CPS Conservatorship Worker

FALL CREEK FARM & NURSERY; Brownsville (TX); On-site; USD 43,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services seeks a CPS Conservatorship Worker to manage cases of children removed from homes and placed in CPS care. You will determine needs, arrange services, and work toward the child's permanency with family or kin.

New hires with a Master's in Social Work may qualify for hire‑point increases. The agency offers certification programs to enhance skills and career growth within DFPS.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent hours/experience as outlined in screening criteria.
• Knowledge of child development and family dynamics is essential.
• Ability to communicate clearly and build relationships with families and agencies.

Responsibilities

• Receives cases from investigators after children are removed and placed in CPS conservatorship.
• Determines each child's needs and ensures referrals for testing, evaluations, or services.
• Plans for a child's permanency with families and kinship resources.
• Identifies permanency options through ongoing contact with parents and kin.
• Attends court hearings, prepares reports, and testifies as needed.
• Maintains case records and coordinates with law enforcement, judicial officials, and community resources.

Skills

Knowledge of child development

Knowledge of family dynamics

Verbal and written communication

Establishing and maintaining working关系

Problem solving

Travel

On-call / irregular hours

Ability to work in challenging env

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, or related field

Associate's degree + 2 years relevant experience

60 accredited college credit hours + 2 years relevant experience

90 accredited college credit hours + 1 year relevant experience

Job description

Posting ID19807-Posted08/06/2026-Dept of Family & Protectve Svc-Region 11 CPS Dir Del - CVS-Protective Services-b. $3000 - $4999 per month

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) works to build on strengths of families and communities to keep children and vulnerable adults safe, so they thrive. We do this through investigations, services, and referrals.

What You Get Beyond Your Paycheck

When you join the State of Texas, your monthly paycheck is just one part of your real income. Our benefits provide extra value that many private employers simply don’t match—often adding hundreds of dollars each month to what you take home or save.

Here’s what you get as a full‑time employee:

• 100% paid health insurance for you, and 50% paid for eligible family members—saving you hundreds every month in out‑of‑pocket medical costs
• Retirement plans with lifetime monthly payments after five years of state service, plus options to save even more with 401(k) and 457 plans
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave so you can recharge and take care of life outside work (that’s time off you’re actually paid for)
• Optional dental, vision, and life insurance —at rates much lower than most private plans
• Flexible spending accounts for added tax savings on health and dependent care
• Employee discounts on things like gym memberships, electronics, and entertainment

• Functional Title: CPS Conservatorship Worker
• Job Title: CPS CVS Spec I
• Agency: Dept of Family & Protectve Svc
• Department: Region 11 CPS Dir Del - CVS
• Posting Number:19807
• Closing Date:08/20/2026
• Posting Audience:Internal and External
• Occupational Category:Protective Services
• Salary Range:$3,816.65-$5,372.41
• Pay Frequency: Monthly
• Salary Group:TEXAS-B-17
• Shift:Day
• Additional Shift:None
• Telework:
• Travel:
• Regular/Temporary:Regular
• Full Time/Part Time:Full time
• FLSA Exempt/Non-Exempt:Nonexempt
• Facility Location:
• Job Location City:BROWNSVILLE
• Job Location Address:1000 W PRICE RD
• Other Locations:None
• MOS Codes: 0149,5805,5821,5822,5832,14N,14NX,183X,1N0X1,230X,311A,31D,351L,351M,35L,35M,42SX,43HX,4C0X1,4E0X1 5IX,683X,68X,71SX,73A,783X,HM,INV,IS,ISS,IV,MST,NC,OAP12

Brief Job Description:

Whenever a child must be removed from their home, Texas courts appoint Child Protective Services (CPS) to serve as a "Conservator" of the child. Conservatorship Specialists are a specific type of caseworker legally responsible for a child's welfare whenever they are removed from their home and monitors children's care while in CPS conservatorship. They work closely with parents, extended family, and legal parties to help children find a permanent, safe place to live.

Newly hired employees holding a Master's Degree in Social Worker may qualify for an increase at the point of hire.

DFPS is committed to its employees' professional development and ongoing success, and offers the DFPS Certification Program to enhance skills and advance careers within our organization. The program is tailored specifically for DFPS employees, provides the opportunity to earn additional compensation through a supportive learning environment that fosters growth and innovation, and equips participants with the knowledge and skills needed to deepen their expertise in their respective role.

Essential Job Functions (EJFs):

