Family Services Specialist I

Hiring Range: $41,432.00 to Commensurate With Experience

Full Time or Part Time: Full Time

Additional Detail

In Warren County, everything we do is designed to inspire positive change and empower our residents to thrive, build resilience and promote wellbeing within the community.  We believe in thinking differently and challenging the notions of traditional Social Services. We prioritize customer service, family empowerment, personal responsibility and continuous learning.

A Prevention Specialist focuses on keeping families together and preventing children from entering the foster care system. They achieve this by providing support services and resources to families in need, aiming to address the root causes of potential placement disruptions.

Key responsibilities of a Prevention Specialist include:

• Assessing family needs and strengths: Understanding the challenges a family is facing and identifying    existing resources to help them overcome those challenges.

• Connecting families with appropriate services: Linking families with services like parenting support, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, financial assistance, and childcare.

• Strengthening family relationships and communication: Providing guidance and support to improve communication and build stronger, healthier family dynamics.

• Promoting child safety and well-being: Ensuring children are safe and protected within their families and communities.

• Collaborating with other professionals: Working with social workers, therapists, educators, and other community partners to provide comprehensive support.

• Developing and implementing prevention plans: Creating individualized plans to address specific needs and prevent future crises.

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. 

General Work Tasks – 

• Interprets laws, policies and regulations as applied to specific area of responsibility; 
• Monitors, coordinates and administers specific programs as assigned; 
• 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 - 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.

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.