Family Safety Practitioner II - Foster Care

Fairfax County•Alexandria (Kp10), VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires. If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference, consider joining the dedicated practitioners in the Division of Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) of the Department of Family Services (DFS). We are seeking a dynamic Foster Care and Adoption (FC&A) Family Safety Practitioner II to join our dedicated, multi-disciplinary team. In this role, you would provide clinical casework services to support the permanency of children in foster care as well as their parents and caregivers. We hire only the most caring and motivated individuals to serve families and children in our community. Learn more about the culture of DFS, meet our director and some of our employees, watch videos about our programs, and check out the great health benefits offered by Fairfax County. Grow your career with Fairfax County! With more than 16,000 employees, Fairfax County is a diverse workforce offering employees stimulating and challenging opportunities across a broad scope of career opportunities. As a Fairfax County employee, you impact the well-being of our community every day. This is an exciting time to join Fairfax County Government as we shape racial and social equity policies in the county through the One Fairfax Policy. Using this framework, we intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services. To learn more, we highly encourage you to watch the Becoming One Fairfax—An Introduction to Key Concepts video by clicking here and visit the One Fairfax webpage here . The Department of Family Services (DFS) is committed to strengthening the well-being of its diverse community by protecting and improving the lives of all children, adults, and families through assistance, partnership, advocacy, outreach, and quality services. To learn more about DFS and its Mission, Vision, and Values, please click here. As an integral member of the FC&A Program, performs a vital role to achieve permanent living arrangements for children in foster care and adoption.

Requirements

Knowledge of child protection laws, rules, and regulations
Knowledge of foster care and adoption laws, rules, and regulations
Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resource as needed
Knowledge of childhood trauma and attachment
Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work
Knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
Ability to use automated technology to establish and maintain case records
Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals
Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines
Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and case management
Knowledge or skill with crisis intervention or conflict resolution techniques
Knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization
Ability to analyze case information to reach sound decisions based on such information
Ability to demonstrate advanced critical thinking and judgment by understanding and applying governing policy and statutes alongside best practices and unique case factors
Ability to engage with persons effectively and empathically from different cultures who may be experiencing stressful family situations
Ability to maintain a high level of sensitivity and confidentiality while performing client related tasks
Ability to use case management and documentation technology to establish and maintain case records
Skill in defining and explaining complex rules and guidelines in a variety of settings
Skill in writing reports that are behaviorally specific, factually correct, include conclusions and recommended action
Ability to engage children, adults, and/or families under safety-sensitive, time-limited, and difficult circumstances, to gather information and make informed decisions that are inclusive of their language, race, and culture
Ability to engage and work with community partners and organizations
Ability to collaboration as a team member to create and support safety planning and monitoring
Ability to engage with juridical systems and processes to support the safety needs of clients as needed or when required by statute
Demonstrated ability to set boundaries and participate in self-reflective practice and working knowledge of the National Association of Social Workers'’ Code of Professional Ethical Standards
Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a human services field OR minimum of a bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area (Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia).
Valid driver's license.
Must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in social work (MSW) or a related human services degree.
Three years of experience in social work, psychology, sociology, counseling, or related experience.
Experience in child welfare field.
Experience with professional case management.
Experience working with the court system, testifying, and filing affidavits.
Experience working with a diverse multicultural population.
Bilingual in English and another language.

Responsibilities

Conducts face-to-face contacts and attends home visits to ensure children in foster care and adoption are safe and that their physical, emotional, and educational needs are being met
Conducts comprehensive assessments to include but not limited to the following areas: safety, permanency, and wellbeing; educational, social, and independent living skills; substance abuse, and developmental concerns; family relationships such as parent-child conflict and domestic violence; assessing the family (i.e., parenting capacity, family relationships, social supports, physical health challenges and disabilities, and basic needs such as shelter, food, and clothing)
Collaborates with the parents, prior custodians, foster parents, and children when appropriate, to develop a family-centered, solution focused service plan ensure safety, permanency, and wellbeing of the children in foster care
Coordinates and collaborates with foster families and others to deliver services (i.e., home-based family and individual counseling, health insurance and medical care, parenting support, and domestic violence interventions) to children and parents/family members
Responds and intervenes in emergency crisis around placement of children in foster home, congregate care facilities, and trial home placements with parent or relative caregivers
Conducts court-related services to include writing and submitting service plans to court, consulting with county attorney, writing affidavits, filing petitions, and testifying in court
Documents assessments, critical incident reports, detailed case contacts, progress notes, and service plans in a timely manner in accordance with local and state policy
Participates in required trainings and meetings and serves as a representative on workgroups and contributes to development of written product
Coordinates and attends intra-agency and inter-agency meetings
May be required to be on-call rotation that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field
Performs other duties as assigned to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families
Performs individual and family safety and risk assessment and casework duties pursuant to applicable state and federal policies/ law, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people facing vulnerabilities
Determines whether people at risk of harm should be separated from their current living situation including, emergency separations of children or vulnerable adults from their homes when required
Engages county residents in services that are often non-voluntary and/or protective in nature. County residents engaging in these services are often experiencing difficulties that may be stressful and upsetting and threaten their immediate physical or psychological safety
Advocates for and assists families and individuals in obtaining services (e.g., mental health, intellectual disability, alcohol and drug, housing referrals, financial assistance for basic needs, home based services, training, and medical services) to ameliorate the circumstances that brought them to the attention of the department
Provides family, individual, and group counseling and conducts mediation services to families in conflict
Investigates and/or evaluates complaints of alleged abuse or neglect, and in consultation with supervisor, makes assessment of risks posed to clients in accordance with state and local policies, and works to ensure risks are eliminated or minimized
Prepares written reports and required documentation supporting decisions related to immediate and ongoing safety needs
Provides crisis intervention on a timely basis to clients or families whose wellbeing are seriously and imminently threatened
Collects, documents, and makes appropriate case decisions related to information from clients, their family members and community support systems regarding their social, financial, physical health, emotional well-being, and problems affecting the completion of safety or services plans
Participates in the development of court related documents and may testify or attend court to provide support to the clients and/or their caregivers
Provides training, outreach and education for allied resources including (but not limited to) foster and adoptive parents, volunteers, families, and other county residents regarding supportive services, agency programs, and other specialized topics related to the wellbeing of county residents at risk of harm
Works with and monitors individual service providers such as contract service providers and volunteers who work with clients to adhere to or complete safety or service plans
Uses case management, documentation management technology, and hard copy files to maintain and update case data, notes, documents, records, contacts, and summaries of information in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and policies