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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Foster Care Analyst

💰 $55,000 - $85,000

Data AnalysisSocial ServicesGovernmentChild WelfareNon-Profit

🎯 Role Definition

The Foster Care Analyst is a vital bridge between raw data and meaningful change within the child welfare system. You are not just a number cruncher; you are a storyteller and a strategist who uses data to illuminate the experiences of children in care. Your work directly influences program development, resource allocation, and policy reform, with the ultimate goal of ensuring every child has a safe, stable, and nurturing environment. This position requires a unique blend of technical expertise, analytical rigor, and a deep understanding of the human element behind the data.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Social Worker or Case Manager
  • Data Coordinator
  • Junior Analyst (in a related field)
  • Program Assistant (Social Services)

Advancement To:

  • Senior Foster Care Analyst
  • Program Evaluation Manager
  • Director of Quality Improvement
  • Data Analytics Manager (Child Welfare)

Lateral Moves:

  • Policy Analyst
  • Public Health Analyst
  • Compliance Officer
  • Grant Writer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Conduct in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of foster care data, including child demographics, placement stability, length of stay, and permanency outcomes, to identify systemic trends and areas for improvement.
  • Develop, generate, and distribute routine and ad-hoc reports, dashboards, and data visualizations for various stakeholders, including executive leadership, program managers, and external regulatory bodies.
  • Perform rigorous data quality assurance, data cleansing, and validation procedures on large datasets from systems like the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS/CCWIS).
  • Monitor and analyze program data to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and reporting requirements, such as the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).
  • Translate complex analytical findings into clear, concise, and compelling narratives and presentations for non-technical audiences to support data-informed decision-making.
  • Collaborate with program staff and leadership to develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with strategic goals for safety, permanency, and well-being.
  • Identify and analyze trends related to foster home recruitment, licensing, and retention to inform and support resource family development strategies.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of specific programs, interventions, and pilot projects by designing measurement frameworks and conducting pre/post-analysis.
  • Respond to time-sensitive, ad-hoc data requests from internal and external partners, requiring the ability to quickly query, aggregate, and summarize information.
  • Conduct longitudinal analysis to track the outcomes of children and youth over time, including their journey through the foster care system and post-emancipation.
  • Investigate data anomalies and discrepancies to determine root causes, and work with IT and program staff to implement corrective actions and improve data collection processes.
  • Utilize statistical methods and software to conduct predictive modeling, forecasting future caseload trends, and identifying populations at high risk for negative outcomes.
  • Analyze and report on issues of disproportionality and equity within the child welfare system, examining the experiences of various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
  • Support the grant application and reporting process by providing robust quantitative data, performance metrics, and outcome analysis.
  • Create and maintain comprehensive documentation, including data dictionaries, process maps, and report specifications to ensure consistency and knowledge sharing.
  • Participate actively in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) committees and workgroups, presenting data-driven insights to guide improvement cycles.
  • Train program staff on data entry best practices, the importance of data quality, and how to utilize dashboards and reports for their own work.
  • Perform geospatial (GIS) analysis to assess the geographic distribution of children in care, available resources, and service access gaps.
  • Prepare comprehensive analytical summaries, white papers, and policy briefs that inform legislative advocacy and public awareness campaigns.
  • Liaise with IT and data engineering teams to define requirements for data warehouse enhancements, new data sources, and improved reporting infrastructure.
  • Develop queries and scripts using SQL to extract, manipulate, and aggregate data from multiple complex relational databases.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • High proficiency in SQL for querying complex relational databases.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, Power Query, complex formulas, and macros.
  • Expertise with data visualization and Business Intelligence (BI) tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
  • Experience with a statistical software package like SPSS, R, or Python (using libraries such as Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn).
  • Knowledge of child welfare information systems (e.g., SACWIS, CCWIS) and their data structures.
  • Familiarity with federal child welfare reporting requirements (e.g., AFCARS, NCANDS).
  • Strong understanding of data quality assurance, data validation, and cleansing methodologies.
  • Competency in database management principles and data warehousing concepts.
  • Experience in generating and automating reports for various audiences.
  • Familiarity with GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS) for spatial analysis is a plus.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional analytical, quantitative, and critical thinking skills.
  • Meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to data accuracy.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Proactive problem-solving and investigative mindset.
  • Excellent organizational and time-management skills to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines.
  • A highly collaborative and team-oriented work style.
  • High level of discretion and ethical judgment when handling confidential and sensitive child and family data.
  • Ability to work independently and take initiative on projects.
  • Stakeholder management skills to effectively engage with program staff, leadership, and external partners.
  • A genuine passion for and commitment to the mission of improving child welfare.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Social Work (MSW)
  • Public Administration (MPA)
  • Public Policy (MPP)
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • Data Science
  • Psychology
  • Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of professional experience in data analysis, research, program evaluation, or a related quantitative role.

Preferred: Experience working directly within a child welfare agency, social service organization, or government entity is highly desirable. Direct experience with child welfare data and systems (SACWIS/CCWIS, AFCARS) is a significant asset.

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