• Receives cases from investigators after children are removed from their homes, placed in CPS conservatorship, and placed in care outside their homes.
• Determines each child’s needs and ensuring that appropriate referrals for testing, evaluations, records, or further assessments are made. Ensures all services are focused on achieving positive permanency.
• Working with children, families, and communities to plan for a child's permanency.
• Identifying potential permanency resources for the child through ongoing contact with parents, family members, and other individuals the child and family identify as important to them.
• Searching for potential kinship providers throughout the case. Completing home studies of a child's family members or family friends (kinship providers) who might care for the child.
• Meets with the parents to assess risk and safety issues, identify behavior changes necessary to achieve child safety, referring parents to appropriate services to address the identified needs to move towards positive permanency. Discusses with parents their progress towards making changes to behaviors that pose dangers to their child(ren).
• Meets with children, parents, family friends, or foster homes in public as well as in their own homes.
• Collaborates with a Placement Team, including Kinship staff, for placements, as needed.
• Participates in meetings and conferences at times and places convenient for the family members as well as everyone involved in the case.
• Visits children monthly to assess the child’s feeling of safety in their current home, to plan for permanency, and to discuss their needs, wishes, and progress while in care
• Attends and participates in court hearings about the child and family. This includes contacting the parties in the case before hearings, preparing court reports, and testifying in court on the child’s needs, the family’s progress, and the department’s efforts to achieve permanency for the child.
• Keeps the child’s, parents, caregivers, court-appointed attorney and guardian ad litem(s) informed about the child’s circumstances and significant events.
• Works with the department's attorney to prepare for contested‑court hearings and trials.
• Works with kinship caregivers and foster parents to ensure that they have what they need to care for the child or youth placed with them i.e., keeping them informed about developments in the case, returning phone calls, and in some areas of the state being available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week at certain times.
• Transitions children home during reunification services and provides support to the family until the legal case is closed.
• Supervises adoptive placements until the adoption is final or until the case is transferred to an adoption caseworker.
• Using effective time-management skills to make sure all key tasks are done.
• Documents case records by completing forms, narratives, and reports to form a written record for each client.
• Develops and maintains effective working relationships between Child Protective Services staff and law enforcement officials, judicial officials, legal resources, medical professionals, and other community resources.
• Performs other duties as assigned and required to maintain unit operations.
• Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers, clients, and all work-related contacts.
• Attends work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):

• Knowledge of child development
• Knowledge of family dynamics
• Skill in effective verbal and written communication.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.
• Skill in problem solving techniques
• Ability to operate a personal computer.
• Ability to travel and attend child and family visits as well as other work related appointments and meetings after 5pm.
• Ability to be on call on a rotating basis and work irregular hours.
• Ability to work in an emotion‑filled environment and which may require conducting home visits in isolated or high crime areas and may involve exposure to substandard and unsanitary living conditions.

Registrations, Licensure Requirements or Certifications:

This position requires use of the applicant's personal motor vehicle to complete job functions.

Applicants for positions must have a reliable motor vehicle, and acceptable driving record for the past five years, and a current, valid Texas driver's license appropriate for the vehicle and passenger or cargo load. Applicants must provide proof of driving record, insurance, and license.

Initial Screening Criteria

Child Protective Services Conservatorship Worker I: An accredited B achelor's degreeORaccredited Associate's degree plus two (2) years of relevant work experienceOR60 accredited college credit hours plus two (2) years relevant work experience OR 90 accredited college credit hours plus one (1) year of relevant work experience. Examples of relevant work experience in social, human, or protective services include paid or volunteer work within social service agencies or communities providing services to families or other at‑risk populations.

Child Protective Services Conservatorship Worker II: An accredited B achelor's degreeORaccredited Associate's degree plus two (2) years of relevant work experienceOR60 accredited college credit hours plus two (2) years relevant work experience OR 90 accredited college credit hours plus one (1) year of relevant work experience.Examples of relevant work experience in social, human, or protective services include paid or volunteer work within social service agencies or communities providing services to families or other at‑risk populations. Employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist I for 9 months AND have received Child Protective Services Specialist Certification OR currently employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist II or Child Protective Investigations Specialist II in Texas Department of Family and Protective Services OR previously employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist II or Child Protective Investigations Specialist II in Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Child Protective Services Conservatorship Worker III: An accredited B achelor's degreeORaccredited Associate's degree plus two (2) years of relevant work experienceOR60 accredited college credit hours plus two (2) years relevant work experience OR 90 accredited college credit hours plus one (1) year of relevant work experience.Examples of relevant work experience in social, human, or protective services include paid or volunteer work within social service agencies or communities providing services to families or other at‑risk populations. Employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist II for 9 months AND have received Advanced Child Protective Services Specialist Certification OR currently employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist III or Child Protective Investigations Specialist III in Texas Department of Family and Protective Services OR previously employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist III or Child Protective Investigations Specialist III in Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Child Protective Services Conservatorship Worker IV: An accredited B achelor's degreeORaccredited Associate's degree plus two (2) years of relevant work experienceOR60 accredited college credit hours plus two (2) years relevant work experience OR 90 accredited college credit hours plus one (1) year of relevant work experience.Examples of relevant work experience in social, human, or protective services include paid or volunteer work within social service agencies or communities providing services to families or other at‑risk populations. Employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist III for 24 months AND have received Senior Advanced Child Protective Services Specialist Certification OR currently employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist IV or Child Protective Investigations Specialist IV in Texas Department of Family and Protective Services OR previously employed as a Child Protective Services Specialist IV or Child Protective Investigations Specialist IV in Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Preferred Criteria

• Degree in Social Work, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Human Development and Family Studies, Education, or Public Health.
• Previous professional or volunteer experience in a government agency, nonprofit, child protection, foster care, juvenile justice, mental health, or substance abuse services.
• Familiarity with trauma‑informed care or experience conducting interviews or assessments with children and families.

Additional Information

Community-Based Care (CBC) is a new way to provide services than traditional foster care because it gives local communities the flexibility to draw on local strengths and resources and find innovative ways to meet the unique and individual needs