D.A. Blodgett - St. John's seeks social workers to work with children in crisis

D.A. Blodgett - St. John's has helped children in crisis for 126 years, and the need for the nonprofit's services continues to grow as more and more children come through its door. With the increased demand for services comes an increased need for qualified social workers and other staff.

D.A. Blodgett - St. John's provides children's and family services in mentoring, residential care, foster care, emergency shelter, adoption, and school and counseling. Those services include programs for children of incarcerated parents, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and KidsFirst Emergency Shelter.

"Our treatment foster care is something new we started last fall," says Executive Director Sharon Loughridge. "It's foster care services for, typically, older kids with pretty specific behavioral issues like sex offending behaviors, fire starting, or self abuse. As we had treatment foster care homes, we'll need more treatment foster care social workers -- someone with a master's degree and specialized training -- in the home doing therapy services."

Loughridge says they added 80 staff in 2012 and have need for more. Between March 1 and April 23, the organization placed 104 children in the KidsFirst Emergency Shelter, a record number. She says one factor for the growing need is that so many Kent County families have lost jobs, which caused them to lose their homes or not be able to afford heat, and that means one in four Kent County children live in poverty. The resulting stresses have created abusive situations.

The organization also has openings for four full-time and four part-time direct care counselors, and three full-time foster care social workers. Both of these positions require college degrees.

Other non-degreed positions include three part-time case aides, as well as two part-time receptionists who would work in a job-share position.

For more information on these jobs and to see other job openings, click here.

Source: Sharon Loughridge, D.A. Blodgett - St. John's
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

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