Family Services Specialist - Foster Care

About the role

This Family Services Specialist performs responsible professional work in the support and assistance of agency clients through ongoing case management services and assisting agency clients with personal, social, health and economic needs within the Foster Care Division. May be assigned to a specific functional area and/or perform clinical work.

Responsibilities

• Affirms the needs of clients and families to develop a service plan.
• Investigates referrals and interviews clients as needed.
• Takes applications for services and determines service eligibility.
• Assesses/monitors situations and progress of clients by conducting field visits.
• Provides clinical and/or non-clinical services to families by listening to concerns and monitoring progress.
• Completes associated casework within associated timelines; prepares and submits court-related documentation within established deadlines.
• Makes recommendations to legal authorities.
• Develops contacts and collaborates with community partners and service providers to make referrals for services to appropriate community resources and maintain relationships and continued referrals to programs.
• Conducts group information/education sessions for clients.
• Assists in the evaluation of programs and services.
• Provides trauma-supportive and appropriately responsive service.
• Conducts monthly home visits and may coordinate progress with the treatment team as necessary.
• May be responsible as an on-call staff on a rotating basis.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services field, such as Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Counseling, or similar area.
• Bachelor's degree in any field AND 2 years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services related field; as mandated in Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia and implemented by the Virginia Board of Social Services may be substituted as equivalent.
• Masters in Social Work, Human Services, or a related field.
• Directly related experience (case management services) in Virginia within the past 2 years.
• Ability to communicate in a second language.

Qualifications

• Valid Virginia Driver’s license and acceptable driving record according to city criteria.

Skills

• Thorough knowledge and complete comprehension of eligibility requirements for public assistance, principles and practices of child welfare, substance abuse, employment services, family services and/or protective service work and state and federal procedures and legal terminology to solve common and unusual problems, advise on technical matters, and serve as a resource for others.
• Knowledge of counseling and social work principles and practices.
• Knowledge of community services and facilities available for clients served. Knowledge of crisis intervention and behavior changes techniques.
• Knowledge of human behavior and of current social, economic, and health problems of the community served.
• Intermediate: Ability to read and understand complex written materials, such as policies, regulations, and professional articles/journals.
• Intermediate: Ability to organize data, maintain case records, and write clear and concise reports and prepare explanations and summaries with proper format, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, using all parts of speech.
• Intermediate: Ability to work with, understand, and apply simple formulas to process financial documentation related to client services, reimbursements, and prepare statistical reports.
• Intermediate: Establish and maintain effectively working relationships with clients, families, co-worker’s city staff, other agencies, and the public. Provide and receive standard to more complex information. May include interactions that involve stressful, negative situations requiring significant tact and the ability to diffuse aggressive behavior and reach consensus. Requires recognizing different points of view to ensure understanding and appropriate response. Elements of persuasion may be necessary to gain cooperation and understanding.
• Skill in the use of Microsoft Office applications and department software.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including 13 paid holidays plus one floating holiday, vacation and sick leave, health insurance with employer contribution, employer-paid life insurance, gym membership reimbursement, tuition assistance, and professional development opportunities.
• Defined Benefit Pension Plan: Provides a monthly benefit upon retirement, calculated using a defined formula based on earnings history, years of service, and age. The plan includes a 5-year vesting period and requires an employee contribution of 5% of salary.
• Defined Contribution 401a Plan: Employer makes fixed contributions to an individual account, which are invested, and returns are credited to the account. The account balance is used to provide retirement benefits. Vesting occurs at 33% after one year, 67% after two years, and 100% after three years of service. No salary contribution is required.
• Voluntary 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
• Eligibility to purchase prior service credit under the Defined Benefit Plan