Keweenaw

State of Michigan•Various, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position serves as a resource in the child welfare service spectrum, focusing on identifying resources to strengthen families while improving child safety, permanency, and family well-being. This position involves coordination and communication with child protective services and foster care staff in successfully administering child welfare and benefit assistance services to children and families to remove barriers that would otherwise prevent the family from staying together. The position is responsible for engaging with families to assess their skills and strengths, and to identify individual barriers to employment and family well-being. The position determines eligibility for public assistance programs, including cash assistance, food assistance, Medicaid, childcare and state emergency relief and makes collaborative referrals to community resources. This position develops strategies to remove those barriers, provide supportive services, and conducts follow-up monitoring and support in self-sufficiency activities to empower individuals and families. The position also develops, implements, and monitors service plans designed to promote independence, self-sufficiency and family well-being. This work is primarily conducted through face-to-face interactions with child welfare staff and families by participating in unit meetings, family team meetings, and home visits. To assist with barriers to employment, this position refers identified individuals to Michigan Rehabilitative Services (MRS) for pre-vocational and disability assessments and Michigan Works! agencies for employment and training programs. This position is responsible for monitoring participants activities to ensure that federal participation rates are met. Responsibilities also include monitoring life events to ensure appropriate adjustments are made to cases and employment participation requirements as needed. These services are provided to Michigan families in need of temporary assistance.

Requirements

Possession of a bachelor's degree in any major with at least 30 semester (45 term) credits in one or a combination of the following human services areas: social work, sociology, psychology, forensic psychology, interdisciplinary studies in social science, education, community development, law enforcement, behavioral science, gerontology, special education, education of the emotionally disturbed, education of the gifted, family ecology, community services, family studies, family and/or child development, counseling psychology, criminal justice, human services, or in a human services-related counseling major.
Family Independence Specialist 10: One year of professional experience equivalent to a Family Independence Specialist 9 or Services Specialist 9.
Family Independence Specialist P11: One year of professional experience equivalent to a Family Independence Specialist 10 or Services Specialist 10.

Nice To Haves

One year of experience classified as a Departmental Analyst functioning as a Project Zero Coordinator and a bachelor's degree in any major may be substituted for the education requirement.
Five years of experience as an Assistance Payments Worker, Migrant Program Worker, and/or a Job Start Worker may be substituted for the education requirement.
Four and half years of Assistance Payments Worker, Migrant Program Worker, or Job Start Worker experience and one year of college may be substituted for the education requirement.
Three years of Assistance Payments Worker, Migrant Program Worker, or Job Start Worker experience and two years of college may be substituted for the education requirement.
One and a half years of Assistance Payments Worker, Migrant Program Worker, or Job Start Worker experience and three years of college may be substituted for the education requirement.
One year of experience as an Assistance Payments Worker, Migrant Program Worker, or a Job Start Worker and a bachelor's degree in any major may be substituted for the education requirement.

Responsibilities

Engaging with families to assess their skills and strengths, and to identify individual barriers to employment and family well-being.
Determining eligibility for public assistance programs, including cash assistance, food assistance, Medicaid, childcare and state emergency relief.
Making collaborative referrals to community resources.
Developing strategies to remove barriers, provide supportive services, and conducting follow-up monitoring and support in self-sufficiency activities to empower individuals and families.
Developing, implementing, and monitoring service plans designed to promote independence, self-sufficiency and family well-being.
Conducting face-to-face interactions with child welfare staff and families by participating in unit meetings, family team meetings, and home visits.
Referring identified individuals to Michigan Rehabilitative Services (MRS) for pre-vocational and disability assessments and Michigan Works! agencies for employment and training programs.
Monitoring participants activities to ensure that federal participation rates are met.
Monitoring life events to ensure appropriate adjustments are made to cases and employment participation requirements as needed.