Senior Family Services Specialist
Senior Family Services Specialist
Social Services
Salary Range: $58,429 - $68,654
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. March 26, 2023
We know you: you’re flexible, adaptable and well-organized; compassionate and understanding; assertive and able to make independent decisions. You’re committed to the children who need a voice and dedicated to their safety. And you know what? You might be exactly who we’re looking for.
Customer Experience: It's Our Business, It's Our Passion.
The Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Department of Social Services is hiring Senior Family Services Specialists – for the CPS Investigations, Ongoing, and Permanency Services teams. The CPS teams respond to referrals alleging child abuse/neglect and provide ongoing services to families experiencing abuse/neglect in Chesterfield County and Colonial Heights. The Permanency Services Team supports and assists clients and relative caregivers in utilizing available resources to meet their personal, social, health, and economic needs to help them develop their own capabilities.
What You Do and How You Do it:
You will make home visits to assess the safety of children and the risk of abuse. In CPS you will investigate allegations by asking families personal or difficult questions on how the children are being raised. In Permanency you provide a range of child welfare services including permanency planning for children placed temporarily in foster care and adoption services. With both programs you engage and empower families to make positive changes through assessing their needs, developing services plans, making referrals to community partners and providing case management services. You will learn local, state and federal regulations, and stay up-to-date as things change. You will provide after-hours CPS on-call coverage or Permanency on-call coverage on a rotating schedule. 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). You may have other assignments in other areas based on the needs of the agency. Perform other work as required. This position is 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.
Here’s What You Need:
We prefer a worker with experience in public child welfare, preferably child protective services, foster care and/or adoption with the mandated Virginia CPS and/or Permanency training. Bachelor's degree in social work or a human service field; Master’s degree in social work is preferred; one year of social work experience preferred; or an equivalent combination for training and experience.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills to include the ability to interact with a diverse population
- Outstanding public speaking and presentation skills, especially for court interventions
- Assertive and confident – especially when being challenged
- Independent thinker and decision maker
- Strong computer skills
- Ability to deal effectively with conflict
- A real commitment to the safety of children and to Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Department of Social Services
- Strong time management and organization skills
The starting salary range is $58,429 - $68,654 annually, plus an attractive benefits package.
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 required.
Realistic Job Preview
We’ll be honest—this is intense. You may have contact with hostile families and children and home visits may be in less than adequate living conditions. Your emotions will range from the fear of what will happen on your very first home visit to profound sadness for severely traumatized or injured children. It’s a stressful job with critical outcomes. You have to be committed to your client – the children and their families. You have the power to create positive change and have a direct impact on the lives of children and their families that lasts a lifetime. When a child sees you years later after becoming a well-adjusted adult and thanks you, you realize you may have saved a life. Being a family services specialist isn’t for everyone, but if you are committed to making a real difference in the lives of others and are looking for a career rather than a job, we want you on our team.
Your New Career…Making a Difference by Helping Those in Need
A Chesterfield County application is required and must be submitted online by deadline. Visit chesterfield.gov/careers to view instructions and to complete and submit an application. (804) 748-1551.
An Equal Opportunity Employer Committed to Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion