Caritas Family Solutions highlights need for foster care case managers

By Managing Editor | May 16, 2024 |

May is Foster Care Awareness Month and Caritas Family Solutions, a human service agency in Southern Illinois, is highlighting the need for people looking to pursue a career in social work.

The agency is the second-largest provider of foster care in the state and touches the lives of 1,700 foster children annually. The agency is actively looking to expand its team and is looking to hire an additional 10 foster care case managers within the next year.

Leigh Dickey, associate executive director of Child Welfare, has been with Caritas Family Solutions for more than 14 years and has seen the program expand its footprint throughout that time. She said although there is always a need for more foster parents, the need for foster care case managers is just as great.

“I would tell anyone considering a career in social work, you have to take risks in your life,” said Dickey. “You are playing a long-term game to help impact your community and you have to have patience. It is one of the hardest jobs, but it is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding. Our case managers have the opportunity to be a positive, stable presence in a child’s life. The stability of a Caritas employee can help our families tremendously.”

Brooke Portz is the assistant program director of Child Welfare for the nonprofit and has been within the child welfare industry for nearly 20 years. She said she’s witnessed how a case manager can make a huge difference in the trajectory of a child.

“Adult mentors are so important and our case managers can be that for children who maybe haven’t had great role models,” said Portz. “When we deal with families that come from hard places, generational trauma, abuse and neglect, it can be hard and challenging to understand. We encourage our staff to have boundaries, build on communication, be able to handle a crisis with a calm demeanor and prioritize needs based on their families. This role is an opportunity to be someone a teen or child could rely on or reach out to when they haven’t had that in their lives.”

If you are interested in a career opportunity with Caritas Family Solutions, or for more information on becoming a foster parent, head to www.caritasfamilysolutions.org/foster-care-program/.

Founded in 1947, Caritas Family Solutions is a nonprofit social service agency whose mission is to strengthen the social and emotional well-being of individuals and families in order to create healthy relationships, loving homes, and strong communities. Services include adoption, pregnancy care for women who are homeless, foster care, counseling, residential treatment for children healing from abuse and/or neglect, independent living for adults with developmental disabilities (CILA), and assisted living and employment assistance for low-income seniors. Caritas serves more than 7,000 individuals annually across Southern Illinois from offices located in Belleville, Carterville, Mount Vernon, Olney, Glen Carbon, Alton, and Effingham as well as satellite locations in Highland and Sparta. For additional information, visit www.caritasfamilysolutions.org.