CPS/FAR Social Service Supervisor 5 (SSS5) - Bellevue

State of Washington • King County – Bellevue, WA

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

Our vision is to ensure that “Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy— thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community." This full-time permanent position requires time in the field and the office. This position will travel within its assigned areas of work, and the incumbent may be required to travel with clients as cases require, as well as travel to attend training and meetings in other locations. We're looking for a Social Service Specialist 5 (SSS5) in our Bellevue, King East Office to supervise Social Service Specialists in the CPS (Child Protective Services)/Family Assessment Response (FAR) unit. Our office is focused on supporting our team as they learn and develop their skills in child welfare practice. If you have child welfare experience and are looking for an opportunity to expand your leadership skills, mentor others, and continue your professional growth and development in a supervisory role, we encourage you to apply. In this role, you will use your strong assessment and engagement skills to supervise Social Service Specialists in the CPS/FAR unit. As a front-line supervisor, you will provide staff with advanced-level guidance and specialized case management knowledge to accomplish the agency's goals of child protection, permanency planning, and enhancing child well-being, ensuring child safety is at the forefront of all decision-making. This position is the supervisor within its unit, reviewing the work of frontline department employees responsible for investigating and intervening with families where there are allegations of child abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment. The primary function of this position is to provide supervisory duties to positions responsible for determining if children are safe with their families and caregivers, intervening to protect unsafe children, and developing a case plan with the family and caregivers to remedy the situation so families can safely parent their children. This position provides frontline workers with on-the-job training, mentoring, feedback, coaching, and consultation, including field observations and modeling of case management skills and techniques. The unit supervisor is responsible for providing regular, thorough clinical reviews and consultations, monitoring assigned client cases, applying child welfare practice principles, laws, rules, and policies, and assessing and intervening on assigned workload when necessary.

Requirements

• Eight (8) years of paid social service experience AND 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline.
• A Master’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences or any Master’s degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND three (3) years of paid social service experience.
• A Bachelor's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences or any Bachelor’s degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND four (4) years of paid social service experience.
• One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 4 (SSS4).
• Two (2) years of experience as a Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3).
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.
• Paid social service experience must include at least one (1) year of assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered practice services.
• A minimum of at least two years of driving experience and a valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

• Prior public child welfare experience with mandatory clients.
• A Master's Degree in Social Work.
• Previous case management experience working with children and families in Child Welfare Programs (CPS, CFWS, Adoptions/Permanency, or Afterhours).
• Current knowledge of applicable laws, rules, and policies on the delivery of child protective and child welfare services within Washington State.
• Experience implementing risk assessment in cases using the preferred risk assessment model and child safety framework.
• Experience using FamLink and maintaining Famlink documentation.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and mentor a unit of Social Service Specialists and complete casework.
• Provide mentoring, coaching, counseling, consultation, on-the-job training, and feedback.
• Manage and support Social Service Specialists in formal training plans who are transitioning to field work.
• Perform quality assurance on staff documentation, assessments, reports, case management, and payment initiation.
• Ensure Social Service Specialists document case activities and information gathered within the case file and FAMLINK electronic record.
• Prepare written staff performance evaluations utilizing the Performance Evaluation system.
• Consult with administrators and human resources regarding corrective or disciplinary action.
• Train new and existing staff to gather accurate and complete information, organize information, and make case decisions.
• Keep staff informed of policies, rules, and regulations affecting their jobs and the children and families they serve.
• Provide consultation and oversight to ensure accurate application of the child safety framework.
• Review and revise service referrals, letters, court reports, and assessments.
• Review case activities with parents and relatives to establish case goals, identifying services for the family.
• Initiate payments within FamLink for child placement and child/family services.
• Coordinate with other supervisors to ensure appropriate coverage for the office.
• Participate in supervisory, administrative, and individual meetings and conferences.
• Attend and testify in Superior Court.

Benefits

• King County Premium: The salary listed does not include the additional 5% premium granted to all King County employees.
• Assignment Pay: This position will receive 10% assignment pay. This is in addition to the regular base salary; the required duties include performing visits in unregulated environments, such as private residences, to conduct investigations for allegations of abuse and/or neglect to assess the safety of vulnerable children.
• The salary listed does not include the 2% general wage increase effective July 1, 2026.

What This Job Offers

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