Family Services Specialist I-In Home

Virginia Department of Social Services•Portsmouth, VA

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

Under general supervision, performs professional work in the protection, safety, placement and care of children, adults and families in need of services, resources, referrals and/or treatment. Reports to the Family Services Supervisor, and will be assigned to one of the five units (Adoption, Foster Care, Child Care, In-Home Services or Adult Services) within the agency. Performs work which may include, but is not limited to, working with children, and/or their families, who may be in danger of placement in foster care; facilitates treatment and prevention services to address mental health, substance abuse disorder and parenting skills; conducts visits with child/children in foster care; develops and implements plans to meet client needs, and establishes stability and/or permanency plans. Determines eligibility for childcare services. Investigates allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of elderly and disabled individuals; and conducts screenings to determine eligibility for geriatric assistance under established Medicaid guidelines. Performs case management duties to include planning and coordinating services for individuals and families; interviews and identifies barriers; performs assessment of client and family needs; develops and implements service plans to address the nature and the extent of needs for the child/children, adults, the elderly, and disabled; implements services that focus on safety, self-care, family perseveration and family reunification; monitors progress, and completes routine paperwork in timeframes established by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS). Initiates or approves credit authorizations and purchase orders for client needs and services, and maintains financial records. Travels and transports children; conducts home visits, counsels, and serves as an advocate for clients’ rights. Initiates court petitions, prepares written reports for court submission, attends court hearings and testifies as necessary. Coordinates with local law enforcement as necessary. Plans and attends meetings, and works with other agencies such as the courts, public schools, treatment programs, Family Assessment Planning Teams (FAPT), and other community partners. Serves as a resource and provides agency information and/or resources to the community. May facilitate or assist in the facilitation of agency groups. Evaluates high-risk situations and takes appropriate measures to ensure the safety of children; determines appropriate actions and ensures all state mandated notifications are completed; arranges for necessary medical examinations; performs detailed assessments to gather family history and strengths, mental capacity, physical developments and incidents of abuse. Interviews and examines client(s) for possible injuries or life threatening situations. Represents the agency in both civil and criminal court proceedings. Performs other duties as assigned. Individual assignments will be determined by supervisor based on current workload and department needs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a human services field (Social Work, Human Services, Sociology, Psychology, Family and Child Development, Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Gerontology or Guidance and Counseling) or a Bachelor’s degree in any field and 1- 2 years of related experience
Acceptable general background check to include a local, state and federal criminal history and sex offender registry check
Individuals in this position cannot be listed as having a founded child abuse or neglect complaint
A valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record
Required to work on-call on a 24-hour rotational basis to respond to emergencies and routine situations
Completion of mandatory child protective services and adult protective services training is required
Must be physically able to operate a variety of automated office machines which include computers, calculators, adding machines, copiers, facsimile machines, etc.
Must be able to operate a motor vehicle
Must be able to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and up to 20 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects
Medium work may involve walking, driving, or standing for periods of time
Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things
Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information
Ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, records, forms, statistical summaries, etc.
Ability to prepare reports, correspondence, records, forms, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style
Ability to speak to people with poise, voice control and confidence
Ability to plan work and develop procedures
Ability to learn and/or evaluate complex information in order to make judgements and decisions
Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions
Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages, including legal, medical and insurance terminology
Ability to utilize mathematical formulas, to add and subtract, multiply and divide
Must be able to utilize decimals and percentages
Ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape
Ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using automated office equipment and operating a motor vehicle
Ability to handle a variety of items, office equipment, control knobs, switches, etc.
Minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination
Ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color
Ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions
Must be adaptable to performing under varied levels of stress when confronted with persons acting under stress or the influence of substances
Ability to talk and/or hear: (talking - expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words; hearing - perceiving nature of sounds by ear)

Nice To Haves

In the event of a declared emergency in the city of Portsmouth, individuals in this position are required to work shelter duty and may be called on to perform duties as required to provide for the safety and care of the citizens of the community.

Responsibilities

Working with children, and/or their families, who may be in danger of placement in foster care
Facilitates treatment and prevention services to address mental health, substance abuse disorder and parenting skills
Conducts visits with child/children in foster care
Develops and implements plans to meet client needs, and establishes stability and/or permanency plans
Determines eligibility for childcare services
Investigates allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of elderly and disabled individuals
Conducts screenings to determine eligibility for geriatric assistance under established Medicaid guidelines
Performs case management duties to include planning and coordinating services for individuals and families
Interviews and identifies barriers
Performs assessment of client and family needs
Develops and implements service plans to address the nature and the extent of needs for the child/children, adults, the elderly, and disabled
Implements services that focus on safety, self-care, family perseveration and family reunification
Monitors progress, and completes routine paperwork in timeframes established by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS)
Initiates or approves credit authorizations and purchase orders for client needs and services, and maintains financial records
Travels and transports children
Conducts home visits, counsels, and serves as an advocate for clients’ rights
Initiates court petitions, prepares written reports for court submission, attends court hearings and testifies as necessary
Coordinates with local law enforcement as necessary
Plans and attends meetings, and works with other agencies such as the courts, public schools, treatment programs, Family Assessment Planning Teams (FAPT), and other community partners
Serves as a resource and provides agency information and/or resources to the community
May facilitate or assist in the facilitation of agency groups
Evaluates high-risk situations and takes appropriate measures to ensure the safety of children
Determines appropriate actions and ensures all state mandated notifications are completed
Arranges for necessary medical examinations
Performs detailed assessments to gather family history and strengths, mental capacity, physical developments and incidents of abuse
Interviews and examines client(s) for possible injuries or life threatening situations
Represents the agency in both civil and criminal court proceedings
Performs other duties as assigned