Family Service Specialist

About the role

The Family Service Specialist series consists of the Family Service Specialist, Senior Family Service Specialist, Master Family Service Specialist, and Family Crisis Therapist classifications. Incumbents in these roles directly provide and coordinate professional case management services to children, youth, adults, and families experiencing abuse, neglect, dependency, behavioral concerns, crisis situations, or family dysfunction. An incumbent in this class conducts assessments, and provides planning, facilitation, advocacy, monitoring, and evaluation which is achieved through collaboration with the client and other professionals.

Responsibilities

• Interviews clients and family members and/or professionals to gather personal, social and background information;
• Works closely with the client and family to formulate a clear description of the client and family’s problems;
• Identify the key forces which maintain the problems;
• Discover resources and strengths available to the client and family to resolve the problems;
• Identify the blocks, if any, that prevent the client and family from resolving the problems without the intervention of the State agency.

Requirements

• Determines eligibility for various social service programs offered by the agency or available in the community;
• In collaboration with the client and family, and with consultation from a technical superior, develops and implements service/treatment plans, outlining the goals and objectives to be accomplished, methods and techniques to be used, and anticipated results;
• Helps the client and family to obtain community, social and/or therapeutic services and resources needed to accomplish plans and objectives;
• Assists and connects clients and their families to needed services;
• Addresses family conflict and engages crisis resolution;
• Evaluates progress towards goals and makes recommendations on plans such as reclassification, discharge, aftercare, emergency protective placement in emergency or crisis situations, guardianship, petitions or options counseling.

Qualifications

• One year of experience in professional health or human service work.
• Two years' experience in paraprofessional health or human service work.
• An Associates degree may substitute for one year of paraprofessional experience.
• Possession of a Bachelor's degree or higher or have an anticipated graduation date within 3 months, with coursework in Behavioral Science, Psychology, Sociology, Human Services or related field.

Skills

Paraprofessional health or human service work may include but is not limited to interviewing clients and identifying personal, health, social or financial needs to align with program requirements, or coordinating with community resources to obtain client services.

Professional health or human service work may include but is not limited to determining eligibility for and availability of community resources; assisting and connecting clients and their families to needed services; addressing family conflict and engaging crisis resolution; and evaluating progress towards goals.

Benefits

There will be an additional supplemental Questionnaire question where you can select specific locations you would like to be considered for: New Castle County DSCYF Churchman, Barratt Building, Robbins Building, Adams State Service Ctr, Pyle State Service Center, Milford Riverwalk Center, Mid shift is 12:00pm to 8:00pm Monday-Friday, 2nd shift is 3:30 pm to 12:00 am Monday-Friday, 3rd shift is 11:30 pm to 8 am Monday-Friday, Weekend Shift: Hours of coverage are 11:15 pm Friday through Sunday 11:45 pm including holidays.

Pay

There will be a 12% shift differential for 2nd and 3rd shifts, and a 30% shift differential for weekend/holiday positions.

Schedule

Positions require the ability to work independently in both the office and during home visits or in community settings, including independent statewide travel to conduct home visits, court appearances, community-based services and responses, and respond to urgent situations to assess/maintain child safety and well-being. Work may involve responding to time-sensitive situations in community and home settings, which may require working outside of the standard work hours based on meet the needs of families and children as well as other operational needs.