Social Services Specialist II - Neighborhood Networks

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Social Services Specialist II - Neighborhood Networks

Salary

$64,190.88 - $106,984.59 Annually

Location

FAIRFAX (EJ27), VA

Job Type

FT Hourly W BN

Job Number

24-02241

Department

Family Services

Opening Date

09/21/2024

Closing Date

10/4/2024 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S23

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description

• Benefits

• Questions

Job Announcement

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires.

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families? Do you have the skills to collaborate with community partners, work with a multi-disciplinary team, and work to strengthen protective factors in families? The Department of Family Services (DFS) is looking for a dedicated and driven individual to join our team as a full-time Intake Specialist for the Neighborhood Networks (NN) program within the Children, Youth, and Families Division (CYF). To learn more about DFS and its Mission, Vision, and Values, please click here.

Key Responsibilities of the Intake Specialist:

• Nomination Management:

• Manage the nomination process to maximize Neighborhood Networks caseloads.

• Determine appropriate nominations for the Neighborhood Networks Program (NN) using current databases.

• Complete the initial Structured Decision Making (SDM) Risk Assessment to determine risk levels.

• Open cases in OASIS & electronic case management system, support clients while on a waitlist, and/or assist nominating partners in identifying more appropriate resources.

• Community Collaboration:

• Attend community outreach events and Multidisciplinary Team Meetings at various nomination sites in the community or virtually.

• Engage with nominating partners regarding families on the NN waitlist.

• Maintain routine contact with schools and community partners to obtain new nominations or status updates on families on the NN waitlist.

• Communicate with families on the NN waitlist to assess immediate needs.

• Screen Family Resource Meeting requests for DFS assignment.

• Provide resources or training regarding trends.

• Data Management:

• Independently manage data collected through the intake process.

• Provide reports on nominations and case data.

• Team Representation:

• Represent the Prevention Program in team staffing such as case consultations and R.E.D. team.

• Attend other meetings and events as needed.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES:

• Advocates for and assists families and individuals in obtaining services.

• Works with the community and schools to identify families, children and individuals needing social services and coordinates these services using a wrap-around approach.

• Communicates and works with colleagues, clients and the community in a manner that supports the agency and program goals and objectives.

• Participates as a contributing member on interagency, multi-disciplinary teams, community groups and professional organizations.

• Collaborates and contributes to child specific teams on non-agency cases as assigned to assist in identifying community resources and services for families;

• Provides training and community education on a variety of social work topics;

• Conducts home visits to families for the purpose of monitoring, counseling and supervision;

• Uses automated technology and hard copy files to maintain and update case data, notes, documents, records, contacts and summaries of information. Maintains case notes, documents and records, enters and updates case load data, contacts and summaries of information;

• Prepares and provides reports on casework;

• Performs or reviews initial assessment of client's presenting need and conducts additional assessment as necessary to develop a coordinated service plan that establishes goals, tasks, and time frames with appropriate county and community-based service providers;

• Consults with community-based organizations (CBO) staff on resources and service strategies that support service area work with individuals and families.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

Conducts comprehensive clinical assessments and prepares and implements service plans;

Works with clients to develop a plan of service to meet social, health, emotional and economic needs. With the client, formulates objectives and identifies actions to resolve the clients' problems;

Advocates for and assists families and individuals in obtaining services (e.g., mental health, intellectual disability, alcohol and drug, housing referrals, financial assistance for basic needs, home based services, training and medical services);

Works with the community to identify families, children and individuals needing social services and coordinates these services using a wrap-around approach;

Provides family counseling and conducts mediation services to families in conflict;

Communicates and works with colleagues, clients and the community in a manner that supports the agency and program goals and objectives;

Participates as a contributing member on interagency, multi-disciplinary teams, community groups and professional organizations;

Collaborates and contributes to child specific teams on non-agency cases as assigned to assist in identifying community resources and services for families;

Participates, collaborates and contributes to Comprehensive Services Act activities for families on caseload;

Provides training and community education on a variety of social work topics;

Assesses and authorizes purchase of social services to qualifying clients that will help to meet their social, health, emotional and economic needs;

Conducts home visits to families for the purpose of monitoring, counseling and supervision;

Uses automated technology and hard copy files to maintain and update case data, notes,

documents, records, contacts and summaries of information. Maintains case notes, documents and records, enters and updates case load data, contacts and summaries of information;

Prepares and provides reports on casework;

Performs or reviews initial assessment of client's presenting need and conducts additional assessment as necessary to develop a coordinated service plan that establishes goals, tasks, and time frames with appropriate county and community-based service providers;

Addresses, and if necessary diffuses, initial crisis situation with clients, assesses safety issues and refers clients to emergency services as needed (e.g., mental health services, child protective services, adult protective services, women's shelter, homeless shelter);

Demonstrates expertise in community service resources to identify, classify and describe services that address a broad array of client service needs-collaborates with service delivery professionals from all disciplines to identify service resource information requirements-translates those requirements into an automated catalog of resources necessary for client referrals and the development of client service plans;

Negotiates, facilitates, and coordinates the creative use of limited community-based service alternatives and assists staff from other county human service agencies in creative use of community resources;

Consults with community-based organizations (CBO) staff on resources and service strategies that support service area work with individuals and families.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work;

Knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues;

Knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;

Ability to analyze case information and to reach sound decisions on the basis of such information;

Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;

Ability to use automated technology to establish and maintain case records;

Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals;

Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree, plus two years of professional social work experience. A master's degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

Contingent upon the area of assignment, some positions within this class may require specific certification(s) prior to employment and/or the ability to acquire necessary certification(s) within a specified time period following employment. The certifications are identified in the position description and employment advertisement.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background, a driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) or a related human services degree.

• Prior experience in child welfare. Child welfare is the continuum of services designed to ensure that children are safe and that families have the necessary support to care for their children successfully.

• Experience working in multi-disciplinary teams and networking to access community-based resources.

• Experience with school personnel; either working with or collaborating with them.

• Proficient knowledge with Microsoft office suite to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Working knowledge of services offered within the child welfare setting (child protective services, foster care, adoption, family prevention, permanency planning, or domestic/sexual violence)

• Strong organizational and data management skills.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks.

• Knowledge of local, state, and federal policies and laws related to child safety and family resilience.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

Ability to lift up to 15 pounds.

Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations

Ability to operate a motor vehicle to attend meetings and events not accessible via public transportation.

Ability to use automated technology.

Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS)

All duties may be performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview and may include a practical exercise.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 38.7% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others (https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/demographics/fairfax-county-general-overview) ) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.

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