Family Support Specialist

WV Department of Human Services; West Virginia; On-site; USD 38,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

WV Department of Human Services, Bureau for Family Assistance, seeks a Family Support Specialist to provide comprehensive case management, conduct client interviews, and evaluate TANF eligibility. The role helps families achieve self-sufficiency through employment goal planning and access to public assistance programs.

You will collaborate with community partners, develop Personal Responsibility Contracts, maintain accurate case files, explain program rules, and participate in ongoing training

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• One year of related experience in interviewing clients and evaluating data.
• Substitution: college training and/or paid experience may substitute for the required training on a year-for-year basis.

Responsibilities

• Negotiating Personal Responsibility Contracts and action plans to guide clients toward goals.
• Conducting telephone and face-to-face interviews to gather and verify information.
• Determining initial and continuing eligibility for TANF and related programs.
• Analyzing aptitude and interest test results to direct vocational planning.
• Developing employability plans and arranging for necessary support services.
• Conducting job development with community employers for work experience and subsidized employment.
• Providing job search instruction and employment counseling.
• Assessing client needs and referring to community resources.
• Maintaining and updating client case files and progress reports.
• Explaining program policies and requirements clearly to clients.

Skills

Interviewing

Eligibility evaluation

Case management

Employment planning

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Nature of Work

Are you a professional caseworker with experience in client interviews and eligibility evaluations looking for a role where your work will directly transform the lives of families across the state? Join our team at the Bureau for Family Assistance (BFA) as a Family Support Specialist, where your skills will help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency by providing comprehensive case management, employment goal planning, and access to critical public assistance programs. At the Bureau for Family Assistance, we value our team members and invest in their growth by offering on-the-job training, regular performance feedback, and ongoing professional development to support long-term career growth. Employees also receive a full benefits package that includes 12 paid holidays, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation and sick leave, medical and life insurance, retirement plans, and much more!

Nature of Work

Are you a professional caseworker with experience in client interviews and eligibility evaluations looking for a role where your work will directly transform the lives of families across the state? Join our team at the Bureau for Family Assistance (BFA) as a Family Support Specialist, where your skills will help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency by providing comprehensive case management, employment goal planning, and access to critical public assistance programs. At the Bureau for Family Assistance, we value our team members and invest in their growth by offering on-the-job training, regular performance feedback, and ongoing professional development to support long-term career growth. Employees also receive a full benefits package that includes 12 paid holidays, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation and sick leave, medical and life insurance, retirement plans, and much more!

This position directly supports the mission of the Bureau to supply economic assistance through departmental programs by providing full-performance case management services and guiding clients toward long-term employment and financial stability. Family Support Specialists play a central role within the Bureau by evaluating eligibility for TANF and related economic assistance programs, creating time-limited Personal Responsibility Contracts, and partnering with community organizations to help clients reach their employment goals. Family Support Specialists serve as a key point of contact to empower clients through goal setting, aptitude assessment, and continuous guidance.

Key Responsibilities

Duties of the Family Support Specialist will include, but are not limited to:

• Negotiating and developing Personal Responsibility Contracts (PRCs) and action plans to guide clients toward employment and self-sufficiency goals.
• Conducting thorough telephone and face-to-face interviews to gather, evaluate, and verify social and financial information.
• Determining initial and continuing eligibility for TANF and economic service programs in accordance with departmental guidelines.
• Analyzing and interpreting aptitude and interest test results to direct vocational planning and employment goal development.
• Developing employability plans and providing or arranging for necessary support services and testing.
• Conducting job development with community employers and partners to establish sites for work experience, subsidized employment, and volunteer programs.
• Providing job search instruction, employment counseling, and guidance in job-seeking techniques.
• Assessing client social service needs and referring individuals to appropriate community resources and support agencies.
• Maintaining and updating accurate client case files, progress reports, and records through regular follow-ups and scheduled contact.
• Explaining program policies, rules, regulations, and requirements clearly to clients.
• Performing other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Training: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

Substitution: Any combination of college training and/or full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience in interviewing clients, customers or the public and evaluating the data against established standards and guidelines, or in a field of work where experience has been gained in helping troubled individuals and/or families toward normal social development may substitute for the required training on a year-for-year basis.

Experience: One year of full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience in interviewing clients, customers or the public and evaluating the data against established standards and guidelines, or in a field of work where experience has been gained in helping troubled individuals and/or families toward normal social development.