Family Safety Practitioner III - Child Protective Services Sexual Abuse Investigations

Job Announcement

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires. Do you want to be a part of a team that makes a difference in the lives of children and families? As a Child Protective Services (CPS) Family Safety Practitioner, you will engage with parents and their children who are at risk of or victims of abuse or neglect and strengthen families so they can safely care for their children. This life-changing work involves taking decisive and appropriate actions when a child needs protection, analyzing complex information, and employing intervention services and strategies to achieve the best outcomes for children. We are looking for people who are committed to children's safety and family preservation, possess good critical thinking and decision-making skills, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. While this job is challenging and may have long and sometimes unconventional hours, this is more than a job—it is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and families.

Duties of the CPS Family Safety Practitioner: In this job, you will be supported by a team of caring people working together to keep children safe and strengthen families. You will make an impact by the following:

• Conducts child sexual abuse and neglect family assessment/investigations
• Assesses allegations of child abuse and neglect, which includes interviewing children, parents, and other involved parties, often in their homes or community spaces
• Uses our practice model to comprehensively assess children and their families, including assessments of protective, risk, and safety factors
• Takes appropriate actions based on informed decisions and relevant policy to keep children safe and support families. This may include creating and monitoring safety plans, connecting families with services, providing brief clinical interventions to address immediate concerns, de-escalating tense situations, supporting families' decisions for alternate living arrangements, or separating children and placing them in foster care.
• Collaborates with other professionals to gather and share information and inform decision-making.
• Assists the CPS supervisor with providing technical guidance and training to staff
• Attends monthly Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings. Participates in training of MDT members
• Obtains forensic interview training certification and subsequent related training
• Participates in peer reviews
• Works in collaboration with law enforcement and Inova Fairfax hospital staff in the conducting of SANE exams
• Represents the agency's sexual abuse unit in the county including community and professional training regarding issues of sexual abuse
• Takes legal action when needed to ensure children are safe. This includes preparing and filing court paperwork and attending and testifying in court hearings.
• Documents interactions and observations related to assessments and decision-making in a timely manner.

What you need to be successful:

• Ability to manage conflict and cope with pressure in a professional manner
• Ability to work flexible hours as needed, including on-call rotation
• Ability to work collaboratively
• Knowledge of child development and family functioning
• Ability to use critical thinking skills to analyze information and develop goals for the safety and well-being of children
• Ability to partner with families to address issues such as parenting, financial stability, mental health, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, etc.
• Ability to work with individuals and families across cultures
• Strong verbal and writing skills
• Ability to plan and organize your work while adjusting to changing situations and priorities
• Commitment to learning about process, policy, best practices and our practice model and apply the learning to daily tasks.

Grow your career with Fairfax County! With more than 16,000 employees, Fairfax County is a diverse workforce offering employees stimulating and challenging opportunities across a broad scope of career opportunities. As a Fairfax County employee, you impact the well-being of our community every day. This is an exciting time to join Fairfax County Government as we shape racial and social equity policies in the county through the One Fairfax Policy. Using this framework, we intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services.