CPS Conservatorship Worker stipend students only

Texas Health & Human Services Commission • Austin, TX

80d • $3,816 - $5,372 • Remote

About The Position

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is responsible for protecting the unprotected - children, elderly, and people with disabilities - from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. DFPS accomplishes this responsibility by employing over 12,000 workers who live up to the agency's Mission, Vision, & Values in service to the citizens of Texas. DFPS is not only a qualifying organization for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program but also offers excellent health benefits, special discounts on many products and services through the Discount Purchase Program, longevity pay, generous paid leave, access to the Wellness program, lifetime retirement annuity, Texa$aver 401(k) and 457 Programs under the Employees Retirement System of Texas. The position of CPS Conservatorship Worker is specifically for stipend students only, and involves working closely with children who have been removed from their homes, ensuring their welfare and working towards finding them a permanent, safe place to live.

Requirements

• An accredited Bachelor's degree OR accredited Associate's degree plus two (2) years of relevant work experience OR 60 accredited college credit hours plus two (2) years relevant work experience OR 90 accredited college credit hours plus one (1) year of relevant work experience.
• Knowledge of child development and family dynamics.
• Skill in effective verbal and written communication.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.
• Skill in problem-solving techniques.
• Ability to operate a personal computer.
• Ability to travel and attend child and family visits as well as other work-related appointments and meetings after 5pm.
• Ability to be on call on a rotating basis and work irregular hours.
• Ability to work in an emotion-filled environment and conduct home visits in isolated or high crime areas.

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree in Social Work may qualify for an increase at the point of hire.
• Experience in social, human, or protective services.

Responsibilities

• Receives cases from investigators after children are removed from their homes, placed in CPS conservatorship, and placed in care outside their homes.
• Determines each child's needs and ensures that appropriate referrals for testing, evaluations, records, or further assessments are made.
• Works with children, families, and communities to plan for a child's permanency.
• Identifies potential permanency resources for the child through ongoing contact with parents, family members, and other individuals the child and family identify as important.
• Searches for potential kinship providers throughout the case and completes home studies of a child's family members or family friends.
• Meets with parents to assess risk and safety issues, identify necessary behavior changes, and refer parents to appropriate services.
• Meets with children, parents, family friends, or foster homes in public as well as in their own homes.
• Collaborates with a Placement Team for placements as needed.
• Participates in meetings and conferences at convenient times and places for family members and everyone involved in the case.
• Visits children monthly to assess their feeling of safety and discuss their needs and progress.
• Attends and participates in court hearings about the child and family, prepares court reports, and testifies in court.
• Keeps the child's, parents', caregivers', court-appointed attorney's, and guardian ad litem's informed about the child's circumstances.
• Works with the department's attorney to prepare for contested-court hearings and trials.
• Works with kinship caregivers and foster parents to ensure they have what they need to care for the child.
• Transitions children home during reunification services and provides support to the family until the legal case is closed.
• Supervises adoptive placements until the adoption is final or until the case is transferred to an adoption caseworker.
• Documents case records by completing forms, narratives, and reports.
• Develops and maintains effective working relationships with various stakeholders.
• Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers, clients, and all work-related contacts.

Benefits

• Excellent health benefits.
• Special discounts on many products and services through the Discount Purchase Program.
• Longevity pay.
• Generous paid leave.
• Access to the Wellness program.
• Lifetime retirement annuity.
• Texa$aver 401(k) and 457 Programs under the Employees Retirement System of Texas.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Administration of Human Resource Programs
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree