Family Safety Practitioner II - Foster Care and Adoption

Signing bonus: $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires.

We are seeking a dynamic professional to join our dedicated, multi-disciplinary team in the Division of Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) of the Department of Family Services (DFS). In this role, you will provide clinical casework services to support the permanency of children in foster care as well as their parents and caregivers. We hire only the most caring and motivated individuals to serve families and children in our community.

Grow your career with Fairfax County! With more than 16,000 employees, Fairfax County is a diverse workforce offering stimulating and challenging opportunities across a broad scope of career opportunities. As a Fairfax County employee, you impact the well‑being of our community every day.

This is an exciting time to join Fairfax County Government as we shape racial and social equity policies through the One Fairfax Policy. Using this framework, we intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services.

As an integral member of the FC&A Program, you will perform a vital role to achieve permanent living arrangements for children in foster care and adoption. Work hours are Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; however, evening and/or weekend work is required.

• Conduct face‑to‑face contacts and attend home visits to ensure children in foster care and adoption are safe and that their physical, emotional, and educational needs are being met.
• Conduct comprehensive assessments covering safety, permanency, wellbeing, education, social skills, independent living skills, substance abuse, developmental concerns, family relationships, parenting capacity, social supports, physical health challenges, basic needs (shelter, food, clothing).
• Collaborate with parents, prior custodians, foster parents, and children to develop a family‑centered, solution‑focused service plan ensuring safety, permanency, and wellbeing.
• Coordinate and collaborate with foster families and others to deliver services (home‑based family and individual counseling, health insurance and medical care, parenting support, domestic violence interventions).
• Respond to and intervene in emergency crises around placement of children in foster homes, congregate care facilities, and trial home placements with parent or relative caregivers.
• Provide court‑related services: write and submit service plans to court, consult with county attorney, write affidavits, file petitions, and testify in court.
• Document assessments, critical incident reports, detailed case contacts, progress notes, and service plans in a timely manner in accordance with local and state policy.
• Participate in required trainings and meetings, serve as a representative on work groups, and contribute to written products.
• Coordinate and attend intra‑agency and inter‑agency meetings.
• May be required to be on‑call rotation including evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours and may require immediate response into the field.
• Perform other duties as assigned to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families.

• Knowledge of child protection laws, rules, and regulations.
• Knowledge of foster care and adoption laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resources as needed.
• Knowledge of childhood trauma and attachment.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work.
• Knowledge of current social service problems and ways to address them.
• Ability to analyze case information and reach sound decisions.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, 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 to meet deadlines.

All Fairfax County Government employees are expected to adhere to the Standards of Conduct. Employees are prohibited from manufacturing, distributing, possessing, using or being under the…