Social Service Specialist - Wellbeing and Permanency

Social Service Specialist I – Wellbeing and Permanency

Location:

57 – Pike County, MS

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) is committed to protecting and nurturing Mississippi's at‑risk children and families. The Department offers a variety of positions statewide, including case management, clinical and administrative support, and agency‑support roles such as policy development, human resources, information technology, program management, training, and budgeting/finance.

• Create and maintain case files for children in care and document information in the MDCPS online database program.
• Visit children in care in foster homes, facilities, and hospitals.
• Complete investigations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
• Complete ongoing safety and risk assessments.
• Participate in scheduled county conferences and meetings for assigned children in care.
• Make referrals for children in care to receive services, including dental, vision and medical services.
• Transport children in care to appointments and destinations.
• Arrange visitation with siblings and parents.
• Attend staff meetings with a supervisor and all‑staff meetings.
• Assist with new hires by acting as a "shadow buddy."
• Serve as an on‑call staff member for after‑hours situations (rotating responsibility with other staff members).
• Attend court hearings.
• Communicate with families, service providers, parents, foster parents, and the public.
• Schedule and attend Family Team Meetings.
• Attend additional duties as assigned.
• Maintain a valid driver’s license and insurance.

• Professional commitment to and caring about clients and the larger profession of child welfare.
• Personal resilience and strong self‑efficacy beliefs about the ability to work with clients to produce positive client outcomes.
• Efficient organizational and time‑management skills.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Positive work morale.
• Ability to be flexible in thinking and problem‑solving.
• Realistic expectations about the difficulty and challenges of the work.
• Ability to handle an often‑unpredictable work environment.

• Typical requirements: a Bachelor’s degree and 0–2 years of experience.
• Appointing authority may require a social worker’s license.
• Preferred education:
  
  a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four‑year college or university in social work, social services, psychology, educational psychology, sociology, nursing, criminal justice, counseling, marriage and family therapy, family studies, or a related field.
• Salary may be based on education and qualifications.

Address: 210 East Capitol Street
Suite 800
Jackson, Mississippi, 39201