Family Services Specialist IV

Family Services Specialist

IV 2.9 2.9

out of 5 stars Front Royal, VA Full-time Virginia Department of Social Services 110 reviews

Full-time Core Responsibilities Case Management & Planning:

Develops and implements intensive service plans (case plans) aimed at achieving permanency, such as reunification with biological parents, kinship placement, or adoption.

Assessment & Investigation:

Performs in-depth assessments of family dynamics, risk factors, and the needs of children removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or dependency.

Court Involvement:

Acts as a liaison between the agency and the court system, preparing detailed court reports and testifying regarding the child's safety, placement, and progress.

Visitation Facilitation:

Supervises and arranges visits between children in foster care and their biological parents, siblings, and significant family members to support reunification efforts.

Resource Coordination:

Connects families and foster parents to community services, including therapy, medical care, and education, to remove barriers to permanency.

Adoption & Legal Support:

Prepares children and adoptive families for adoption, including completing adoption subsidy documents and legal paperwork.

Basic Duties:

Provides persons, families, or vulnerable populations with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses, neglect and abuse;

• Ensures that reports of suspected abuse/neglect are assigned to appropriate staff;
• Ensures that the local department has staff on duty 24 hours per day, seven days per week to respond to reports of abuse/neglect;
• Provides guidance, consultation and supervision to other staff in the absence of the supervisor;
• Prepares social histories and psychosocial diagnoses and develops treatment plans which identify problems, clinical methods for dealing with them, and the means by which services will be provided either within the agency or through referral to other community resources;
• Represents the agency in both civil and criminal court proceedings which involves interpreting laws, filing petitions, preparing court records, testifying before the court, preparing witnesses for examination, and compiling evidence;
• Provides direct intervention and service delivery for difficult, complex social work cases, and coordinates casework;
• 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;
• Conducts field visits to residential facilities, consults with therapists and residential staff and participates in the staffing and planning of meetings;
• Functions as a lead worker providing guidance and training to other staff;
• May perform same functions described in Family Services Specialist III; and
• Coordinates program functions, develops programs, and evaluates materials.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge - 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 treatment of behavioral and affective disorders; principles and processes for providing customer and personal services to include needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of satisfaction; principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance; and therapeutic treatment technique. Some knowledge of supervisory practices and principles if required in specific assignment.

Skills- Skill in:

operating a personal computer and the associated software; and the operation of a motor vehicle.

Abilities - Demonstrated ability to:

provide guidance and training in program areas to other employees if required in specific assignment; write court reports, home studies, evaluations, mediation agreements, letters, committee reports, presentations, and general information; make clinical judgments, assess clients' needs, and formulate plan of action; communicate effectively both orally and in writing; interview, assess needs, counsel and refer clients to other resources as needed; investigate high profile cases; testify in court proceedings; develop and present training programs and other presentations; interpret program laws, policies and regulations; develop and implement service plans in order to insure the delivery of appropriate services to the client; analyze case information to make sound judgments within the framework of existing laws, policies, and regulations; respond to the client's emotions in order to accomplish services objectives; develop speeches and represent the agency on program training and workshops; work in stressful situations and maintain diplomacy; plan and manage own work activities including service delivery preparing reports, and correspondence, record keeping responsibilities and related activities; establish and maintain effective relationships with others; and stay abreast of current trends and developments in the social work field. Education and Experience - Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a Human Services field or minimum of a Bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area (Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia). Considerable experience in assigned program area/human services programs 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 Worker license are desirable.