Family Law Court CCRC Investigator

DEFINITION

Under direct supervision of the Family Court Services Director, mediates disputes involving child custody and visitation; assesses complex cases involving child custody disagreements; prepares a variety of court reports and recommendations and performs other duties as required.

This single position class is responsible for mediating and assessing sensitive situations and family relationships, collecting information, report writing and making recommendations for determination in child custody or timeshare disputes in Superior Court.

Provides guidance to cases referred by the Court; conducts Child Custody Recommending Counseling; meets with parties involved in custody and visitation disputes; works through differences with involved parties and develops recommendations for the Court; considers allegations concerning child custody; prepares written stipulations and recommendations for the Court at the completion of Child Custody Recommending Counseling; provide social case histories, correspondence, and other documents as necessary;

attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays current on legislation regarding custody evaluation, domestic violence, and related issues; represents Family Court Services at conferences and meetings; conducts step parent adoption investigations; conducts juvenile dependency and guardianship mediations; conducts exparte reviews; testifies in court on recommendations; in underage marriage permission cases, interviews the couple and prepares assessment reports on the readiness of the couple to marry;

performs freedom from parental custody and control evaluations; makes appropriate referrals for assistance to other community resources.

Any combination of education and experience which would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying, unless otherwise specified. A typical way to obtain these would be:
Equivalent to a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in clinical psychology, social work, marriage-family-child counseling, behavioral science, or a related field AND two years of experience in counseling or psychotherapy, related to family conciliation for the courts and with a population similar to that served by the County.

Highly Preferred:
Valid licensure with the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences (LCSW, LMFT, PsyD, LPCC).

• Possession of a valid California class C driver license or the ability to provide suitable transportation approved by the appointing authority.
• Possession of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Marriage Family Child Counseling of Clinical Psychology license issued by the State of California.
• Completion of Domestic Violence training program in accordance with Section 1816 of the Family Code.

Thorough knowledge of:

• Court system of California and the procedures used in family law cases.
• Community resources to which clients can be referred for assistance.

Working knowledge of:

• Adult psychopathology, family psychology and system dynamics.
• Child development theory.
• Clinical issues related to children.
• Recent developments, current literature, and sources of information related to child abuse, the effects of divorce on children, and child custody research.
• Principles of social casework.
• Interviewing principles and techniques.
• Pertinent Federal, State and local laws, codes, and regulations including those affecting conciliation, mediation work and mental health issues.
• Substance abuse problems and their relationship to family court issues.

• Perform specialized mediation and investigative work involving family law and child custody
• Conduct specialized research to assess the mental health needs of children and adults
• Analyze problems, identify solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and develop recommendations in support of goals
• Develop and prepare a variety of records and reports
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work
• Recognize substance abuse and domestic violence