Family Services Specialist I/II

Job Title

Family Services Specialist I

Key Responsibilities:

Assessment and Planning: Evaluating the needs of children entering foster care, developing and implementing individualized care plans, and assessing the suitability of potential foster homes.

Coordination and Communication: Working with foster families, biological families, social services, schools, healthcare providers, and other relevant parties to ensure the child's needs are met.

Monitoring and Support: Conducting regular home visits to monitor the child's progress, providing emotional support and counseling to children and families, and offering training and support to foster parents.

Facilitating Permanency: Working towards family reunification when appropriate, or facilitating the adoption process when reunification is not possible.

Documentation and Reporting : Maintaining detailed case notes, documenting progress, and attending court hearings to provide testimony.

Crisis Intervention: Responding to crisis situations and providing immediate intervention to ensure the child's safety and well-being.

Advocacy : Advocating for the child's best interests and ensuring they have access to necessary resources and services.

Title Description :

Family Services Specialist I represents the entry level employees working under close supervision while being trained in program areas such as, Adult/Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care/Adoption, Child Care, and Employment Services. Employees perform routine- to journey-level casework activities and the casework usually is reviewed by the supervisor prior to implementing a case action. Upon completion of the training program and attainment of necessary approvals, the employee shall be redefined to a full-performance Family Services Specialist II and becomes eligible for a pay increase as defined by the local agency compensation plan. The Family Services Specialist I is distinguished from the Family Services Specialist II by the latter's functioning more independently as a full performance Family Services Specialist.

This is the full performance level in the occupational group for Family Services. Employees are responsible for developing and implementing individualized service plans involving the application of casework methods in Employment Services and Child Care, and basic service level caseloads of Adult/Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care, Adoptions. Employees may provide services in all program areas or specialize in one or several program areas. Typically employees perform all tasks independently and only seek supervisory advice on unusual situations or when policies and procedures require supervisory review or involvement. The Family Services Specialist II is distinguished from the Family Services Specialist III by the latter's functioning at the advanced level, and becoming more specialized in program areas and assuming more complex duties (such as: interviewing/investigating in cases involving suspected child/adult abuse/neglect, out-of-home placements, guardianships, emergency protective orders, and adoptions).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge - Some knowledge of: social work principles and practices; human behavior and motivational theory; and social, economic, and health problems. Skills- Skill in operating a motor vehicle and personal computer with associated software.

Skills - Skill in operating a motor vehicle and personal computer with associated software.

Abilities - Demonstrated ability to: communicate effectively both orally and in writing; interview, assess needs, counsel and refer clients to other resources as needed; develop and implement service plans in order to insure the delivery of appropriate services to the client; make sound judgments within the framework of existing laws, policies, and regulations; respond to the client's emotions in order to accomplish services objectives; plan and manage own work activities including service delivery preparing reports, and correspondence, record keeping responsibilities and related activities; establish and maintain effective relationships; and stay abreast of current trends and developments in the social work field.

Education and Experience - Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a Human Services field or minimum of a Bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area as mandated in Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia and implemented by the Virginia Board of Social Services. Possession of a BSW or MSW degree and a Commonwealth of Virginia Social Worker license are desirable.

About Us

VDSS is one of the largest Commonwealth agencies, partnering with 120 local departments of social services, along with faith-based and non-profit organizations, to promote the well-being of children and families statewide. We proudly serve alongside nearly 13,000 state and local human services professionals throughout the Social Services System, who ensure that thousands of Virginia's most vulnerable citizens have access to best services and benefits available to them.