Family Services Specialist IV

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Interprets and applies laws, policies and regulations to specific area(s) of responsibility; areas of responsibility include Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services and/or Foster Care/Adoption.
• Provides direct intervention and service delivery for difficult, complex social work cases, and coordinates casework;
• Functions as a lead worker providing guidance and training to other staff and is a support to supervision;
• Provides guidance, consultation and supervision to other staff in the absence of the supervisor;
• Acts as a mentor to Family Services Specialists by providing training, consultation and support;
• Develops and conducts training for staff, interns and other professionals in the community;
• Supervises social work interns by guiding them in their service delivery, assessing their strengths and weaknesses, and communicating with the school liaison about their progress;
• Coordinates program functions, develops programs, and evaluates materials;
• Monitors, coordinates and administers specific programs as assigned;
• Coordinates services within specific area of responsibility;
• Conduct off‑site visits in clients' homes, schools, service provider sites and other locations. Overnight travel required periodically;
• Transports children and families as needed;
• Interviews and assesses customer strengths, needs and other relevant factors — such as education/skill levels, abilities, interests, and support systems;
• Provides crisis intervention services;
• Administers uniform assessment instruments as recommended by best practice standards and/or funding criteria;
• Conducts family finding, engages families as the core of a wraparound service team; facilitates or participates in Family Partnership meetings, as needed;
• Conducts utilization review as part of a team;
• Conducts home studies;
• Informs clients of related service programs rules/regulations, and right to participate;
• Presents cases to determine appropriate services and writes/implements service plans;
• Provides reliable, comprehensive court testimony;
• Provides case management services to monitor compliance;
• Tracks expenditures, prepares/submits budget estimates and ensures payment for services; prepares complex statistical reports as requested;
• Completes necessary federal, state and local planning and reporting requirements;
• Coordinates with other agencies and participates effectively in multi‑disciplinary and interagency teams providing services to customers;
• Conducts overall monitoring of programs in specific area of responsibility;
• Serves as resource to clients and the community in area of expertise;
• Performs back‑up supervisory on‑call duties for after‑hour on‑call coverage;
• Provides after‑hours on‑call coverage and responds to emergencies in Child Protective Services, Adult/Adult Protective Services and/or Foster Care/Adoption;
• Works assigned shift(s) to set up temporary emergency shelters should Winchester declare a state of emergency;
• Within 90 days, driving commute must be within a one‑hour time frame of the City of Winchester limits.

Education and/or

Experience:

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services field or minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in any field and a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area. Considerable experience in assigned program area and completion of required training programs. Work experience in a leadership role. Equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Possession of a BSW or MSW degree and a Commonwealth of Virginia Social Work license are desirable.

Preferred:
Possession of a valid and appropriate driver’s license, with demonstration of a safe driving record.

Language

Skills:

Ability to read and comprehend; ability to speak and communicate effectively. Bilingual English‑Spanish preferred.

Other

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Comprehensive knowledge of social work principles and practices; human behavior and motivational theory; laws, policies, and regulations relating to human services program areas; investigating and interviewing techniques; and the assessment and…