CPS Family Based Safety Services Worker

Texas Health & Human Services Commission • Breckenridge, TX

3d • $3,817 - $5,372 • Onsite

About The Position

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) works with families and communities to keep children and vulnerable adults safe through investigations, services, and referrals. After a family has been investigated, a Family Based Safety Services (FBSS) Worker helps the family make changes to protect children from abuse and neglect and keep them safe at home. The worker provides time-limited in-home services and draws on agency, community, and extended-family resources. The position may be filled at a level from Specialist I through Specialist IV, with starting salary potentially based on education and experience.

The work is primarily mobile and conducted away from the office, using mobile technology such as a tablet. The worker must work independently while remaining responsive to supervision and the assigned unit. The position requires frequent travel to homes and offices within and outside the assigned region, including occasional overnight and last-minute travel. The posting estimates travel at up to 75%, and elsewhere states that employees can expect to be on the road about 60% of the time.

The role involves responding to crises, assessing child safety, working with families in stressful situations, and coordinating with community and professional partners. Work may include home visits in isolated or high-crime areas and exposure to substandard or unsanitary living conditions. The position requires flexible and irregular hours, availability for rotating on-call duty, and occasional work or appointments after 5 p.m.

Requirements

• For Worker I: an accredited bachelor's degree; or an accredited associate's degree plus two years of relevant work experience; or 60 accredited college credit hours plus two years of relevant work experience; or 90 accredited college credit hours plus one year of relevant work experience. Relevant experience includes paid or volunteer work in social, human, or protective services serving families or other at-risk populations.
• For Worker II, III, or IV, the stated degree or college-credit and relevant-experience pathways apply, together with the applicable DFPS employment and certification criteria described in the posting: Worker II requires nine months as a CPS Specialist I and CPS Specialist Certification, or current or prior employment as a CPS Specialist II or CPS Investigations Specialist II; Worker III requires nine months as a CPS Specialist II and Advanced CPS Specialist Certification, or current or prior employment as a CPS Specialist III or CPS Investigations Specialist III; Worker IV requires 24 months as a CPS Specialist III and Senior Advanced CPS Specialist Certification, or current or prior employment as a CPS Specialist IV or CPS Investigations Specialist IV.
• Knowledge of child development and family dynamics.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships and in problem-solving techniques.
• Ability to operate a personal computer.
• Ability to travel and attend child and family visits and other work-related appointments and meetings after 5 p.m.
• Ability to be on call on a rotating basis and work irregular hours.
• Ability to work in an emotionally charged environment, including conducting home visits in isolated or high-crime areas and possible exposure to substandard and unsanitary living conditions.
• Reliable personal motor vehicle, an acceptable driving record for the past five years, and a current, valid Texas driver's license appropriate for the vehicle and passenger or cargo load; proof of driving record, insurance, and license must be provided.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently, including outside assigned counties and occasionally overnight, as required by the position.
• Selected applicants must pass a background check and, if applicable, a driver’s record check.

Nice To Haves

• Degree in Social Work, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Human Development and Family Studies, Education, or Public Health.
• Previous professional or volunteer experience in a government agency, nonprofit, child protection, foster care, juvenile justice, mental health, or substance abuse services.
• Familiarity with trauma-informed care or experience conducting interviews or assessments with children and families.
• A master's degree in Social Work may qualify a newly hired employee for an increase at the point of hire.

Responsibilities

• Respond quickly in crisis situations.
• Provide time-limited in-home services tailored to family needs by identifying insufficient protective capacities, developing treatment plans, using appropriate resources to reduce risk and promote child safety, and maintaining contact with parents and children toward treatment goals.
• Assess child safety and take necessary protective actions, which may include removing a child from the family.
• Interact objectively with caretakers who have abused or neglected children in their care.
• Discuss potentially private family matters, including income, money management, and personal relationships.
• Help identify resources and community support available to families.
• Help parents recognize behaviors that lead to child abuse or neglect and identify necessary behavioral changes.
• Determine actions to remove or reduce immediate threats to a child's safety, including identifying family members who can help keep the child safe, testifying in court to seek emergency protective services, placing children in substitute care, or referring families to crisis intervention therapy or other community resources.
• Gather family and kinship information to support a child in placement if the child enters DFPS custody.
• Document relevant information gathered during investigations and complete required forms accurately and on time.
• Maintain objectivity and empathic understanding when engaging families in stressful or crisis situations.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with law enforcement, judicial officials, legal resources, medical professionals, and other community resources.
• Attend and participate in trainings, meetings, and staffings.
• Perform other duties as assigned to maintain unit operations.
• Promote and demonstrate respect for cultural diversity and competency among coworkers and work-related contacts.
• Attend work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy.

Benefits

• 100% paid health insurance for the employee and 50% paid for eligible family members.
• Retirement plans with lifetime monthly payments after five years of state service, plus options to save through 401(k) and 457 plans.
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave.
• Optional dental, vision, and life insurance at rates described as lower than most private plans.
• Flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care.
• Employee discounts, including gym memberships, electronics, and entertainment.
• Potential eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
• DFPS Certification Program offering professional development and the opportunity to earn additional compensation.
• Eligible newly hired employees will be assigned a DFPS cellular phone.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level