Family Services Specialist - Adoptions

City of Roanoke, VA•Roanoke, VA

60d

About The Position

The City of Roanoke is seeking a Family Services Specialist to work within our Adoptions Division. The position carries a caseload of 12-14 children and meets with each child, in their place of residence, once a month; therefore, there may be times where travel is required and may span two or more days. Learn and integrate a trauma-informed, client-centered approach, using an anti-oppressive lens, into the work with clients. Develop, implement, and monitor plans to meet needs and establish permanency. Prepare reports for the court and testify to the contents of the reports. Maintain professional and accurate documentation of client interactions, services, plan progress, and home visits. Attend internal and external meetings, trainings, and workshops. Interacts in a professional manner with court personnel, attorneys, therapists/counselors, school personnel, Family Assessment and Planning Team members, and other service providers. Works with potential adoptive families to apply for adoption assistance and assists in the process of adoption finalization through the circuit court. Provides child-specific recruitment to identify potential adoptive homes for children on their caseload. Completes thorough case reviews, conducts information searches, and prepares thorough and accurate reports. Ability to work outside of business hours when necessary. Must have clear written and verbal communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and the ability to work as part of a team while also independently generating task functions. Must be able to maintain a professional demeanor when under pressure and be assertive when necessary. Position participates in a rotating after hours team that responds to emergency Child Protective Services (CPS)/Adult Protective Services (APS)/Foster Care situations. Possession of a valid appropriate driver's permit issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Bilingual, Spanish/English speakers encouraged to apply. NOTE: If you do not hold a State of Virginia Drivers License, you will be required to provide a certified copy of a DMV report from the state of previous residence before you can be considered for this position. The City of Roanoke is an Equal Employment Opportunity/AA/M/F/Disability Employer. To elevate the performance of the organization, we are committed to respecting, celebrating, and embracing the collective mixture of differences and similarities between our employees as a rich tapestry. Our behaviors will demonstrate open communication, and we will seek opportunities to learn, recognizing and rewarding actions that promote acceptance while suspending judgment. By doing this, we will foster an inclusive, open work environment that delivers excellent service and creates a more vibrant and inviting community. This is a non-exempt position.

Requirements

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.
Ability to read and interpret documents such as laws, policies, regulations, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
Ability to respond effectively to inquiries orally and in writing.
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Possession of a valid appropriate driver's permit issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
If you do not have a Drivers License issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia, you must submit a certified copy of your driving record issued by the DMV from your previous state of residence with your application.
Must be willing to work outside normal work hours and respond to both routine and emergency situations.

Nice To Haves

Desirable qualifications include an understanding of the child welfare system, experience working with others from varying backgrounds and demographics, and experience and comfort working with children and adults with mental health and behavioral needs.
Bilingual, Spanish/English speakers encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Supports and assists agency clients with personal, social, health and economic needs.
Interviews clients to assess the nature and extent of needs
Identifies problems, counsels with clients and confers with supervisor in preparing social studies in the formulation and delivery of service plans
Maintains records through the course of client's service relationships with agency
Makes referrals for service to agencies, such as clinics, employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, etc
Performs work with agencies such as juvenile and domestic relations courts, circuit courts, etc
Provides protection and care to abandoned, abused and neglected children and adults on a regular and emergency basis in potentially dangerous situations
Works with abusive or neglecting parents and families to help effect changes in family situation, usually in a family home setting
Makes decisions to remove children from dangerous situations and recommendations regarding institutionalization of adults and children
Studies homes for day care, foster care of adoption placement and/or foster care and adoptive placements
Maintains case records, prepares written reports of services, findings and actions
Serves as agency representative on a variety of multi disciplinary teams
Shares a 24-hour on-call rotation
Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply