Social Services Associate Utqiagvik

Job Description

The Department of Family and Community Services,

Office of Children's Services (OCS) is

recruiting for full-time

Social Services Associate (SSA)

located in Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska.

This position is open to Alaska Residents.

A Social Services Associate is an administrative position. You will be supporting professional staff by gathering information for assessments, case planning and evaluation, while performing duties that can include providing parenting support during family contact to enable parents to practice parenting skills in a safe environment, accessing electronic databases, and providing information to professional staff to make necessary referrals for families to other agencies.

As a Social Services Associate you will work with families and children, helping to provide services that will enhance families' capacities to give their children a healthy start, to provide them with safe and permanent homes, to maintain cultural connections, and to help them realize their potential. The successful incumbent will be courteous, professional in language and presentation, calm, motivated, efficient, and have strong critical thinking skills.

This position will require traveling 0-2 times a month or 0-2 times a year. The length of these trips varies based on casework needs, within the day or overnight.

The Office of Children's Services requires staff to work overtime when deemed necessary. OCS Staff are considered essential, so are expected to work during pandemic and other natural disasters. The agency also supports a healthy work/life balance for all staff.

For more information:

OCS Practice Model

.

The

Office of Children's Services

strives for a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and wellbeing are paramount and employees at all levels promote a culture where everyone is valued, treated equitably, and treated respectfully.

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.

Everything we do is underpinned by our

Core Values

.

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 6 months in the agency are probationary and considered a training period, with formal and on-the-job training with your supervisor and your colleagues.

Full-time benefits of this position include but are not limited to:

• Insurance Benefits
• Retirement Benefits
• Paid Leave
• twelve paid holidays per year.

Please see the benefits tab on this posting for more information.

This position is located in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow).Utqiagvik Field Office covers Utqiagvik and 11 surrounding villages. This position may travel to and assist other field offices within the Northern Region for a few days on an as-needed basis.

Our teams are based around having a strong work ethic and high ethical standards, believing in treating all people with dignity and respect, as well as being self-motivated, organized and honest. We are all about getting the job done while still contributing to a positive, upbeat work environment.

The typical workweek may include some caseworker visits at school or in resource family homes, virtual and in-person court attendance, and mostly working independently in an office setting.

The Office of Children's Services requires staff to work after hours and on-call. Overtime is also an expectation when deemed necessary. OCS staff are considered essential, so are expected to work during pandemic and other natural disasters.

For information on the Utqiagvik community (including schools, hospitals, housing) please review the

Alaska Community Profiles

.

We are seeking a candidate with the following

desired

competencies:

Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other…