities and all applicable child welfare requirements.
• Participate in supervision, continuous quality improvement activities, team meetings, and required professional development.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

• Protect the privacy and confidentiality of youth, families, employees, volunteers, and program participants in accordance with law, policy, and professional expectations.
• Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication and professional collaboration across disciplines and systems.
• Demonstrate proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and required agency and DCFS information systems.
• Maintain a flexible schedule based on youth, family, court, visitation, school, and program needs, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Participate in required trauma-informed, crisis prevention/intervention, safety, and program-specific training and maintain required certifications.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

This full-time position is based at the Lakewood Affirming Care Group Home in Chicago and typically operates Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., with flexibility for court, visitation, family meetings, school meetings, emergencies, and other case needs. Local travel is required. The position may involve transporting youth in an agency or personal vehicle and working in office, residential, court, school, community, and family-home settings.

The role involves sitting, standing, walking, and occasional lifting up to 20 lbs. A valid Illinois driver's license, reliable transportation or access to a vehicle, and proof of insurance are required.

QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, or a related human services field.
• Current Child Welfare Employee Licensure (CWEL), or ability to attend the next required Foundations Training Program, meet attendance and conduct requirements, and successfully complete required licensure examinations and CERAP requirements.
• Ability to meet applicable DCFS foster care licensing and training requirements within required timeframes.
• Demonstrated commitment to LGBTQ+ affirming practice and creating safe, inclusive, and supportive environments for LGBTQ+ youth.
• Experience working with LGBTQ+ youth and/or demonstrated knowledge of the strengths, needs, and experiences of LGBTQ+ young people, particularly those involved in child welfare or other systems.
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development, trauma exposure, traumatic stress, positive youth development, and strengths-based practice.
• Ability to apply CARE-informed principles in case management, including relational practice, reflective thinking, co-regulation, strengths-based engagement, and responses that promote safety, connection, growth, and resilience.
• Ability to advocate for youth across child welfare, family, educational, health care, legal, and community systems.
• Ability to work collaboratively with youth, families, DCFS, schools, courts, providers, residential staff, and community partners.
• Valid Illinois driver's license, reliable transportation or access to a vehicle, and proof of insurance.
• Ability to meet all background, mandated reporter, and other employment requirements applicable to the position.

Preferred:

• Prior child welfare case management experience.
• CWEL, CERAP, SACWIS/Office Automation training, and related DCFS credentials at the time of hire.
• Experience in residential, foster care, behavioral health, or affirming services for adolescents and transition-age youth.

CLASSIFICATION

• Department: Affirming Care / Lakewood Affirming Care Group Home
• Reports to: Assigned Program Supervisor
• Status: Exempt
• PTO / Time Off Schedule: Schedule C

COMPENSATION

Salary range: $53,800-$59,000 annually, based on relevant education and experience and consistent with Lawrence Hall compensation practices.

LGBTQ+ AFFIRMING HIRING STATEMENT

Because this position provides specialized affirming services to LGBTQ+ youth, Lawrence Hall seeks candidates who bring demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to LGBTQ+ communities and affirming practice. Lawrence Hall strongly encourages qualified LGBTQ+ candidates to apply.

Job descriptions are not intended and should not be construed to be all-inclusive lists of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with a job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.

Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

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