How to hire a foster care case manager

How to hire a foster care case manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step foster care case manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a foster care case manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new foster care case manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a foster care case manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your foster care case manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a foster care case manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a foster care case manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a foster care case manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of foster care case managers.

   Type of Foster Care Case Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Foster Care Case Manager	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$14-23
   School Social Worker	A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families... Show more	$19-35
   Therapeutic Support Staff	A therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Foster Care
   • Social Work
   • Foster Children
   • Community Resources
   • Child Abuse
   • Management Services
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Court Hearings
   • Service Delivery
   • Data Entry
   • Biological Parents
   • DCFS
   • Substance Abuse
   • DHS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage caseloads for Medicaid; interviewing and instructing clients in proper preparation of documentation.
   • Prepare court reports, petitions and provide testimony to support case management as required by DHS contract and court mandates.
   • Assure that DCFS policies and procedures, and all applicable laws, rules, and policies are follow.
   • Supervise visitation between DCFS wards and their parents and siblings in order to observe parent-child interaction and ensure safety.
   • Provide services to and on behalf of the consumers, natural families and foster families refer to the agency from DHS.
   • Perform concurrent review to assure appropriateness of admission, inpatient/acute care, rehabilitation/SNF status, and discharge using establish InterQual guidelines.

   More foster care case manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your foster care case manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A foster care case manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, foster care case managers' average salary in georgia is 43% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level foster care case managers 39% less than senior-level foster care case managers.
   • Certifications. A foster care case manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a foster care case manager's salary.

   Average foster care case manager salary

   $39,279yearly

   $18.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level foster care case manager salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average foster care case manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$46,814	$23
   2	North Dakota	$44,042	$21
   3	California	$43,974	$21
   4	Ohio	$43,030	$21
   5	Virginia	$42,034	$20
   6	Maryland	$39,907	$19
   7	Colorado	$39,037	$19
   8	Michigan	$36,840	$18
   9	South Carolina	$36,816	$18
   10	Maine	$36,620	$18
   11	Indiana	$36,206	$17
   12	Texas	$36,003	$17
   13	Missouri	$35,896	$17
   14	Massachusetts	$33,865	$16
   15	Utah	$33,569	$16
   16	West Virginia	$33,165	$16
   17	Tennessee	$32,882	$16
   18	Georgia	$29,630	$14

   Average foster care case manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Scripps Health	$55,089	$26.49	23
   2	Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service	$43,444	$20.89
   3	University of Maryland Medical System	$43,142	$20.74	101
   4	Caritas Family Solutions	$43,099	$20.72	5
   5	UPMC	$41,971	$20.18	63
   6	UnitedHealth Group	$40,908	$19.67	605
   7	Children's Home & Aid	$40,630	$19.53
   8	Samaritas	$40,510	$19.48	30
   9	State Bar of Michigan	$39,841	$19.15	7
   10	Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County	$39,459	$18.97
   11	Epworth	$39,457	$18.97	5
   12	Atlantic Health	$39,231	$18.86	53
   13	Logan Health	$39,167	$18.83
   14	Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri	$39,033	$18.77	5
   15	The State of Oregon	$38,924	$18.71	23
   16	Northeast Center for Youth and Families	$38,819	$18.66	14
   17	Kids Above All	$38,709	$18.61
   18	NECCO	$38,700	$18.61	23
   19	The University System of Maryland Foundation	$38,696	$18.60
   20	HireLevel	$38,687	$18.60	1

4. Writing a foster care case manager job description

   A good foster care case manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a foster care case manager job description:

   Foster care case manager job description example

   Health Connect America is dedicated to providing quality and affordable mental health services to individuals and their family members. We believe in individuality, safety, community, inclusivity, innovation and progress for our families and staff. We believe in empowering our clients and utilizing current and appropriate clinical treatment. We have found that our staff succeed when they are passionate about social services, helping at-risk communities and value collaboration with a team.
   What will I be doing?
   As a Foster Care Case Manager, duties may include any and all of the following: service planning by developing individualized treatment plans; providing supportive services for children and families during placement and at discharge; supervising children in foster homes; preparing and maintaining case records; coordinating services to minimize fragmentation of care, reduce barriers, and link children with appropriate services to ensure comprehensive, continuous access to needed medical, social, educational, and other services appropriate to the needs of the child; and coordinating referrals by assisting the child in arranging for appropriate service and ensuring continuity of care for a child in treatment foster care.
   You will be:
   Working with Child and Family Team including and not limited to: DCS, foster parents, bio-parents, attorneys, and CASA
   Attend court proceedings
   General Case management activities
   Document all efforts
   Am I a good fit?
   In this position you will be traveling in the community to meet families where they are. A flexible schedule is important for this role and allows you to have control over your session planning. Attention to detail is a must! Qualifications:
   Bachelor’s degree in Social Service field is required as well as 2 years experience with youth or families and at least One year of Clinical Work Experience. Must undergo comprehensive background check and have Driver’s License with safe driving record. Full and Part Time Positions Available.
   
   We offer competitive compensation and benefits to our team members including medical/dental, 401K, HSA with company contribution, Paid Time Off for full time staff.
   Health connect is an Equal Opportunity Employer Health Connect America is a multi-state, community mental and behavioral health services provider. It is the mission of Health Connect America to create quality, affordable opportunities for individuals and families to achieve their greatest potential in a safe, positive living environment. We offer competitive compensation and benefits to our team members including medical/dental, 401K, HSA with company contribution, and paid time off for full time employees. Health Connect America is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics or any other basis forbidden under federal, state, or local law. Powered by JazzHR jz ZZnJCSNh

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find foster care case managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any foster care case managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level foster care case managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your foster care case manager job on Zippia to find and recruit foster care case manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit foster care case managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new foster care case manager

   Once you've selected the best foster care case manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new foster care case manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a foster care case manager?