Job Announcement

Works as part of the Division of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) to provide Child Protective Services (CPS). DFS is committed to strengthening the well-being of its diverse community by protecting and improving the lives of all children, adults, and families through assistance, partnership, advocacy, outreach, and quality services. To learn more about DFS and its Mission, Vision, and Values, please click here.

The CPS SSS III-Evening Shift is a member of the CPS After-Hours unit and responds to child abuse and neglect referrals from 1:00 PM to 9:30 PM. The work involves family assessments, investigations, case management, and intervention to ensure child safety and well-being as well as to stabilize and support families. This position is required to be part of an on-call rotation for CPS that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field. Click here to watch a short video here and gain more insight about this position.

Duties of the CPS SSS III-Evening Shift include:

• Investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect, which includes interviewing children, parents, and other involved parties
• Uses child welfare framework to perform comprehensive assessments of children and their families, including home visits to determine risk and safety
• Responds to and provides emergency crisis intervention to maintain child safety and well-being
• Designs and implements safety plans with children and families to enhance safety and reduce risk and further maltreatment
• Documents assessments, investigations, safety plans, critical incident reports, detailed case contacts, progress notes, and service plans
• Prepares court petitions and testifies in court
• Collaborates with various multi-disciplinary professionals and facilitates family engagement activities
• Provides supervisory assistance in the absence of the unit supervisor. Duties include but not limited to staffing cases and guiding specialists in responding to child abuse and neglect referrals, developing response plans and drafting court documents, and communicating with managers/directors and community stakeholders about cases
• Performs other duties as assigned to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of child protection laws, rules, and regulations
• Knowledge of conducting child protective services assessments and investigations
• Knowledge of foster care and adoption laws, rules, and regulations
• Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resources as needed
• Ability to assess safety, risk, and protective capacity
• Possess critical thinking skills and ability to apply critical thinking, knowledge, and research
• Ability to meet deadlines and keep up with documentation
• Ability to work collaboratively with families to identify solutions to specific issues and/or challenges such as parenting, behavior management, childcare, financial instability, housing, mental health, substance abuse, etc.
• Requires the ability to develop goals and to use decision-making tools and resources for the safety and well-being of children

Note: All Fairfax County Government employees are expected to adhere to the Standards of Conduct. In maintaining a drug free workplace, employees are prohibited from manufacturing, distributing, possessing, using or being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while at work or on county premises.

This recruitment may be used to fill other CPS SSS III vacancies within the Division of Children, Youth and Families.

Employment Standards

MINIMIMUM 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.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in social work (MSW) or a related human services degree
• Experience performing child protective service assessments, investigations, foster care and/or family preservation
• Experience working with the court system and family group facilitation
• Experience performing case management services in a child welfare setting (child protective services, foster care, adoption, family prevention, permanency planning, or domestic/sexual violence)

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.

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 will still be subject to the 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.

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. Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations. 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 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.