Child Protective Specialist

City of New York•New York, NY

18d

About The Position

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS manages community-based supports and foster care services and provides subsidized childcare vouchers. ACS child protection staff respond to allegations of child maltreatment. In juvenile justice, ACS oversees detention, placement and programs for youth in the community. The Division of Child Protection is seeking qualified candidates to serve as Child Protective Specialists within each borough office. In each Borough office (Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, and Queens), DCP Protective/ Diagnostic Units are comprised of five CPS and one CPSS II (and sometimes one CPSS I). These staff investigate reports of alleged child abuse and neglect. The PD child protective team is the largest within DCP, and the largest in each of the Borough offices. Child protective staff are responsible for investigating every allegation that is reported, and also for conducting a comprehensive assessment of the immediate safety and risk of future harm to each child in the family. Based upon the case circumstances, child protective staff may act immediately to protect the child(ren). Under supervision of the Unit Supervisor and Child Protective Manager, with moderate latitude for the exercise of independent action and decision making, the Child Protective Specialist will be responsible for the following tasks:

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional, or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) including or supplemented by 24 semester credits in one or a combination of the following fields: social work, psychology, sociology, human services, criminal justice, education (including early childhood), nursing, or cultural anthropology, at least 12 of which must have been in one of these disciplines.
Section 424-a of the New York State Social Services Law requires an authorized agency to inquire whether a candidate for employment with child-care responsibilities is or has been the subject of an indicated child abuse and maltreatment report on file with the Statewide Central Register for child abuse and maltreatment.
Statewide Central Register screening will be conducted prior to considering a candidate for employment as a Child Protective Specialist.
Candidates who have been the subject of an indicated child abuse and maltreatment report may be disqualified from appointment to this position.

Responsibilities

Utilize social work and investigative skills to work with families being investigated for abuse or neglect to children
Initiate investigations/safety interventions in response to allegations of abuse and / or neglect
Meet families in their home within 48 hours of receiving a report or within 24 hours when immediate danger is suspected.
Interview and assess all children for safety
Interview parents/caretaker, alleged subjects, household members and collateral contacts
Make a Safety Assessment of children in their family immediately when required or within 7 days
Participate in Family Meetings or Conferences with the family or other support systems
Provide a determination of abuse or neglect based on the investigation within 60 days of the report
For indicated cases with ongoing service needs, assess on an ongoing basis the risk of future abuse or maltreatment of the children, arrange for services and work with the family to address the reasons for risk to the child
Work with ACS legal staff to file petitions with Family Court when required for supervisory oversight of the family or for removal of children
Work collaboratively with contract agencies to provide Preventive or Foster Care when appropriate
Enter and maintain computerized records of case information