Job Announcement

This job announcement is being re-advertised. If you previously applied you do not need to reapply in order to be considered.

As a member of the Foster Care and Adoption Program, serves a caseload of clients that includes children/youth in foster care and their birth/foster/adoptive families. Conducts assessments, service planning, recruitment and clinical casework intervention for children/youth legally free for adoption to place them in permanent homes with birth relatives or adoptive families. Coordinates the placement, treatment, and educational services to these children with other public and private providers including private child placing agencies, congregate care providers, therapists, and schools. Provides clinical counseling services to prepare children/youth for placement in a permanent home. Conducts regular home visits with children/youth placed with families, group homes and residential facilities. Provides in home support to foster/adoptive families to assure positive adjustment of the child. Participates in the negotiation of subsidized adoption assistance agreements with adoptive parents. Finalizes adoptions through the legal process of the Circuit Court. Uses automated technology to maintain client data, case records, and for correspondence. Prepares court reports and testifies as necessary regarding compliance with service plans. Completes required adoption documentation to include adoption consent. Coordinates with the adoption attorney to comply with court requirements for the entry of a Final Order of adoption for children and families. Provides needed advocacy/support to children/youth placed in approved Fairfax homes through the Interstate Compact Placement Unit that are in foster care from another state. Teams cases as secondary workers with foster care staff as a part of concurrent planning to help achieve timely permanence for children/youth in foster care. Trains and provides weekly coaching sessions with new agency staff. Provides coverage for the unit in the absence of the supervisor.

Note: This position is listed as "open continuous." Interested applicants are advised to submit their applications as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed, and qualified applicants referred on a continuous basis. Interviews will be conducted on a regular basis throughout the recruitment with candidates whose qualifications best fit our needs. If your application is received later in the recruitment process, it may not be reviewed or considered. The application process will close when the position(s) have been filled or when a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.

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.)

Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of social work;
Thorough knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues;
Thorough knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;
Knowledge of casework supervision practices and procedures;
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;
Ability to provide guidance, direction, supervision and coaching to less-experienced staff;
Ability to provide management and oversight of a program or project.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree, plus three 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 the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, a driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.

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 in social work (MSW) degree.
• Experience in child welfare and /or mental health.
• Knowledge of childhood trauma and attachment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Sufficiently mobile to make home visits and attend meetings and community events outside the office. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to use automated technology. Ability to work Independently. Excellent listening, creative problem-solving and decision-making skills. Ability to lift, carry and diaper infants. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include a practical exercise.

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.

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.