Family Violence Program Specialist

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS • Austin, TX

1d • $4,523 - $7,254 • Onsite

About The Position

Performs advanced (senior-level) consultative services and technical assistance work. Work involves planning, developing, and implementing an agency program and providing consultative services and technical assistance to program staff, governmental agencies, community organizations, or the general public. May supervise the work of others. Works under limited supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.
The position reports to the CPS Director of Leadership & Staff Development. The position acts as the agency Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Domestic Violence and is responsible for ensuring state compliance with federal and state laws. As the recognized agency expert on domestic violence, this position will work closely with statewide regional staff as well as the family violence service providers. This position works closely with local and state domestic violence experts to develop and deliver statewide policy and training for CPS staff to support best practices for cases in which child maltreatment and domestic violence co-occur. This position will also be responsible for oversite of the recommendations of the SB434 Task Force (on Family violence) and implementation of the recommended improvement that align CPS with nationally recommended best practices designed to keep children in the care of adult victims of domestic violence who are able to keep their children safe, while holding batterers accountable without escalating their violence. The position routinely interacts with DFPS state office staff, field staff at all levels, staff from other state and federal agencies, providers of services for DFPS clients, stakeholders, attorneys, judges and legislators.

Requirements

• Experience in social work or related field.
• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in social work, counseling, psychology, criminal justice, gerontology, early childhood education, elementary or secondary education, or a related field is generally preferred.
• Experience and education may be substituted for one another.
• At least 1 year of DFPS direct service casework experience and professional experience working with families impacted by intimate partner violence.
• Ability to maintain the security and integrity of the infrastructure per Governor Abbott Executive Order GA-48.
• Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws related to the program area; public administration and management techniques; statistical analysis; and program planning and implementation.
• Ability to gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts; to develop and evaluate policies and procedures; to prepare reports; to communicate effectively; and to supervise the work of others.
• Must bring I-9 documentation on first day of work.
• Must provide documentation to DFPS to show identity and authorization to work in the US.
• Familiarity with WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 to create accessible content including but not limited to; Microsoft Office documents, Adobe PDFs, webpages, software, training guides, video, and audio files.

Nice To Haves

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in social work, counseling, psychology, criminal justice, gerontology, early childhood education, elementary or secondary education, or a related field is generally preferred.

