Join Our Team as a Family Finding Specialist ~

Are you a self-motivated, people-focused professional with a passion for making a lasting difference in the lives of children and youth? We’re looking for a dynamic individual with strong problem-solving skills, high engagement, and a proactive mindset to help create brighter futures for young people in foster care.

As a Family Finding Specialist, you will work closely with youth in our care to identify and reconnect them with family members, kinship networks, and other meaningful lifelong connections. Your mission will be to uncover lost relationships, nurture family strengths, and build a supportive circle that enhances safety, stability, and overall well-being.

What You’ll Do:

• Proactively research and locate family and kinship connections for children and youth in foster care
• Reestablish and foster meaningful relationships that lead to permanency and lasting support
• Recognize and build on family strengths to create safe, stable, and nurturing environments
• Partner with youth, families, and community resources to create family genograms for kids in care

If you’re passionate about relationship-building, driven to solve challenges, and committed to creating positive outcomes for young people, we’d love to hear from you.

Welcome to Samaritas Nation!

Samaritas is a Michigan-based human service organization that connects people with families and communities, empowers them to live their fullest life possible, and creates a ripple effect of transformation. The reference to the work of the Good Samaritan in our name is especially fitting as it is consistent with our mission, values and the services our faith-based company provides.  

APPLY TODAY! #BeTheRock, creating ripples of positive transformation in the lives of those we are entrusted to serve! 

This position has an annual salary of $43,888.00 with comprehensive benefits effective the first of the month following 30 days of employment. 

Click this Samaritas Preview to learn about our varied & impactful person-centered programs.  

Here is a link to the latest edition of the Samaritas Electronic Magazine: Our Hands. Get to know us!

We ask you to become the rock that creates the ripple of transformation. Click this link to learn more on what being the rock means What Does It Mean?

Some of the benefits you may receive are:  

            Full Time/Part Time

• Competitive Medical, Dental, & Vision benefits, effective the first of the month following 30 days of employment
• Company paid Basic Life Insurance ($10,000 minimum for each full time and part time employee) 
• Company paid Short Term Disability accrual (Full time employees)
• Retirement Plan (403b) - Company matches on first 1.5% of gross income at 133% 
• Great Personal Time Off (PTO) accruals 
• Earned Sick Time
• Awesome Employee Discounts
• UKG Wallet - Pre-Pay Options
• Plus, many more benefits 

The Family Finding Specialist works with youth in care in finding permanency through a supportive network of connections. This position discovers any lost connections and engages them to form a lifelong network for the youth; identifies and nurtures family strength building and other family attributes to enhance the safety and well-being of children.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Completes a comprehensive, detailed genogram for each youth referred to include potential placement options
2. Assumes primary responsibility for locating and tracking relatives, fictive kin and/or significant adults from the referred youth’s life
3. Utilizes online databases, and other online search venues to locate relatives, fictive kin and/or significant adults for each youth
4. Assesses potential placements following policy and makes recommendations to the foster care and licensing teams regarding these placements
5. Takes responsibility for investigating/problem solving for identified family members/potential supportive adults using a strength-based approach
6. Prepares members/potential supportive adults’ by determining their cultural and language needs, transportation needs, and confidentiality and safety issues
7. Collaborates with the foster care and licensing teams to create plans for initial contact and ongoing rapport building activities between the youth and the family member/potential supportive adults
8. Collaborates and takes primary responsibility in developing a transition plan for the youth if placement is recommended
9. Maintains a sense of urgency throughout the process and motivates the team toward proactive action. Proactively identifies possible barriers and works with the team to collectively problem-solve and monitor possible solutions

Job Qualifications

Education, Training, and Licensure/Certification

• Bachelors’ degree in a human services field required

Experience

• One-year experience working in child welfare or related service setting required

Additional Work Requirements

• Required to attend and participate in trainings and other professional development activity, including those outlined by the EFC contract and Council of Accreditation (COA) requirements.
• Unrestricted, valid driver’s license with good driving record. Reliable personal transportation suitable for safely transporting persons served; proof of current automobile insurance.

#childwelfare #socialservices #humanservices