Job Announcement

Provides direct clinical and administrative supervision to a unit of foster care and adoption specialists. Instructs staff on policies, laws, and best practices related to permanency through adoption planning, child abuse and neglect, child placement, separation and attachment, family dynamics, mental health and substance abuse, child development, and working with public and private providers of service. Through individual and group conferences, assists the staff in conducting thorough family and child assessments and in preparing written foster care service plans for review by the court. Assures that permanency goals for Children are appropriate and are met within stated timeframes. Promotes strength-based, family-friendly delivery of services to clients. Serves as a program expert when providing clinical guidance to unit members or staff in the region or community. Assures administrative accountability through review and monitoring of client electronic case files and data reports. At the discretion of the CYF director, performs related work duties and responsibilities within the job class to ensure that the Division can carry out its purpose and meet the agency’s responsibilities related to child safety, permanence, and wellbeing.

Effective July 2, 2022, compensation plans will be increased by 4.01% (market rate adjustment).

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 39.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.


Illustrative Duties

Provides day-to-day guidance and direction to a group of social services specialists
on case related issues, policies and procedures, and agency initiatives;
Ensures acceptable levels of quality and quantity in the delivery of services;
Plans caseloads, assigns cases and reviews case records and reviews and signs off on service plans, case assessments, and other reports which require supervisory review;
Identifies crisis situations and provides intervention as needed to address difficult or dangerous client situations;
Interviews job applicants and makes recommendations for hiring, prepares and conducts formal and informal performance evaluations, and handles performance and discipline issues in a timely manner and in accordance with County personnel policy;
Reviews the work of individual social services specialist and provides feedback and instruction;
Communicates performance expectations; monitors performance and outcomes of staff against the goals and objectives of the program;
Approves and monitors expenditures for client services consistent with the program budget and client outcomes;
Solicits concerns, issues and recommendations from staff regarding programmatic needs and systemic is sues;
Evaluates the effectiveness of policies and procedures and recommends changes;
Holds group and individual conferences with staff to discuss general policies and to interpret related rules, regulations or laws and to assess cases objectively based upon the significant risk factors and to monitor casework progress;
Facilitates open communication between staff and senior management to achieve agency and unit goals;
Plans for and facilitates social services specialists' professional growth and development. Provides staff development including training, mentoring, and encouragement for staff to improve professional skills in order to support access to human services;
Develops and implements ongoing team training plan;
Works with the community to identify families and children needing services and to coordinate these services;
Communicates effectively with social services specialists and senior management regarding the needs of the agency, social services specialist, and clients;
Participates in intra and interagency work groups, supervisors' meetings and special projects;
Provides oversight for required data systems and uses data systems for management of day-to-day work;
Prepares or oversees and presents narrative and statistical reports documenting the
work of the unit and/or in relation to case activity;
Promotes the attainment of agency and individual staff goals related to service access
components (Automatic Call Distribution service levels, case objective outcomes, time studies, silent monitoring, and customer service surveys) through the ongoing monitoring of service requests and subsequent service delivery;
Establishes and maintains ongoing collaborative relationships with public and private providers, community-based groups, and residents to coordinate and integrate services, improve access, and identify community needs and barriers to service delivery;
Participates as a team member in the continuous improvement of the human services access process.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

Extensive knowledge of the principles, methods and problems of organization and management;
Extensive knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;
Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and casework supervision;
Thorough knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address them;
Ability to accurately apply, interpret and administer regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;
Ability to use automated technology;
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 plan and direct the activities of a group of social service professionals.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor’s degree; plus four years of increasingly responsible, directly-related professional experience in the social services or human services field. A master’s degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of required experience.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, a credit check, a driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.

This position is considered essential personnel and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).

All newly hired employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (two weeks after the last required dose) as a condition of employment or obtain approval of a medical or religious exemption prior to their start date. Proof of an exemption or vaccination status will be required during the pre-employment onboarding process. New employees who obtain an exemption from the vaccine mandate for medical or sincerely held religious beliefs may be subject to a weekly testing requirement. Vaccinated employees and employees with a medical or religious exemption will complete the attestation online on their first day of employment or shortly thereafter.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in social work (MSW) or a related human services degree
• Minimum of five (5) years of case management experience in child protective services, foster care and adoption/or family preservation, domestic and sexual violence
• Two (2) years of experience in adoption planning
• Two (2) years of leadership experience in a child welfare
• Experience in working with the court system and family group facilitation

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations. Sufficiently mobile to conduct visits to client's private homes which may not be handicapped accessible and to attend meeting and community events outside the office. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. Ability to use automated technology. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview, may include practical exercise.

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. EEO/AA/TTY.