Responsibilities

• Participates in planning, developing, and implementing agency programs and action plans to initiate new programs or improve current services.
• Collaborates with DFPS regional leadership, family violence service providers, and state-level experts to plan and develop agency initiatives that integrate nationally recognized best practices for cases involving both child maltreatment and domestic violence, ensuring alignment with federal and state compliance requirements.
• Designs and implements action plans that operationalize the recommendations of the SB434 Task Force on Family Violence, including creating statewide guidance for CPS staff to keep children safe with non-offending caregivers while holding batterers accountable in ways that do not escalate violence.
• Works with cross-agency partners, including attorneys, judges, and federal/state stakeholders, to evaluate the effectiveness of current CPS practices related to domestic violence and recommend program improvements, ensuring that policy changes, training curricula, and service delivery models reflect evolving best practices and research.
• Recommends improvements in services to regional management and advisory and steering committees.
• Reviews statewide domestic violence case practice trends and identifies gaps in CPS response to recommend improvements that enhance child safety while supporting non-offending caregivers.
• Provides written and verbal recommendations to regional management and advisory committees on aligning CPS practices with federally recognized best practices for co-occurring child maltreatment and domestic violence cases.
• Collaborates with steering committees to refine service models that promote family preservation and batterer accountability.
• Conducts surveys, inspections, or reviews to determine compliance with certification requirements, laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Conducts targeted reviews of CPS case files involving domestic violence to assess compliance with state and federal laws, DFPS policy, and SB434 taskforce recommendations.
• Monitors adherence to agency protocols by evaluating documentation, service referrals, and safety planning for accuracy and compliance.
• Prepares compliance summaries for state leadership and provides technical assistance to regional staff where corrective action is needed.
• Analyzes operations and problems and prepares reports of findings and recommendations.
• Analyzes CPS operations in handling domestic violence cases to identify systemic challenges and recommend policy adjustments.
• Prepares reports summarizing findings from regional case practice reviews, highlighting barriers to effective service delivery and suggesting feasible solutions.
• Uses data analysis to inform leadership on operational inefficiencies or recurring gaps in domestic violence response.
• Prepares and evaluates administrative reports, studies, and specialized research projects.
• Develops and evaluates reports that measure CPS’s effectiveness in addressing cases involving child maltreatment and domestic violence.
• Conducts research on nationally recognized domestic violence practices and adapts findings into reports for agency leadership.
• Summarizes study results to support legislative testimony, policy revisions, or programmatic improvements.
• Provides consultative services and technical assistance to plan, implement, and monitor effective programs and services.
• Advises regional CPS managers and staff on best practices for assessing risk, safety planning, and partnering with domestic violence service providers.
• Provides technical assistance to support implementation of SB434 taskforce recommendations across all DFPS regions.
• Monitors regional program outcomes, offering consultation to address challenges and promote consistent practices statewide.
• Reviews and evaluates information on service delivery system methods, outputs, and activities to identify gaps in resources and recommend improvements.
• Evaluates the accessibility and effectiveness of domestic violence services provided to CPS clients and identifies areas where resources are lacking.
• Assesses service delivery data to determine whether child safety goals are being met in cases involving domestic violence.
• Provides recommendations to leadership on expanding or modifying community partnerships to close identified resource gaps.
• Works with program staff to identify trends and resolve technical problems.
• Analyzes case trends across regions to identify recurring challenges in CPS domestic violence casework.
• Provides problem-solving support to CPS staff who encounter barriers in service coordination with family violence programs.
• Facilitates peer learning by sharing statewide patterns and solutions to strengthen consistency in practice.
• Works with and speaks to community and professional groups to coordinate, improve, and stimulate interest in the program and to secure support for local programs.
• Represents DFPS in meetings with local and statewide domestic violence coalitions to build support for child protection best practices.
• Speaks to professional groups, including attorneys and judges, on DFPS’s approach to balancing child safety and victim protection in domestic violence cases.
• Facilitates collaboration between CPS staff and community service providers to expand coordinated responses to family violence.
• Serves as the meeting facilitator to lead participants in creating an appropriate action plan, utilizing mediation and facilitation skills.
• Facilitates multidisciplinary team meetings involving CPS staff, domestic violence providers, and community stakeholders to develop action plans for improving service coordination.
• Utilizes mediation techniques to resolve conflicts between stakeholders on the best approach to child and family safety planning.
• Guides taskforce subcommittees in developing action steps aligned with SB434 recommendations.
• Ensures plans developed by clients address the areas of services provided through available community resources.
• Reviews CPS case plans involving domestic violence to confirm that safety goals include referrals to local family violence resources.
• Advises staff on tailoring case plans to balance child safety with the protective capacities of the non-offending caregiver.
• Ensures batterer accountability strategies are incorporated into plans without creating additional risk for victims.
• Participates in the review and evaluation of community services to identify issues and trends resulting from the clients’ use of those services.
• Monitors the outcomes of CPS referrals to family violence shelters and counseling programs, identifying service gaps or access barriers.
• Analyzes feedback from clients and providers to evaluate the effectiveness of coordinated services.
• Reports on community service trends to DFPS leadership and recommends adjustments to strengthen client outcomes.
• Collects regional data associated with projects to monitor performance outcomes and effectiveness.
• Collects and analyzes regional data on CPS cases involving domestic violence to evaluate consistency in practice and outcomes.
• Tracks performance metrics tied to SB434 implementation and prepares summaries for state leadership.
• Uses data to identify underperforming regions and target technical assistance where most needed.
• May supervise the work of others.
• Provides guidance and oversight to staff or interns assisting with research, policy drafting, or training development.
• Reviews work products from assigned staff to ensure compliance with agency quality standards.
• Mentors junior staff on best practices in domestic violence policy, case review, and stakeholder engagement.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Benefits

• 100% paid health insurance for you, and 50% paid for eligible family members
• Retirement plans with lifetime monthly payments after five years of state service
• Options to save even more with 401(k) and 457 plans
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• Optional dental, vision, and life insurance
• Flexible spending accounts for added tax savings on health and dependent care
• Employee discounts on things like gym memberships, electronics, and entertainment
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior