Brendon James

• Supervise, mentor, support, and assist in the annual hiring of a team of college advisers in FWISD and ensure their ability to fulfill their role and meet service deliverables to maintain program success and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) completion in FWISD.
• Analyze and deliver data to key stakeholders to evaluate student progress, year to year growth, and identify areas of improvement needed to fulfill Key Performance Indicators
• Coordinate in tandem with the program leadership team, school administration, and partner organizations to develop innovative strategies to meet program goals, organize and plan events and training relevant to advisers, and communicate data success relative in FWISD .
• Advise and manage a yearly caseload of 700+ Fort Worth ISD high school students, grades 10-12. Provided one-on-one admissions and financial aid guidance to students and their families to explore postsecondary options, develop comprehensive application timelines, complete applications, and interpret postsecondary correspondence.

• Introduce the concept of family search and engagement to the foster youth and works with the youth’s intensive permanency team to prepare the youth for re-establishing connections with family members or individuals who have been natural supports to the youth in the past.
• Conducts a concentrated search for family members or natural supports (adults) for assigned youth and develops specific plans for pursuit of re-establishing connections with adults that addresses youth safety.
• Develops an individualized plan for legal and emotional permanency as well as a plan for supporting and sustaining the relationships.

• Onboard new hires to ensure sound clinical decisions for the provision of services
• Promote relationships with staff and clients that adhere to the core values of the organization
• Monitor five caseworkers who provide services to 300 foster parents and children placed in their home
• Analyze trends and data to inform decision-making and program development
• Partner with local organizations to expand access to social and community services
• Research best practices and develop strategies to improve program outcomes

• Obtained documents and conducted Orientation Meetings for licensure of potential foster parents
• Assisted families with documents required for initial licensure, annual review, and relicensure
• Prepared and updated written home studies that reported the physical environment, strengths and needs of the family structure, and parenting styles to meet the needs of children in care
• Built solid and trusting rapport with children and families, fostering trust and communication to meet case needs
• Provided on-going support to resource parents through coaching and crisis intervention techniques
• Facilitated family meetings to ensure communication and collaboration between family members

• Prioritized and monitored the flow and quality of work performed to meet deadlines
• Assessed the risk of the children when complaints were reported and delegated tasks to staff
• Evaluated Family Case Managers during home visits for safety that protected involved children
• Reviewed documents for court to make informal adjustment plans, family progress reports, reunification plans, and terminations of parental rights that met the court standards
• Provided leadership, guidance, and support to staff members
• Coordinated individual referrals to obtain community services, advocate for client needs and resolve roadblocks

• Investigated reported incidents of child abuse/neglect and made recommendations to the courts
• Developed case plans to assist families and children that fostered protection and permanency
• Maintained data which provided management an opportunity to evaluate family and children needs on a trend analysis basis
• Assisted in conducting needs assessments to identify key areas of service needs
• Built solid and trusting rapport with children and families, fostering trust and communication to meet case needs
• Intervened in crisis situations and counseled children experiencing emergencies and disruptive incidents