Family Services Specialist I

Virginia Department of Social Services•Alexandria, VA

About The Position

The City of Alexandria is bordered by Washington D.C. and the Potomac River, Arlington and Fairfax counties, and Maryland. The small city has a cosmopolitan feel with 150,000 people living within its 15.75 square miles. At the Department of Community and Human Services, we provide essential safety net services to help city residents enjoy a sense of well-being, safety and self-sufficiency. Our behavioral health programs provide compassionate services that support self-determination and recovery. The beauty of our diverse and resilient people and our commitment to race and social equity, coupled with a historic district dating to 1749, charming waterfront, vibrant arts community and unique places for foodies and shopping, make the City of Alexandria a uniquely wonderful place to live, work and play. We invite all qualified candidates to learn more and apply for our Family Services Specialist I position. General Statement of Duties: A Family Services Specialist I in the Subsidy Case Management Unit provides social work services to low income families from diverse backgrounds who qualify for subsidy assistance. A family Services Specialist I engages in active case management with families toward reaching self-sufficiency goals; Offers supportive counseling and crisis support to families who experience difficulties; Provides parent education, information and support to facilitate the selection of appropriate child care placement and authorizes services accordingly; Analyzes and mediates child care concerns and issues; Provides information about early childhood education opportunities available in Virginia through the Head Start, Early Head Start, and Virginia Preschool initiatives; Offers supportive counseling and crisis support to families who experience difficulties; Provides parent education, information and support to facilitate the selection of appropriate child care placement and authorizes services accordingly; Analyzes and mediates child care concerns and issues; Provides information about early childhood education opportunities available in Virginia through the Head Start, Early Head Start, and Virginia Preschool initiatives.

Requirements

Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
Ability to work collaboratively with others
Ability to create service plans
Ability to understand and interpret laws, policies and regulations
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)
Employees must possess a valid driver's license issued by the state of their residence if they are in a position with driving responsibilities
Some Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work which includes knowledge of individual, family and group therapy techniques, as well as crisis intervention, and some knowledge of community resources or the ability to readily acquire such knowledge

Nice To Haves

Experience in childcare subsidy services
Case management experience
Education, training or experience in early childhood development
Bilingual in English and a language significantly represented in the population served

Responsibilities

Conducts program intake interviews, eligibility determination and needs assessments to identify family priorities, resources and goals
Develop individual service plans addressing issues such as employment, job skill readiness, housing, and family or individual dynamics which may impact economic and employment stability
Maintains appropriate documentation according to federal, state and departmental requirements
Authorizes services and maintains documentation in the current state case management system
Monitors client's progress toward self-sufficiency and work with clients to develop strategies to meet their goals
Provides resources for information and training on topics related to quality childcare and family self-sufficiency, school readiness, family engagement, child development, financial literacy, navigating services for children with special needs
Builds and maintain partnerships with childcare providers
Participates in complaint resolution process
Conducts site visits to programs to assess goodness of fit and makes appropriate recommendations for children and families who are experiencing difficulties within child care setting
Participates in multidisciplinary case consultation team meetings
Supports parent access to developmental screening using the ASQ-3 and ASQ-SE (children birth – 5 years)
Provides walk-in support for child care and provider services
Provides crisis intervention and supportive counseling
Identifies and assesses service delivery gaps and recommends solutions
Performs other duties as assigned