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Foster care case manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Kim Jones Ph.D.,

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical foster care case manager skills. We ranked the top skills for foster care case managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 23.1% of foster care case manager resumes contained foster care as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a foster care case manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 foster care case manager skills for your resume and career

1. Foster Care

Here's how foster care case managers use foster care:

Coordinated services contract agency for Cumberland County Mental Health for children and adults with Developmental Disabilities and Therapeutic Foster Care Agency.
Launched and directed a full-day therapeutic educational day program and after school recreational program for transition-aged youth in foster care.

3. Foster Children

Here's how foster care case managers use foster children:

Provided Case Management services to foster children transitioning from Department of Juvenile Justice facilities into therapeutic foster homes across Eastern Kentucky.
Referred Foster Children who are seriously emotionally disturbed or developmentally disabled, and medically fragile to Bridges to Health Program.

4. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how foster care case managers use community resources:

Coordinated all case activity with relevant agency departments including appropriate referrals to liaison agencies and community resources.
Completed detailed intake interviews with clients and coordinated community resources and referrals for treatment services.

5. Child Abuse

When a child who is under 18 is mistreated by an adult, it is considered child abuse. There are many forms of intentional harm and mistreatment for example physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, medical abuse, and neglect in providing adequate basic life necessities.

Here's how foster care case managers use child abuse:

Protect and Placement Specialist appointed to investigate child abuse and identify appropriate foster homes for abused and neglected children.
Interviewed children and oversaw supervised visits with parents/guardians to decrease possibility of child abuse and neglect.

6. Management Services

Management services may refer to a number of supervisory duties depending on the type of work. A manager may be required to oversee a team of employees complete a series of tasks or monitor the quality of a product. Overall, any form of management involves supervising a worksite, whether this is a restaurant, grocery store, or manufacturing plant.

Here's how foster care case managers use management services:

Assessed patient and delivered comprehensive case management services; maintained thorough case history records and produced semi-annual reports.
Maintained all records and documentation of case management services through physical filing and electronic database entry.

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7. Crisis Intervention

Here's how foster care case managers use crisis intervention:

Coordinate case management activities including planning, placement monitoring, crisis intervention and discharge planning.
Provided individual, family therapy, & crisis intervention to severely emotionally disturbed children.

8. Court Hearings

Here's how foster care case managers use court hearings:

Maintained court responsibility for cases as assigned and participated in court hearings as requested.
Collected and organized information in preparation for Administrative Case Reviews and court hearings.

9. Service Delivery

Service delivery means, having any contact with the public administration during which customers including citizens, residents, or firms, require or give data, handle their problems and perform their duties.

Here's how foster care case managers use service delivery:

Comply with all mandates for service delivery including, administrative requirements and record completion.
Developed a Care Plan and Service Delivery Plan with client/family and other service providers based on identified needs.

10. Data Entry

Data entry means entering data into a company's system with the help of a keyboard. A person responsible for entering data may also be asked to verify the authenticity of the data being entered. A person doing data entry must pay great attention to tiny details.

Here's how foster care case managers use data entry:

Preform regular data entry within a statewide electronic system.
Worked daily in Microsoft Word, data entry into DHS documents, and occasionally worked in Microsoft Excel.

11. Biological Parents

Here's how foster care case managers use biological parents:

Supervised visitations between children and their biological parents as ordered by the courts to ensure safety and promote positive interaction.
Coordinated and monitored educational, medical psychological and financial needs for foster child, foster parents and biological parents.

12. DCFS

Here's how foster care case managers use dcfs:

Prepare court reports, attend court dates, testify in court upon request, and attend Administrative Case Review with DCFS.
Prepared reports to the Court and DCFS regarding the progress or lack of progress by parents and provided recommendations.

13. Substance Abuse

Here's how foster care case managers use substance abuse:

Refer and collaborate with substance abuse and therapeutic agencies in order to ensure that my clients' needs were being met.
Provide mental health, substance abuse, housing, parenting and money management resources and referrals for clients and children.

