Child and Family Well-being Intern

At Wellpoint Care Network, our mission is to facilitate equity, learning, healing, and wellness by restoring the connections that help children and families thrive. Every person deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. It’s part of human nature, and the promise of our country, that everyone be given a fair chance to be and do their best. Yet, many in our community live with unresolved childhood and generational trauma. That’s where we come in. We believe we can create a world where children and families have a clearer path to their fullest potential. Wellpoint Care Network has championed the restoration of families for nearly 175 years. Internship Purpose: Our next Child and Family Well-being Intern will gain experience in program areas, work on special projects, and participate in macro practice experiences such as policy review. Child and Family Well-being Interns will help carry out our child welfare work focused on improving outcomes for all children and families at risk of, or already involved with, child protection systems. Families who come into care with the child protective system often have faced multiple adversities, including poverty, discrimination, poor mental health, substance use disorder and violence. Many children in our care are placed with kinship or foster families while our case managers work with their families to achieve stability. While most children and families are reunified, in cases where it’s not safe to do so, Wellpoint Care Network works to find permanent homes for children. The Child & Family Wellbeing Team is a partnership of internal programs within Wellpoint Care Network to assist our families in achieving stability. As an intern, you will have the opportunity to experience the duties and responsibilities of: Case Management, Supervised Independent Living Specialists, Family Preservation Specialists, Administrative Team members, and Foster Care Licensing Specialists. This will allow our employment-based interns to get a well-rounded idea of how Child and Family Wellbeing works at Wellpoint Care Network, outside of their employment role responsibilities. Qualifications: Must be an active student pursuing a bachelor’s/master’s degree and seeking to further develop their career in the social work field, specifically in the area of Child and Family Well-Being. Ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills, detail oriented, highly effective verbal, and written communication skills Proficient in the usage of computer software; demonstrate an understanding of computer file systems and computer software packages, e.g., Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook, Teams, ADP, etc. Must be honest, dependable and able to meet deadlines; Self-motivated and able to work independently. Physical exam, drug screen, motor vehicle report, and background checks are required for this position. A valid Wisconsin Driver’s License or occupational driver’s license, reliable transportation and insurance is required. Job Responsibilities: Interaction with clients through a trauma informed lens Understanding the process and requirements needed to license a home for fostering Becoming familiarized with the Child Welfare System within Wisconsin, specifically Milwaukee County, and specifically how other roles and departments work alongside Case Management. Understanding the multitude of systems utilized to document and store client information. Interpreting federal, state, and local policies/procedures which dictate Child and Family Wellbeing program procedures. Assisting with program specific projects and research. This includes work alongside a variety of workgroups, and opportunities to shadow work with committees outside of Wellpoint Care Network. Verification of criminal background checks for guardians and all adult household members through communication with licensing agencies and utilization of eWISACWIS; initiation of these checks when necessary. Distribution of completed packets to the guardian and case management agency via secure email and certified mail. Timely follow up with case management agency partners. Agency Engagement The Agency is committed to the philosophy and practice of trauma informed care including the participation of all employees in an active understanding and promotion of the Agency’s trauma informed care model, The Seven Essential Ingredients. These ingredients include Prevalence, Impact, Perspective Shift, Regulation, Relationship, Reason to Be, and Caregiver Capacity and form the framework for an environment that maximizes the achievement of positive client outcomes. The Agency strives to create and recognize trauma informed champions across all programs and departments. All employees will be evaluated on their demonstration of a consistent commitment to the Agency’s Seven Essential Ingredients and engagement in the strategic initiatives of the organization. This will be measured by their active participation in committees, workgroups, and by their communication and practice within their daily work and in the community. Organizational Information: At Wellpoint Care Network, the people in our care face education and health disparities, high unemployment rates and unaffordable housing. What’s worse, many have lost connections to resources, family, friends, and other support systems. We have seen the toll it has on a person’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being to try and successfully navigate complex systems that may have failed them in the past. We believe there is a better way. So, we have anchored ourselves in our 175 years of caring for our neighbors through modernized human services. Wellpoint Care Network provides a rich continuum of services, including: Child Welfare and Foster Care Support for youth who have aged out of care Mental health therapy and supports such as our Clinic, Family Preservation, Caregiver Support, and Integrated Community Treatment Professional education and clinical consultation (for organizations, schools, and individual/family) Interested parties please apply online. For more information, visit our website www.wellpointcare.org.