Social Services Specialist - Wellbeing / Permancy

About the role

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) is seeking a Social Service Specialist within the Wellbeing/Permanency Unit. This position involves creating and maintaining case files, conducting investigations, making referrals, and attending court hearings.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain case files for children in care
• Document in MDCPS online database program
• Visit children in care in foster homes, facilities, and hospitals
• Complete investigations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
• Complete ongoing safety and risk assessments
• Participate in scheduled county conferences/meetings for assigned children-in-care
• Make referrals for children-in-care to receive services including dental, vision, and medical
• Transport children-in-care to appointments and destinations
• Arrange for visitation with siblings and parents
• Attend staff meetings with supervisor (normally) and all-staff meetings
• Aid with new hires by being "shadow buddies"
• On-call for after-hours situations (rotating responsibility with other staff members)
• Communicate with families, service providers, parents, foster parents, and the public
• Schedule and attend Family Team Meetings

Requirements

• Professional commitment to and caring about clients and the larger profession of child welfare
• Personal resilience and strong self-efficacy beliefs about the ability to work with clients to produce positive client outcomes
• Efficient organizational and time management skills
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Positive work morale
• Ability to be flexible in thinking and problem solving
• Realistic expectations about the difficulty and challenges of the work
• Valid drivers license and insurance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in social work, social services, psychology, educational psychology, sociology, nursing, criminal justice, counseling, marriage and family therapy, family studies, or a related field
• Typically requires 1-3 years of experience, with appointing authority requiring a social worker's license
• Hiring agency prefers a Bachelor's Degree and 2-4 years of experience, also requiring a social worker's license

Skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Knowledge of child welfare laws and regulations
• Proficiency in computer software used for case management and data entry

Benefits

MDCPS offers competitive salaries, benefits, and professional development opportunities. The salary may vary based on education and qualifications.

Pay

The salary for this position may be based on education and qualifications.

Schedule

The schedule for this position includes 4 weeks of on-site training and 4 weeks of On-The-Job Training, followed by a comprehensive test before continued employment and/or advancement.