Family Services Specialist III - Child Protective Services

HS-SS FAMILY SERVICES

• Investigate CPS referrals concerning allegations of child abuse/neglect, assess child safety and risk utilizing a variety of structured decision-making tools, interviews, and observations.
• Prepare court documents related to child safety and appear in a variety of court hearings to testify in cases.
• Make sound decisions pertaining to child safety to include removing children from their home and placing children with relatives or in foster care.
• Collaborate with law enforcement, mental health professionals, and emergency medical services partners when conducting CPS investigations and assessments.
• Support a demanding caseload to include investigations and family assessment referrals.
• Model professional behavior and best practices from the Virginia Services Practice Model.
• Complete tasks related to Child Protective Services Intake procedures.
• Have strong attention to detail and be able to work in a fast paced environment.

• Conducts interviews or investigations and makes client/family assessments; formulates and implements plan; screens interstate referrals; sends out and reviews home study information.
• Provides individual and group counseling for client and family.
• Prepares purchase orders for client services, and negotiates provider rates; confirms provider availability and service authorization; verifies client information; processes invoices for payment.
• Interacts/coordinates with other agencies, organizations, or family/community members to provide services for client and family/prior custodians; makes referrals for other social services.
• Conducts home visits to supervise, observe, and document family interactions, activities, and environment; establishes schedule with parents/prior custodians for child visitation.
• Provides direct services to clients/families including teaching basic living, parenting, budgeting, or employment skills, providing mediation counseling, and accompanying clients to appointments.
• Collects and compiles information/data, and prepares periodic and special reports; maintains files/records for area of responsibility; develops program forms.
• Provides emergency services/crisis intervention for clients/families; protects clients through court involvement; testifies at local, state, and judicial appeals; provides client placement as needed.
• Conducts pre-service foster parent orientations and classes to evaluate/screen applicants; recruits and conducts training classes and orientations for volunteers.
• Provides information to public on eligibility requirements and available services for assigned area.
• Performs routine office tasks such as dictating case notes, data entry, typing correspondence or forms, filing, faxing, telephoning, or photocopying.
• Conducts training classes for service providers; certifies and recertifies approved providers; attends professional workshops and seminars to improve professional skills.
• Rotates through various service provider roles in such areas as CPS, foster care, and adoption.

Apply