Job Announcement

This announcement may be used to fill multiple full-time Child Protective Services Social Services Specialist II positions located throughout Fairfax County. This position conducts child abuse and neglect assessments/investigations. Assesses risk and safety. Performs service planning, referring families to community resources and supportive services. Prepares and files court petitions. Provides clinical casework intervention. Assesses risk and works to ensure the safety of children. Collaborates with a wide range of professionals and maintains case documentation using automated systems. Completes required documentation to obtain emergency funding for client services according to state and local policies. Participates in required trainings and meetings. Some caseloads include non-English speaking families, which requires the social services specialists to be bilingual and/or bicultural or to use translation resources in order to work with a diverse and multi-ethnic population. Requires regular travel throughout Fairfax County. The department promotes a strengths-based, family-driven approach to working with families.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to analyze case information and to reach sound decisions on the basis of such information;
• Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information;
• Knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals;
• Knowledge in conducting child protective services assessment;
• Ability to assess safety and risk;
• Possess critical thinking skills;
• Ability to guide and direct other staff in the absence of a supervisor;
• Ability to meet deadlines and keep up with documentation.

Schedule: Position requires responding to CPS cases outside of traditional business hours, and a flexible schedule, including evening and/or weekend work to meet case management and monitoring responsibilities. In addition, the position requires being part of an on-call rotation that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field.

Note: All applicants selected from this solicitation must successfully complete DFS's Child Welfare Institute program prior to joining their assigned unit.

Salary: Compensation for this position will not exceed the midpoint of the advertised salary range.

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:
Appointee must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, a check of the Child Protective Services Registry, and a driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in social work (MSW) or a related human services degree.
• Minimum of one year of experience in child protective services intake and/or on-going.
• Minimum of one year of working with child protective services automated documentation systems.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Sufficiently mobile to travel outside the office for client contact, court appearances, community events, and to conduct family assessments and investigations of allegations of child abuse and neglect. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to use automated technology. Must be able to operate a motor vehicle and make use of personal vehicle. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview; may include an exercise.

It is the policy of Fairfax County Government to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or disability 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.