Family Services Specialist I (Permanency)

Hiring Range: $41,432.00 to Commensurate With Experience

Full Time or Part Time: Full Time

Additional Detail

Everything we do is designed to inspire positive change and empower the residents of Warren County to thrive, build resilience and promote wellbeing within our community.

The Warren County Department of Social Services is looking to hire a Permanency Specialist to work with children in foster care and their families to focus on achieving long-term, stable living situations for children, ensuring their well-being and permanency planning.  We believe children do best when raised in families and that all children deserve to be safe as well as a permanent family.  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.

General Work Tasks Include:

Interprets laws, policies and regulations as applied to specific area of foster care;

Coordinates services for children in foster care and their biological parents;

Interviews and assesses customer needs and other relevant factors – such as education/skill levels, abilities, interests, and support systems.

Informs clients of related service programs rules/regulations, and right to participate;

Presents cases to determine appropriate services and writes/implements service plans;

Provides case management services to monitor compliance;

Completes necessary federal, state and local planning and reporting requirements;

Coordinates with other agencies and participates in multi-disciplinary and interagency teams providing services to customers;

Serves as resource to clients and the community in area of expertise; and

Provides after hours on-call coverage and responds to emergencies in child/adult protective services and/or foster care.

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.