Social Services Associate (Family Contact) - Wasilla (PCN 069276)

State of Alaska•Wasilla, AK

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Family and Community Services, Office of Children’s Services (OCS), is hiring a full-time Social Services Associate in Wasilla, Alaska. The Family Contact Social Services Associate partners with Beacon Hill and the Mat-Su Health Foundation to facilitate family contact between children in foster care and their families using a best-practices approach. The employee receives specified training to facilitate meaningful, healthy, culturally centered contact for families involved in the child welfare system in the Mat-Su area. The role supports families and their family-contact goals while working directly with a PSS to ensure children’s safety and well-being during contact. The position is based in the Wasilla OCS Office and may involve travel for up to a week at a time. Travel to outlying areas may involve small aircraft and overnight stays, and multiple training courses may take place in Anchorage. OCS staff are considered essential and may be required to work overtime, on-call hours, evenings, weekends, and holidays, including during pandemics and natural disasters. The agency also states that it supports a healthy work/life balance. The successful candidate is courteous and professional, calm, motivated, efficient, and able to think critically. They must be able to adapt to last-minute changes, work independently or with a team, de-escalate stressful situations involving children and adults, work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds, drive confidently in all weather conditions, and manage time and competing tasks effectively. A valid Alaska driver’s license is required. Use of a personal vehicle for work requires current automotive insurance; mileage reimbursement is available when a personal vehicle is used for work-related matters. Employment offers are conditional on successful background and child-protective-history checks, including fingerprinting. The first six months are probationary and include formal and on-the-job training with a supervisor and colleagues. Full-time benefits include insurance benefits, retirement benefits, paid leave, and twelve paid holidays per year.

Requirements

One year of any combination of postsecondary or vocational education and/or experience assisting clients, customers, the general public, or other staff in explaining and applying guidelines, policies, or services.
Valid Alaska driver's license.
Ability to lift children weighing up to 40 pounds into car seats.
Ability to adapt flexibly to last-minute changes and work independently or as part of a team.
Ability to remain calm in stressful situations and de-escalate children and adults.
Experience working with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Confidence driving in all weather conditions.
Experience using Microsoft Office Suite, Word, and meeting platforms such as Zoom and Teams.
Good time-management and multitasking abilities.
Successful completion of a background check, child-protective-history check, and fingerprint check as a condition of an employment offer.
Current automotive insurance is required before using a personal vehicle for State business.

Responsibilities

Facilitate meaningful, healthy, culturally centered family contact between children in foster care and their families.
Encourage and coach parents in practicing safe parenting skills.
Document family contacts and ensure documentation is submitted promptly.
Transport children to and from family contact as needed.
Coordinate scheduling with parents and foster-care placements.
Support families and their goals in family contact while working directly with the PSS to ensure children’s safety and well-being.
Perform other duties as assigned.