Senior Family Services Specialist - Permanency

Virginia Department of Social Services • Chesterfield, VA

6h

About The Position

The Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Department of Social Services is hiring a
Senior Family Services Specialist - Permanency Services Team - to support and
assist clients and relative caregivers in utilizing available resources to meet
their personal, social, health, and economic needs and to help them develop
their own capabilities.

What You Do and How You Do It:

Clients seeking solutions to specific challenges such as substance abuse, mental
health diagnoses, and management of finances, housing, health needs, education,
and employment will rely on your guidance. You'll help customers connect with
community resources to receive the services they need. You will also provide
crisis intervention to families experiencing significant life events. You will
provide a range of child welfare services including permanency planning for
children temporarily placed in foster care and adoption services. You will
gather, assess, and analyze information to develop service plans and written
assessments for children and their families using a strengths-based and trauma
informed approach.

You will work towards reunifying children with their parents and/or relatives.
You will learn local, state and federal regulations, and stay up to date as
things change. You will provide case management services to children placed in
foster care as well as to the parents of children in foster care. You will lead
the customer's treatment team which includes service providers, family members,
attorneys and other community partners involved in the case. You will document
all your work in state database that is monitored on a local and state level. At
times, as the need arises, Senior Family Services Specialist staff are assigned
to various teams within the child welfare continuum of services (foster care,
adoption, family preservation, CPS). Perform other work as required.

This position is a part of an approved Career Development Plan (CDP) and offers
career progression opportunities and salary incentives, as funding permits,
based on performance, qualifications, and experience.

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 area (Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia).
• Considerable experience in assigned program area and completion of required training programs or equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Considerable knowledge of social work principles and practices; human behavior and motivational theory; laws, policies, and regulations relating to human services program areas; investigating and interviewing techniques; legal procedures as related to program area; and social, economic, and health problems.
• Current valid driver's license and good driving record required. Based on the Virginia DMV point system, record must not reflect a total of six or more demerit points within the twenty-four months preceding the anticipated hire date, or one major violation of six demerit points within the preceding thirty-six months. Out of state driving records must be obtained by applicant and presented at time of interview. Records must reflect at least three years of history and be dated within thirty days of interview date.
• Pre-employment drug testing, FBI criminal background check, and education/degree verification are required.
• A Chesterfield County application is also required and must be submitted online by the deadline.
• This position is considered Critical Safety Sensitive and is subject to random drug and alcohol testing. The use of medical marijuana for this position is prohibited.
• This position is part of an Emergency Shelter Team during times of natural disaster, reporting to shelter duty as required.

Nice To Haves

• Two years of social work experience in public child welfare, foster care and adoption services and a master's degree in social work preferred.
• Excellent organizational, time management, oral/written communication, interpersonal, public relations and supervisory skills preferred.
• Outstanding public speaking and presentation skills, especially for court interventions preferred.
• Knowledge and ability to apply social work principles and Virginia policies in family services programs preferred.
• Abilitytodemonstrateexceptionalcriticalthinkinganddecision-makingskillsduringcrisis situations preferred.
• Computer competency required; proficiency in OASIS and Safe Measures preferred.
• Ability to interpret laws, policies and regulations related to human services is preferred.
• Exceptional ability to collaborate and achieve performance goals preferred.

Responsibilities

• support and assist clients and relative caregivers in utilizing available resources to meet their personal, social, health, and economic needs and to help them develop their own capabilities
• help customers connect with community resources to receive the services they need
• provide crisis intervention to families experiencing significant life events
• provide a range of child welfare services including permanency planning for children temporarily placed in foster care and adoption services
• gather, assess, and analyze information to develop service plans and written assessments for children and their families using a strengths-based and trauma informed approach
• work towards reunifying children with their parents and/or relatives
• learn local, state and federal regulations, and stay up to date as things change
• provide case management services to children placed in foster care as well as to the parents of children in foster care
• lead the customer's treatment team which includes service providers, family members, attorneys and other community partners involved in the case
• document all your work in state database that is monitored on a local and state level
• assigned to various teams within the child welfare continuum of services (foster care, adoption, family preservation, CPS)
• Perform other work as required

Benefits

• Chesterfield County offers an attractive benefits package.
• As a local Department of Social Services, Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Department of Social Services may offer incentives, approved through the Virginia Department of Social Services, to candidates hired who possess additional relevant training, skills and experience. Those incentives apply to individuals who possess: a Masters or Bachelors Degree in Social Work, Masters in Human Services, LCSW, Child Welfare Stipend participants, completion of COVLC new worker training or are Bilingual (Spanish & ASL).
• Did you know that working for a local government provides credit for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)?

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees