Social Services Associate Ketchikan (PCN 063030)

State Of Alaska•Ketchikan, AK

50d•$23

About The Position

The Department of Family and Community Services, Office of Children's Services (OCS) is recruiting for full-time Social Services Associate (SSA) located in Ketchikan , Alaska. This position is open to Alaska Residents only. What You Will Be Doing : A Social Services Associate is an administrative position. You will be supporting professional staff by gathering information for assessments, case planning and evaluation, while performing duties that can include providing parenting support during family contact to enable parents to practice parenting skills in a safe environment, accessing electronic databases, and providing information to professional staff to make necessary referrals for families to other agencies. As a Social Services Associate you will work with families and children, helping to provide services that will enhance families' capacities to give their children a healthy start, to provide them with safe and permanent homes, to maintain cultural connections, and to help them realize their potential. The successful incumbent will be courteous, professional in language and presentation, calm, motivated, efficient, and have strong critical thinking skills. This position will require traveling up to a week at a time. The Office of Children's Services requires staff to work overtime when deemed necessary. OCS Staff are considered essential, so are expected to work during pandemic and other natural disasters. The agency also supports a healthy work/life balance for all staff. For more information: OCS Practice Model . Our Organization, Mission, and Culture : The Office of Children's Services strives for a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and wellbeing are paramount and employees at all levels promote a culture where everyone is valued, treated equitably, and treated respectfully. The Mission of the Office of Children's Services is: Ensuring the safety, permanency and well-being of children by strengthening families, engaging communities, and partnering with Tribes. Everything we do is underpinned by our Core Values . Benefits of Joining Our Team : The Office of Children's Services is committed to an organizational culture that values each team member. We are committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. We celebrate and value the diversity of our employees, partners, and families we serve. Your first 6 months in the agency are probationary and considered a training period, with formal and on-the-job training with your supervisor and your colleagues. Full-time benefits of this position include but are not limited to: Insurance Benefits; Retirement Benefits; Paid Leave; and twelve paid holidays per year. Please see the benefits tab on this posting for more information. Working Environment You Can Expect: This position will be located in Ketchikan, Alaska and supports communities within Southeast Alaska. The Office of Children's Service's staff are considered essential and are required to work after hours, on-call hours, through pandemics- natural disasters, and all holidays that land on their rotational work week. The work we perform is critical and significantly impacts the communities we serve. As a result, the Office of Children's Services works on evenings and weekends as well as weekdays, so overtime and on-call work are expectations of our workers. Travel varies based on casework or regional needs. 0-2 times a month or 0-2 times a year, within the day or overnight. Travel to villages or cities for placement or visitation varies based on regional needs. Travel in outlying areas may involve small aircraft. Dependent on casework needs, some travel may require overnight stays. For information on the Ketchikan community (including schools, hospitals, housing), please review the Alaska Community Profiles .

Requirements

One year of any combination of postsecondary or vocational education and/or experience in assisting clients, customers, the general public, or other staff in the explanation and application of guidelines, policies, or services.
This position requires a valid Real ID Alaska driver's license.
Current automotive insurance must be in place prior to use of a personal vehicle while conducting business on behalf of the State.
A child protective history check will be performed per AS 12.62.160 and/or 13 AAC 68.315 including a background and fingerprint check.

Nice To Haves

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
Customer/Quality Focus: Anticipates, monitors, and meets the needs of customers and responds to them in an effective, appropriate manner. Demonstrates commitment to identifying customers' apparent and underlying needs and continually seeks to provide the highest quality service and product to all customers.
Adaptability: Adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing environment.
Computer Skills: Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.
Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Responsibilities

supporting professional staff by gathering information for assessments, case planning and evaluation
performing duties that can include providing parenting support during family contact to enable parents to practice parenting skills in a safe environment
accessing electronic databases
providing information to professional staff to make necessary referrals for families to other agencies
work with families and children, helping to provide services that will enhance families' capacities to give their children a healthy start, to provide them with safe and permanent homes, to maintain cultural connections, and to help them realize their potential