Social Service Specialist 1-3 In-Training (SSS3) - Region 5/Pierce & Kitsap County

Social Service Specialist 1-3

Our vision is to ensure that "All Washington's children and youth grow up safe and healthy, thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community".

Attention: This announcement will be used to generate a candidate pool for 2026 to fill vacancies within Region 5 as they occur. If you have already applied, no need to reapply; your application status remains unchanged. *****WE HAVE CURRENT OPENINGS AT THE FOLLOWING OFFICES: Bremerton & Parkland. If you are interested in these specific locations, please apply.*****

Job Title: Social Service Specialist 1-3 (SSS1), (SSS2), (SSS3). Units: CPS, CPS/FAR, and CFWS. Locations: Region 5 - Pierce and Kitsap Counties. Offices are located in Puyallup, Tacoma, Parkland, Lakewood, and Bremerton. Travel is a requirement of this position. This position will travel within its assigned areas of work, and the incumbent will be required to travel with clients as cases require, as well as travel to attend trainings and meetings in other locations. Job Type: Full-time, Permanent. Salary: $4,771 - $7,622. Assignment Pay: When the incumbent reaches the goal class of Social Service Specialist 3, they will receive 10% assignment pay. This assignment pay is in addition to the regular base salary as the required duties include performing visits in unregulated environments, such as private residences, to conduct investigations for allegations of abuse and/or neglect and assess the safety of vulnerable children. The salary listed does not include the 2% general wage increase effective July 1, 2026.

The Opportunity: In this role, you will assess complex family situations, interview children and parents, evaluate child safety, develop plans to protect children in their homes, and offer services to children and families.

CPS (Child Protective Services): CPS Specialists investigate allegations of child abuse or neglect and provide the appropriate recommendations and services for families. Under the CPS umbrella is FAR (Family Assessment Response). FAR is an alternative CPS pathway for families with low and moderate allegations of child abuse or neglect. Qualifying families may choose this pathway. Social Service Specialists work with families to keep children safe and build on their strengths to establish community support for long-term success.

CFWS (Child and Family Welfare Services): CFWS Specialists provide a variety of strategies to achieve safe and timely permanency for children. Permanency planning involves active and reasonable efforts for timely reunification and identifying and monitoring placement that is in the child's best interest, safe, stable, least restrictive, and near the parent and the child's school when possible. This requires safety, permanency, and well-being activities.

Some of what you will do:

• Determine if children are safe with their families through respectful investigation and/or assessments.
• Intervene to protect unsafe children and develop a case plan with the family to remedy the situation so families can safely parent their children.
• Follow child welfare laws, policies, and procedures.
• Conduct ongoing comprehensive assessments of risk and safety, develop case plans, and authorize services for children, youth, birth parents, and caregivers.
• Implement culturally appropriate, ADA-sensitive, and individualized service plans with families that are goal-directed, behavior-specific, and time-limited.
• Refer, coordinate, and monitor the delivery of services.
• Utilize shared planning meetings to plan, develop, and coordinate with parents, relatives, attorneys, and other relevant professionals.
• Conduct health and safety visits to ensure the child's health, safety, and well-being needs are met.
• Develop and implement timely permanent plans that are responsive to the child's permanency needs.
• Provide reasonable and active efforts to parents to prevent removal and ensure early and prompt referrals for court-ordered services.
• Identify primary and concurrent permanent plans within legal and mandated time frames.
• Consult with the agency attorney and prepare required legal documents for court, placement, and service delivery.
• Assist in placing children in approved placements and prepare the child for visitation with parents and siblings.
• Transport children to placement, appointments, or family time/sibling visits.
• Schedule and supervise/monitor visitations.
• Document case notes/case activity in the State computer database, FAMLINK.
• Write court reports and prepare legal documents.
• Attend court and provide expert court testimony.

Salary Ranges:

• Social Service Specialist 1: $4,771 - $6,414
• Social Service Specialist 2: $5,398 - $7,254
• Social Service Specialist 3: $5,666 - $7,622

Required Qualifications:

Social Service Specialist 1: A completed Bachelor's degree in social services, human services, or behavioral sciences. OR A completed Bachelor's degree which includes 30 semester credits or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline. (If you have an unrelated Bachelor's degree and do not have the required credits in a Social Service discipline, you must obtain the required college credits within the first 18 months of employment.) OR Four (4) years of paid work experience in one of the following: caring for children, counseling youth, educating youth AND 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline. (If you do not have the required credits in a Social Service discipline, you must obtain the required college credits within the first 18 months of employment.) AND The ability to take action to learn and grow. The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Social Service Specialist 2: Five (5) years of paid social service experience AND you must have completed 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline. OR A Master's degree in social services, human services, or behavioral sciences, or a Master's degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND a completed practicum. OR A Bachelor's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or a Bachelor's degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND one (1) year of paid social service experience. OR One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 1 (SSS1). AND The ability to take action to learn and grow. The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Social Service Specialist 3: Six (6) years of paid social service experience* AND you must have completed 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline. OR A Master's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or a Master's degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND One (1) year of paid social service experience*. OR A Bachelor's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or Bachelor's degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND two (2) years of paid social service experience*. OR One year as a Social Service Specialist 2 (SSS2). AND The ability to take action to learn and grow. The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

*Paid social service experience must include at least one (1) year assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered practice services.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable laws, rules, and policies on child protective and child welfare services.
• Demonstrated knowledge of addiction, treatment, relapse prevention, and recovery principles, and/or experience working with individuals with substance use disorder.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively and build consensus with families, community partners, and professionals around difficult or sensitive topics.
• Experience assessing risk and safety concerning child abuse and neglect or developing safety or service plans with families.
• Ability to organize information to meet FAMLINK documentation requirements.

Worker Core Training (WCT): As a Social Service Specialist, you are required to successfully complete a mandatory 9.5-week Worker Core Training (WCT). This training provides the foundational knowledge and skills needed to perform core job functions, including assessing risk and safety, supporting child well-being, gathering information, and conducting case and permanency planning. During the training, you will have opportunities to practice these skills through classroom activities, simulation exercises, and debriefs. Upon hire, you will be assigned to the nearest available training cohort. The training includes four (4) weeks at our Seattle training site (scheduled for Weeks 2, 4, 6,