Family Services Specialist II

Virginia Department of Social Services•Rustburg, VA

6d•$55,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Family Services Specialist II position is critical in ensuring the safety and well-being of children and families. This is not a remote work position. This sensitive position involves applying casework methods across various service areas, including Employment Services, Child Care, Adult/Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care, and Adoptions. The specialist may focus on one or more multiple program areas, performing tasks independently while seeking supervisory advice for unusual situations or policy reviews. Key responsibilities consist of the intake process, including Child and Adult Protective Services, providing an initial access point to services of the agency and an immediate response to crises that threaten the welfare, health, or safety of individuals. The service worker provides information on the availability, accessibility, and use of resources. Conducts initial screening and assessment, crisis intervention, and assistance with emergency needs. Intake staff must be able to recognize a customer’s strengths and must adequately direct or refer the customer to the appropriate service, benefit program(s), or community resources. Responsibilities to include conducting assessments to create individualized service plans addressing specific risk factors and needs, managing basic service-level caseloads across various program areas to ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and agency standards. Conducts office and field visits to monitor and support families while providing services directly as needed, documenting case records of customer contact and activities to ensure accurate and timely data entry into state systems, interpreting and applying relevant laws, policies, and regulations to ensure compliance with applicable standards, preparing reports for local and state administration ensuring thorough and accurate documentation. The service worker will participate in emergency shelter training and exercises and staff emergency shelters during disaster periods to ensure the safety and well-being of displaced families. Maintains a professional and positive attitude to foster a collaborative working relationship within the agency and the community, engaging in ongoing professional development to enhance skills and knowledge in child welfare and prevention services, acting as a community liaison by serving as the primary point of contact between the agency and the community to foster partnership and collaboration, coordinating and leading community outreach initiatives to support at-risk families and individuals. Manages fatherhood initiative programs to support fathers and promote their active involvement in their children’s lives, working with prison reentry programs to assist individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community, executing prevention services to mitigate risks and enhance the stability and well-being of families. Conducts Service Intake to efficiently assess and address the immediate needs of individuals and families seeking assistance. Administers drug/alcohol screenings. Provides 24-hour on-call services.

Requirements

Working knowledge of principles and practices of assigned human services programs.
Working knowledge of local service agencies and organizations and departmental programs and activities.
Working knowledge of program management and development.
Working knowledge of laws, regulations, policies and standards related to the program.
Working knowledge of program terminology, principles and methods utilized in the program.
Working knowledge of human behavior; individual differences, personalities and interests/motivations; group behavior and dynamics.
Knowledge of employment counseling; job development/placement; social and economic issues.
Skill in operating a computer to enter, retrieve or modify data.
Skill in the use of spreadsheet, database, desktop publishing, e-mail, Internet, or other computer programs.
Skill in operating a motor vehicle.
Skill in developing and implementing realistic service plans in order to ensure delivery of appropriate services.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with customer, staff and community partners.
Demonstrated ability to gather and interpret data, assess customer needs.
Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate and evaluate program activities.
Demonstrated ability to maintain effective working relationships with customer, staff, agencies, and community partners.
Demonstrated ability to identify needs and assess services in problem solving.
Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply regulations and procedures.
Demonstrated ability to facilitate classes for VIEW/SNAP E&T participants to enhance employability and self-sufficiency.
Demonstrated ability to speak publicly to promote the VIEW program to community partners to establish Public Service Program (PSP) and Community Work Experience Program (CWEP) sites and Federal Employment Program (FEP) employers.
Demonstrated ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of people.
Demonstrated ability to produce meaningful, clear, and concise documents with the proper grammar and usage.
Demonstrated ability to read understand and interpret program/technical reports and related materials.
Ability to effectively listen, understand and communicate information/ideas to plan and organize to ensure program activities are implemented/maintained.
Ability to make and implement case decisions.
Ability to make sound judgment within framework of existing guidance.
Ability to respond to the customer’s emotions in order to accomplish service objectives.
Ability to plan and manage own work activities including service delivery.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
Ability to assess family's strengths and needs in all areas.
Ability to objectively plan and reason.
Ability to interpret laws, policies and regulations to ensure duties are performed in compliance with federal, state, local and agency guidelines, standards, regulations, policies and laws.
Demonstrated ability to work well with others and maintain a positive and professional attitude.
Willing to work outside normal business hours.

Responsibilities

Applying casework methods across various service areas, including Employment Services, Child Care, Adult/Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care, and Adoptions.
Performing tasks independently while seeking supervisory advice for unusual situations or policy reviews.
Conducting the intake process, including Child and Adult Protective Services, providing an initial access point to services of the agency and an immediate response to crises that threaten the welfare, health, or safety of individuals.
Providing information on the availability, accessibility, and use of resources.
Conducting initial screening and assessment, crisis intervention, and assistance with emergency needs.
Recognizing a customer’s strengths and adequately directing or referring the customer to the appropriate service, benefit program(s), or community resources.
Conducting assessments to create individualized service plans addressing specific risk factors and needs.
Managing basic service-level caseloads across various program areas to ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and agency standards.
Conducting office and field visits to monitor and support families while providing services directly as needed.
Documenting case records of customer contact and activities to ensure accurate and timely data entry into state systems.
Interpreting and applying relevant laws, policies, and regulations to ensure compliance with applicable standards.
Preparing reports for local and state administration ensuring thorough and accurate documentation.
Participating in emergency shelter training and exercises and staffing emergency shelters during disaster periods to ensure the safety and well-being of displaced families.
Maintaining a professional and positive attitude to foster a collaborative working relationship within the agency and the community.
Engaging in ongoing professional development to enhance skills and knowledge in child welfare and prevention services.
Acting as a community liaison by serving as the primary point of contact between the agency and the community to foster partnership and collaboration.
Coordinating and leading community outreach initiatives to support at-risk families and individuals.
Managing fatherhood initiative programs to support fathers and promote their active involvement in their children’s lives.
Working with prison reentry programs to assist individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community.
Executing prevention services to mitigate risks and enhance the stability and well-being of families.
Conducting Service Intake to efficiently assess and address the immediate needs of individuals and families seeking assistance.
Administering drug/alcohol screenings.
Providing 24-hour on-call services.