Family Safety Practitioner II - Protection & Preservation Services (PPS)

Davita Inc.; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Davita Inc. is seeking a Family Services Professional II to work within the Division of Children, Youth and Families. This role involves providing casework services to support families at risk of abuse/neglect, conducting assessments, and ensuring children's safety. Ideal candidates will possess a degree in social work or a related field, with relevant experience, and must be prepared to work a flexible schedule, including on-call duties.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university is required.
• Two years of experience in social work or related field required.
• Master's degree may substitute for experience.

Responsibilities

• Perform comprehensive assessments of children and families.
• Develop service plans with parents and children.
• Provide crisis intervention to maintain child safety.

Skills

Knowledge of child protection laws

Ability to interview

Critical thinking

Ability to assess safety

Education

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

Job description

Job Announcement

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires.

Works within the Division of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) to provide clinical casework services to stabilize and support families experiencing abuse/neglect or at-risk of further abuse/neglect. DFS is committed to strengthening the well-being of its diverse community by protecting and improving the lives of all children, adults, and families through assistance, partnership, advocacy, outreach, and quality services. To learn more about DFS and its Mission, Vision, and Values, please click here.

The FSP II is a member of the Protection and Preservation Services (PPS) in the South County/Alexandria region. Work hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; however, evening and/or weekend work is required as well as being part of an on-call rotation for CPS that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field are required.

Duties of the FSP II include:

Uses child welfare framework to perform comprehensive assessments of children and their families, including home visits. Areas of assessment include child abuse and neglect; parenting capacity; family relationships; mental health, substance abuse, and developmental concerns; social supports; physical health challenges and disabilities; and basic needs including shelter, food, and clothing

Collaborates with the parents/caretakers, key members of the family, and children, if appropriate, to develop a service plan to ensure children's safety and reduce risk of future harm to children

Collaborates with the family and multidisciplinary team to coordinate casework services and ensure progress towards achieving service plan goals

Coordinates care and delivery of services such as financial, food, shelter, and housing assistance; psychiatric, psychological, or mental health evaluations; and domestic violence interventions to family members

Responds to and provides crisis intervention to maintain child safety and well-being

Documents assessments, critical incident reports, detailed case contacts, progress notes, and service plans

Prepares court petitions and testifies in court

Collaborates with various multi-disciplinary professionals and facilitates family engagement activities

Performs other duties as assigned to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of child protection laws, rules, and regulations

Knowledge of conducting child protective services assessment and investigation

Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resource as needed

Ability to assess safety, risk, and protective capacity

Possess critical thinking skills and ability to apply critical thinking and knowledge and research

Ability to meet deadlines and keep up with documentation

Ability to work collaboratively with families to identify solutions to specific issues and/or challenges such as parenting, behavior management, childcare, financial stability, housing, mental health, substance abuse, etc.

Requires the ability to develop goals and to use decision-making tools and resources for the safety and well-being of children

All Fairfax County Government employees are expected to adhere to the Standards of Conduct. In maintaining a drug free workplace, employees are prohibited from manufacturing, distributing, possessing, using or being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while at work or on county premises.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, sociology, or a related field*; plus, two years of experience in social work, psychology, sociology, or a *related experience. A master's degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of the required experience. *For Virginia Child Welfare Stipend Program Graduates: A master's degree in social work, plus and eligible practicum in child welfare may be substituted for two years of the required experience.

*A related field/experience is based solely on the position description.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.
Positions within this class are required to complete the state mandated training in the functional area within a specified time period.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.

This position is considered essential personnel and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).

Requires being part of an on-call rotation that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A master's degree in social work, counseling, psychology, or other directly related clinical discipline
• Experience in performing child protective investigations, foster care and/or family preservation
• Experience in working with the court system and family group facilitation
• Experience in performing case management services in a child welfare setting (child protective services, foster care, adoption, family prevention, permanency planning, or domestic/sexual violence)
• Experience working with a diverse multicultural population

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Sufficiently mobile to attend home visits, court, meetings, and community events outside the office. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to use automated technology. Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS) Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview; may include practical exercise.

This job announcement is listed with a closing date of 7/25/25 and interested applicants are advised to submit their applications as soon as possible. Interviews will be conducted on a regular basis throughout the recruitment with candidates whose qualifications best fit our needs. If your application is received later in the recruitment process, it may not be reviewed or considered. The application process may close prior to the currently advertised closing date when the position has been filled.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 38.7% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. [e-mail] EEO/AA/TTY.

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