Family Services Specialist; CD- Permanency

Hanover County Department of Social Services is seeking a highly-skilled and experienced social worker to join our foster care team. In this role, you will provide support to foster families and children in care, ensuring their safety and well-being. You will also be responsible for conducting home studies, connecting families with resources, and advocating for the best interests of the children.

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the foster care system and experience working with children and families in crisis. In addition, they will be passionate about their work and committed to making a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community.
In the permanency role, you will provide support to foster families and children in care, ensuring their safety and well-being. You will also be responsible for conducting home studies, connecting families with resources, and advocating for the best interests of the children. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the foster care system and experience working with children and families in crisis.

In addition, they will be passionate about their work and committed to making a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Telework options are available after successful completion of training and certifications.

This is a professional position. The incumbent performs complex tasks in the provision of social services, such as child day care, adult services, foster care, adoption, and prevention services. The Family Services Specialist may also conduct Child Protective Services investigations and assessments and provide ongoing Child Protective Services. The Family Service Specialist may also conduct Adult Protective Services investigations and provide ongoing services.

The Family Services Specialist is part of Hanover County’s Career Development Program (CD). The Family Services Specialist Ladder has four (4) levels:
Family Services Specialist I, II, III, and Senior. The Family Services Specialist reports to a Family Services Supervisor and supervises no staff.

• Interviews customers to assess needs and/or assign to appropriate groups;
  Interviews all parties involved; assesses immediate and long-term dangers/risks to children/adults; interviews customers to resolve complaints;
• Performs investigative duties to include screens referrals for validity and complaints of exploitation, neglect, and/or abuse of children, the elderly, and/or persons with disability;
• Provides persons, families, or vulnerable populations with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses, neglect and abuse (Senior);
• Ensures that reports of suspected abuse/neglect are assigned to appropriate staff;
• Ensures that the local department has staff on duty 24 hours per day, seven days per week to respond to reports of abuse/neglect (Senior);
  Provides after hours on-call coverage and responds to emergencies in child/adult protective services and/or foster care;
• Provides guidance, consultation and supervision to other staff in the absence of the supervisor (Senior);
• Prepares social histories;
• Represents the agency in both civil and criminal court proceedings which involves interpreting laws, filing petitions, preparing court records, testifying before the court, preparing witnesses for examination, and compiling evidence;
• Attends court, testifies in court and coordinates cases with attorneys;
  Provides reports for court such as guardianship report;
  Testifies in criminal and civil cases; prepares court ordered home assessments and custody home studies;
• Provides direct intervention and service delivery for difficult, complex social work cases, and coordinates casework;
  Provides case management services to monitor compliance;
• Develops and conducts training for staff, interns and other professionals in the community;
• Conducts field visits to residential facilities, consults with therapists and residential staff and participates in the staffing and planning of meetings;
• Functions as a lead worker providing guidance and training to other staff (Senior);
• Coordinates program functions, develops programs, and evaluates materials;
• Monitors, coordinates and administers specific assigned programs;
• Coordinates services within specific area of responsibility;
• Coordinates with other agencies and participates in multi-disciplinary and interagency teams providing services to customers;
• Develops, writes, and/or reviews service plans documenting goals, objectives and details of the services provided for each case to meet identified customer needs in areas such as physical/mental health, housing, and presents cases to determine appropriate services;
• Tracks expenditures, prepares/submits budget estimates and ensures payment for services;
• Interprets laws, policies and regulations as applied to specific area of responsibility;
• Completes necessary federal, state and local planning and…