14. DHS

DHS (Department of Homeland Security) refers to the department that handles the USA's immigration enforcement.

Here's how foster care case managers use dhs:

Established productive relationships through consistent contact with DHS Educational Planners.
Provide services to and on behalf of the consumers, natural families and foster families referred to the agency from DHS.

15. Court Reports

Here's how foster care case managers use court reports:

Composed court reports on progress of family and provided professional testimony in Jackson County Family Court.
Prepared court reports and attended hearings as a Children's Division representative

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What skills help Foster Care Case Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on foster care case manager resumes?

Kim Jones Ph.D.

Professor, Chair of Clinical Concentration, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The necessary skills for today's market include the ability to implement evidence-informed mental health approaches, the ability to display empathy, knowledge of crisis intervention models, organizational skills, good work ethic, both verbal and written communication skills, cultural competence, and the ability to adapt to changing technology.

What soft skills should all foster care case managers possess?

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Department Chair: Human Services, Austin Community College

I would refer to this skill set as "essential" and consist of compassion, empathy, teamwork, the ability to listen, a sense of humor, and most importantly, the ability to practice self-care. I include self-care in this list because working in the human service field can be exhausting and emotionally overwhelming. Taking care of ourselves helps to prevent burnout and possibly leaving the profession.

What hard/technical skills are most important for foster care case managers?

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Department Chair: Human Services, Austin Community College

a. Must have strong basic computer skills and knowledge of software such as excel spreadsheets, google docs, etc. Most, if not all, agencies use electronic health records and treatment planning, so it is necessary to be competent in this area.
b. A degree and additional certifications will assist you in seeking employment. It will also increase your level of competency and diversify the communities you serve. For example, at Austin Community College, we offer our students a chance to complete a certification in Mental Health First Aid Training. This increases their marketability and skill level.

What foster care case manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Seth Fallik Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Florida Atlantic University

The criminal justice system is overwhelmingly a service industry. So garnering skills that allow you better to serve clients would be best. To that end, language skills will get you far, as well as experience/training in complementary fields, like social work. Regardless of where they diversify their knowledge, skills, or abilities, they should seek forms that are documentable in the form of achievement levels, certificates.

What type of skills will young foster care case managers need?

Samantha Fletcher Ph.D.

Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers, New York State

The core skills of social work do not change over time. These skills include empathy, active listening, critical thinking, assessment, intervention, evaluation, advocacy, policy analysis, and adaptability. Social workers also need to evaluate the organizations they work in to assess for oppressive practices and policies. One of the profession's core values is social justice, which directs social workers to "pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers' social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice" (National Association of Social Workers, 2017). As a profession, social workers aim to dismantle racist, sexist, heterosexist, xenophobic, ableist, classist, and religiously biased systems and structures.

What technical skills for a foster care case manager stand out to employers?

Michael Heron

Assistant Professor, Saginaw Valley State University

Critical thinking skills, interpersonal communication skills, and being proactive. Employers want problem solvers not just someone who can take direction. Critical thinking is important to solve problems and to show that you can be trusted to get things done correctly. Interpersonal skills are important because effective communication is paramount in a high functioning office, agency, or organization. Lastly, being proactive is something that any employer would want to see from their staff. It, again, shows that you are looking to solve problems and can do that before the problems even arise.

Do you want to know more?

List of foster care case manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a foster care case manager resume and required skills for a foster care case manager to have include:

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
Court Reports
Compassion
Child Welfare System

Support Services
Family Services
Permanency Planning
Juvenile Court
Mental Health
Birth Parents
Court System
Mental Illness
Sexual Abuse
Adoptive Families
Biological Families
Family Assessments
Community Services
Community Agencies
Parent Support
Birth Families
Family Reunification

Assess Safety
Permanent Placement
State Regulations
Independent Living
Law Enforcement
Protective Services
IEP
Domestic Violence
Family Court
Adoptive Parents
Crisis Management
Court Appearances
Court Proceedings
Treatment Services
Crisis Situations
Medical Appointments

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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