Protective Services Specialist Fairbanks

Protective Service Specialist 1/2

Come join the State of Alaska!

This job class uses Competency Based minimum qualifications. Please read the Competency Based MQ instructions below to learn more.

The Department of Family and Community Services, Office of Children's Services (OCS) is recruiting for full-time Protective Service Specialist 1/2 in Fairbanks, Alaska. This position is open to All Applicants.

What You Will Be Doing:
As a Protective Service Specialist (PSS), located in Fairbanks, Alaska, you will be responsible for Child Protection Services in the Family Services Unit, the Investigations & Assessment Unit, or as Generalist covering both and will be required to travel throughout the interior of Alaska approximately four times a month.

This case carrying positions offer a range of duties, including investigating reports of child abuse and/or neglect, preparing plans for intervention by soliciting the cooperation of the family and others, and gathering information about family dynamics/functionality, developing plans to ensure child safety while assisting parents in addressing their diminished protective factors, placing children out of the home with a relative or licensed foster home when necessary, provide ongoing and/or in-home services to families, writing and submitting reports to Court, working closely with Tribal/Community Partners, frequent face-to-face and telephonic contact with parents and caregivers of children in custody, with travel as required dependent on the client location, and making referrals to other service providers and agencies.

Mission and Values/Culture:
The Mission of the Office of Children's Services is:
Ensuring the safety, permanency and well-being of children by strengthening families, engaging communities, and partnering with Tribes. The Office of Children's Services is dedicated to a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and wellbeing are paramount. Employees all contribute to building a culture where everyone is valued, treated equitably, and treated respectfully. Everything we do is underpinned by our Core Values.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:
The Office of Children's Services is committed to an organizational culture that values each team member. We are committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. We celebrate and value the diversity of our employees, partners, and families we serve. Your first twelve months in the agency are probationary and considered a training period, with formal virtual training, on-the-job training with your supervisor, and with other colleagues.

While this is a field-based position that involves working in the community, part-time teleworking within the duty station may be an option upon eligibility. Full-time benefits of this position include but are not limited to:
Insurance Benefits;
Retirement Benefits;
Paid Leave; and twelve paid holidays per year. Please see the benefits tab on this posting for more information.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:
The Interior Rural Field Office serves approximately 30 rural communities in the Interior of Alaska. The home base location is in the Fairbanks Field Office which serves the Fairbanks area, North Pole, as well as surrounding communities. This requires the incumbent to travel in small aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, or small boats to remote villages, communities, or rural locations in Alaska.

Some of the communities are not equipped with modern conveniences, hotels, or bed and breakfasts, thus the employee must be prepared to sleep in offices, schools, tribal community buildings, or other accommodation if overnight visit is required. Frequency of travel is expected to be 4+ times a month. There may be day trips and occasional overnight stays in rustic conditions with some exposure to extreme weather conditions in the winter.

You may also have the opportunity to assist other field offices within the Northern Region for a few days on an as-needed basis. The work performed is critical and significantly impacts the communities we serve. As a result, Office of Children's Services works on evenings, and weekends as well as weekdays,…