Family Services Specialist - Child Protective Services

City of Charlottesville; Charlottesville (VA); Hybrid; USD 57,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Gym membership reimbursement

Tuition assistance

Professional development

Retirement plans

Job summary

City of Charlottesville is seeking a Family Services Specialist assigned to Child Protective Services. This role conducts ongoing case management, helps clients with personal, social, health and economic needs, and investigates abuse reports to ensure child safety and family support.

Regular in-person attendance is required; a hybrid (partial telework) schedule may be eligible after six months. The position offers comprehensive benefits, health insurance, life insurance, gym reimbursement,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Services field such as Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Counseling.
• Or Bachelor's degree in any field plus 2 years of related Human Services experience per Virginia code.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate with clients, families, and community partners.

Responsibilities

• Assess needs of clients and families to develop a service plan.
• Investigate referrals and interview clients as needed.
• Determine service eligibility and process applications for services.
• Conduct home visits and coordinate progress with treatment teams.
• Provide trauma-informed services and complete required timelines.

Skills

Social work knowledge

Communication skills

Case management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Services field

Bachelor's degree in any field + 2 years related Human Services experience

Tools

Driver's license

Job description

This Family Services Specialist is assigned to Child Protective Services and performs responsible professional work in the support and assistance of agency clients through ongoing case management services and assisting agency clients with personal, social, health and economic needs.

Performs complex professional work with multi-faceted social work cases involving families and children.

Work involved investigating reports of abuse and neglect, evaluating child safety, and facilitating services that support and strengthen families. Does related work as required and/or performs clinical work. Work is performed under the regular supervision of a Social Services Family Services Supervisor.

This position may be eligible for a hybrid (partial telework) schedule following successful completion of a 6-month probationary period; however, this is not a fully remote position and regular in-person attendance for meetings, trainings, and operational needs is required.

The preferred hiring amount for this position is between $27.62 - $36.87 an hour ($57,435.41 - $76,681.12 annually). Starting offer is based on applicable education, experience, and internal equity. This full-time, exempt position offers a comprehensive benefits package, health insurance with employer contribution, employer-paid life insurance, gym membership reimbursement, tuition assistance, and professional development opportunities. This position is also eligible for the following retirement benefits:

• Vacation Leave: 3.09 hours accrued bi-weekly (increases with YOS).
• Sick Leave: 4.62 hours accrued bi-weekly, approx. 120 hours per year with no limit on accumulation.
• 13 Paid Observed City Holidays
• 1 Floating Holiday which must be taken during the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30)
• Choice of retirement plan:
  • Defined Benefit Pension Plan: Provides a monthly benefit upon retirement, calculated using a defined formula based on earnings history, years of service, and age. The plan includes a 5-year vesting period and requires an employee contribution of 5% of salary.
  • Defined Contribution 401a Plan: Employer makes fixed contributions to an individual account, which are invested, and returns are credited to the account. The account balance is used to provide retirement benefits. Vesting occurs at 33% after one year, 67% after two years, and 100% after three years of service. No salary contribution is required.
• Voluntary 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
• Eligibility to purchase prior service credit under the Defined Benefit Plan.

The City of Charlottesville manages its own retirement system and does not participate in VRS; however, a Portability Agreement is available for eligible employees. For additional details, please refer to the “Benefits” tab within this posting or visit the City’s Employee Benefits webpage.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be considered to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The essential functions of the job are not limited to those listed in the job description. The City retains the discretion to add to or change the duties of the position at any time.

• Assesses the needs of clients and families to develop a service plan.
• Investigates referral and interviews clients as needed.
• Takes applications for services and determines service eligibility.
• Assesses/monitors situations and progress of clients by conducting field visits.
• Provides clinical and/or non-clinical services to families by listening to concerns and monitoring progress.
• Completes associated casework within associated timelines; prepares and submits court-related documentation within established deadlines.
• May testify in court proceedings and makes recommendations to legal authorities.
• Develops contacts and collaborates with community partners and service providers to make referrals for services to appropriate community resources and maintain relationships and continued referrals to programs.
• Conducts group information/education sessions for clients.
• Assists in the evaluation of programs and services.
• Provides trauma-supportive and appropriately responsive service.
• Conducts monthly home visits and may coordinate progress with the treatment team as necessary.
• May be responsible as an on-call staff on a rotating basis.
• Required to respond upon activation from the City Manager of the Continuity of Operations Plan and/or Emergency Operations Plan. Must have the ability to be contacted and respond based on Department guidelines.
• Responsible for appropriate use and maintenance of City equipment, tools and other resources, including work time.
• Regular and reliable attendance.

Other Duties

• Performs additional duties to support operational requirements as apparent or assigned.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services field, such as Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Counseling, or similar area.

OR

• Bachelor's degree in any field AND 2 years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services related field; as mandated in Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia and implemented by the Virginia Board of Social Services may be substituted as equivalent.

Preferred

• Masters in Social Work, Human Services, or a related field.
• Directly related experience (case management services) in Virginia within the past 2 years.
• Ability to communicate in a second language.

Certifications/Licenses / OtherRequirements

• Must obtain and maintain a valid Virginia Driver’s license and acceptable driving record according to city criteria.
• Required to successfully pass a pre-employment background check and pre-employment drug screen.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics

Job Knowledge

• Thorough knowledge and complete comprehension of eligibility requirements for public assistance, principles and practices of child welfare, substance abuse, employment services, family services and/or protective service work and state and federal procedures and legal terminology to solve common and unusual problems, advise on technical matters, and serve as a resource for others.
• Knowledge of counseling and social work principles and practices.
• Knowledge of community services and facilities available for clients served. Knowledge of crisis intervention and behavior changes techniques.
• Knowledge of human behavior and of current social, economic, and health problems of the community served.

Reading

• Intermediate: Ability to read and understand complex written materials, such as policies, regulations, and professional articles/journals.

Writing

• Intermediate: Ability to organize data, maintain case records, and write clear and concise reports and prepare explanations and summaries with proper format, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, using all parts of speech.

Math

• Intermediate: Ability to work with, understand, and apply simple formulas to process financial documentation related to client services, reimbursements, and prepare statistical reports.

Communication Skills

• Intermediate: Establish and maintain effectively working relationships with clients, families, co-worker’s city staff, other agencies, and