Family Services Worker - CPS

Spotsylvania County is committed to maintaining a drug free workplace. Employees are prohibited from manufacturing, distributing, possessing or using controlled substances such as marijuana. A positive drug test result, confirmed use or impairment can be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination in accordance with our personnel policies.

A positive pre-employment drug test will also disqualify a candidate for hire.

General Statement of Job

Under direct supervision, performs social work and case management in the provision of social services for individuals in need of assistance. Employee is responsible for investigating allegations of abuse or exploitation of elderly/disabled adults, adult abuse/neglect with lead role responsibilities in cases involving criminal abuse/neglect or sexual abuse, investigating cases of suspected child abuse/neglect, assisting clients in achieving self-sufficiency, or implementing activities associated with other social services.

Work involves performing case management, providing crisis intervention and/or counseling, assessing client needs, coordinating provision of needed services, and maintaining case records. Work may regularly involve two or more program areas.

This position is essential. Personnel occupying this position may be scheduled to work regardless of weather conditions and/or when general County offices are closed. Applicants must be available to work Sunday through Saturday as needed. Employee must be willing to work in the community emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster or emergency. If chosen for this position, the employee will be required to be part of an on-call rotation that includes evenings, weekends, overnight visits, and holiday hours that may require immediate response into the field.

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Special Duties & Responsibilities

Child Protective Services (intake)

• Conducts initial assessment of child abuse and neglect reports and provides crisis counseling for reporters.
• Provides information and referral resources and brief immediate crisis intervention to callers for referrals that do not warrant a Child Protective Services intervention.
• Applies child welfare knowledge and critical thinking skills to interpret state and local policies to determine validity of child abuse and neglect reports.
• Coordinates with the team to determine the validity, response time, and track assignment for reports of child abuse and neglect.
• Uses automated technology in multiple systems to support the decision-making process.
• Assigns the referral to CPS After Hours family services workers for investigation or family assessment and records the assignment on the Electronic Whiteboard.
• Provides CPS screening policy consultation to program staff and supervisors.
• Assists the unit supervisor with providing technical guidance and training to fellow team members.
• Provides support to the team. Duties include staffing cases and guiding specialists in responding to child abuse and neglect referrals, developing response plans, drafting court paperwork, communicating with managers/directors and community stakeholders about cases, and serving as a policy expert within the team. Perform on-call duties in rotation with the team to provide coverage and support during evenings, weekends, and holiday hours that may require immediate response into the field.
• Performs other duties as required to ensure child safety and improve outcomes within families.

Child Protective Services (investigator)

• Investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect, which includes interviewing children, parents, and other involved parties.
• Uses child welfare framework to perform comprehensive assessments of children and their families, including home visits to determine risk and safety.
• Responds to and provides emergency crisis intervention to maintain child safety and well-being.
• Designs and implements safety plans with children and families to enhance safety and reduce risk and further maltreatment.
• Documents assessments, investigations, safety plans, critical incident reports, detailed case contacts, progress notes, and service…