INTERNAL ONLY After-Hours Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3) - Spokane Central

State of Washington; Spokane (WA); Presencial; USD 69.000 - 93.000; Tempo integral

Resumo da vaga

State of Washington’s DCYF seeks an After-Hours Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3) for Spokane Central, Swing Shift. The role involves assessing complex family situations, interviewing children and caregivers, and ensuring child safety through planning and services.

The ideal candidate will have extensive social service experience, relevant degrees, and the ability to act to learn and grow. This is an internal-only posting with strong teamwork and cross-program collaboration.

Qualificações

• Paid social service experience must include at least one year of assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered services.
• Bachelor’s degree with 30 credits in a Social Service discipline and two years of paid social service experience.
• Master’s degree with 30 credits and one year of paid social service experience.
• One year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 2.
• Ability to take action to learn and grow.
• Ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Responsabilidades

• Investigate, assess, and evaluate reports of child abuse.
• Provide ongoing safety and risk assessment of the family throughout the life of the case and take appropriate action to protect children, correct parental deficits through services, and provide support to the family.
• Provide comprehensive and ongoing assessment of casework needs for child, parent(s)/guardian, and foster parent(s) with a focus and priority on child safety.
• Assess the need for out-of-home placement and work with the family to find the most appropriate placement.
• Monitor the health and safety of children through regular visitation.
• Utilize FAMLINK to document case activities and maintain case records.
• Prepare and document cases for court proceedings.

Conhecimentos

Six years paid social service

Two years paid social service

One year as SSS2

Ability to take action to learn and/or

Ability to take action to meet thene

Formação

Bachelor’s degree in social services (30 credits) OR related field

Master's degree in social services (30 credits) OR related field

Descrição da vaga

Our vision is to ensure that “All Washington’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy, thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community”.

Job Title

INTERNAL ONLY After-Hours Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3)

This position is open to current DCYF employees only.

Location

Spokane, WA (Spokane Central office - Swing Shift)

Closes

11/19/26

Salary

$69,348 - $93,288 Annually. This position will receive 10% assignment pay. This is in addition to the regular base salary; the required duties include performing visits in unregulated environments, such as private residences, to conduct investigations for allegations of abuse and/or neglect to assess the safety of vulnerable children.

About the Opportunity

We're looking for a proactive After-Hours Social Service Specialist (SSS3) to join our amazing Spokane Central team. Our office excels at teamwork, including cross-program communication, collaboration, and assistance. We pride ourselves on providing high-quality services to the children and families we serve. If you are passionate about caring for children and providing them support.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will assess complex family situations, interview children and parents, evaluate child safety, develop plans to protect children in their homes, and offer services to children and families. This is a non-carrying caseload position to work a schedule that overlaps day shift and after-hours and will be assigned secondary to cases to help complete casework to assist day shift.

Some of what you'll do

• Investigate, assess, and evaluate reports of child abuse.
• Provide ongoing safety and risk assessment of the family throughout the life of the case and take appropriate action to protect children, correct parental deficits through services, and provide support to the family.
• Provide comprehensive and ongoing assessment of casework needs for child, parent(s)/guardian, and foster parent(s) with a focus and priority on child safety.
• Assess the need for out-of-home placement and work with the family to find the most appropriate placement.
• Monitor the health and safety of children through regular visitation.
• Utilize FAMLINK to document case activities and maintain case records.
• Prepare and document cases for court proceedings.

Required Qualifications

• Six (6) years of paid social service experience* AND 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline.
• Bachelor’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or any degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline AND Two (2) years of paid social service experience*.
• Master's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or any degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline AND One (1) year of paid social service experience*.
• One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 2.
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.
• *Paid Social Service experience must include at least one year of assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered practice services.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior public child welfare experience.
• Case management experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable laws, rules, and policies on child protective and child welfare services.
• Demonstrated knowledge of addiction, treatment, relapse prevention, and recovery principles, and/or experience working with individuals with substance use disorder.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively and build consensus with families, community partners, and professionals around difficult or sensitive topics.
• Experience assessing risk and safety concerning child abuse and neglect or developing safety or service plans with families.
• Ability to organize information to meet FAMLINK documentation requirements.

Worker Core Training (WCT)

As a Social Service Specialist, you are required to successfully complete a mandatory 9.5-week Worker Core Training (WCT). This training provides the foundational knowledge and skills needed to perform core job functions, including assessing risk and safety, supporting child well-being, gathering information, and conducting case and permanency planning. During the training, you will have opportunities to practice these skills through classroom activities, simulation exercises, and debriefs. Upon hire, you will be assigned to the nearest available training cohort. The training includes four (4) weeks at our Seattle training site (scheduled for Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8). For those eligible for travel from their assigned duty location, DCYF covers hotel accommodations and per diem costs.

The WCT curriculum is designed to prepare Social Service Specialists for the responsibilities of the role, including:

• Understanding the child welfare system
• Familiarity with the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) related to child welfare
• Policies, procedures, and best practices
• Assessing child safety through environmental observation, interviews with children and caregivers, and collateral contacts
• Collecting records and collaborating with community partners, including medical providers, law enforcement, and chemical dependency services
• Completing assessments and documenting case notes
• Writing dependency petitions and court reports
• Preparing for and testifying in court

Supplemental Information

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington’s children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our goal to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies

This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). For more information: https://wfse.org/.

This position requires a minimum of at least two years of driving experience and a valid driver’s license.

The incumbent must successfully complete formal training courses as required by law, policy, and regional requirements within one year of their appointment.

Degrees must be obtained from an accredited college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or a foreign equivalent verified by a NACES-approved organization at naces.org. Foreign Equivalency certification must be attached to the application for degrees obtained outside the U.S.

DCYF participates in the federal E-Verify program. The selected candidate must provide proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States, consistent with E-Verify requirements, on their first day of employment.