Foster Care​/Adoption Worker

Foster Care/Adoption Worker (Family Services Specialist II)

Department of Social Services

12 Months, Full-Time

Non-exempt, Pay Grade 33

VRS-Eligible, Benefits-Eligible

Essential Functions:

• Interprets laws, policies and regulations as applied to specific area of responsibility.
• Assesses cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children and their families, and develops and implements sophisticated psychosocial case plans which integrate psychodynamic, systemic, medical, and social-ecological treatment approaches, and incorporates concurrent planning.
• Provides direct counseling, applying family-systems treatment models to complex, family situations, in such a way as to strengthen families and prevent family dissolution.
• Serves in a leadership role as case manager in planning, organizing, and coordinating service delivery by professionals representing a variety of disciplines.
• Works collaboratively with mental health, education, legal, medical, and other human services professionals in a team approach to service delivery, with responsibility for assuring coordination and effectiveness of comprehensive services to families.
• Functions as legal guardian for agency foster children (e.g., responsible for child's well-being, consents for medical treatment, etc.).
• Performs crisis intervention.
• Makes placements of children and adolescents into alternative care, including foster homes, group homes, and residential treatment facilities.
• Plans, oversees and participates directly in court intervention to protect children and to achieve goals of permanency for children.
• Provides supportive services to promote self-sufficiency and to prevent child abuse/neglect and placement of children out of their homes.
• Writes comprehensive psychosocial assessments and service plans.
• Provides coverage after hours and on weekends, on an on-call basis, for emergencies involving abuse or neglect of children and adolescents, and for situations requiring immediate attention regarding children in the legal custody of the Department of Social Services.
• Completes necessary federal, state and local planning and reporting requirements.
• Assesses, secures, and monitors financial resources for which the child is eligible (e.g. social security, child support, etc.).
• Follows the requirements for funding authorization and service payments for services and maintenance costs for foster children.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Competency:

Knowledge/ Skills/Abilities:

• Working knowledge of: social work principles and practices; current social, economic and health problems; institutions and the methods of the helping process; individual and group behavior;
• Skill in using personal computer with associated software;
• Ability to identify social problems and client strengths and needs and to assess the ability to individual and families to utilize services in problem solving;
• Ability to recognize and accept the rights, responsibilities and differences of others;
• Ability to work effectively with individuals and families in helping them attain success;
• Ability to plan and organize work;
• Ability to understand and interpret laws, policies and regulations;
• Ability to communicate and establish effective working relationships with clients, co-workers, other professional and technical staff, social agencies and the general public;
• Ability to prepare reports and maintain records.

Required

Education and Experience:

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in the Human Services field; or a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in any field, accompanied by a minimum of two (2) years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Service related area.
• Experience in assigned program area and completion of required training programs or equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications /

Certifications:

• Possession of a BSW degree, MSW degree, and/or a Commonwealth of Virginia Social Work license desirable. Masters preferred.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• Possession of a valid appropriate driver's permit issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Workers in this position are required to drive and they must meet…