Protective Services Specialist 1/2 Juneau

Alaska Horizon; Juneau (AK); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Office of Children's Services in Juneau, Alaska is seeking a Protective Services Specialist to provide child protection services across the Southeast Regional Field Offices. The role covers investigations and assessments as well as generalist duties, with field work based in the Juneau Office.

Successful applicants start at PSS level 1 or 2 and may carry a caseload, develop intervention plans, coordinate with families and foster placements, and prepare court reports.

Qualifications

• Competency Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions
• Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in the job class.
• The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class.

Responsibilities

• Investigate reports of child abuse and/or neglect.
• Develop plans for intervention with families and others.
• Assist parents in addressing diminished protective factors.
• Place children out of the home with a relative or licensed foster home when necessary.
• Provide ongoing and/or in-home services to families.
• Write and submit reports to the Court.

Job description

Job Description

Come join the State of Alaska!

This job class uses Competency Based minimum qualifications (MQs). Please read the Competency Based MQ instructions below to learn more.

The Department of Family and Community Services,

Office of Children's Services (OCS) is

recruiting for full-time

Protective Service Specialist 1/2/3

in Juneau, Alaska

The position is open to Alaska Residents.

What You Will Be Doing

As a Protective Services Specialist (PSS), you will be responsible for Child Protection Services in the Family Services unit, the Investigations & Assessment unit, or as Generalist covering both. The Southeast Regional Field Offices consist of Juneau, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Sitka, and Craig. This position is based out of the Juneau Field Office.

Successful applicants will start at a level 1 or 2 depending on experience and qualifications. This case carrying position has a wide range of duties, including investigating reports of child abuse and/or neglect, preparing plans for intervention by soliciting the cooperation of the family and others, and gathering information about family dynamics/functionality. The Protective Services Specialist will develop plans to ensure child safety while assisting parents in addressing their diminished protective factors, place children out of the home with a relative or licensed foster home when necessary, provide ongoing and/or in-home services to families, write and submit reports to the Court, work closely with Tribal/Community Partners, frequent face-to-face and telephonic contact with parents and caregivers of children in custody and make referrals to other service providers and agencies.

For more information:

OCS Practice Model

Mission and Values/Culture:

The Mission of the Office of Children's Services is: Ensuring thE safety, permanency and well-being of children by strengthening families, engaging communities, and partnering with Tribes.

The

Office of Children's Services

is dedicated to a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and wellbeing are paramount. Employees all contribute to building a culture where everyone is valued, treated equitably, and treated respectfully.

Everything we do is underpinned by our

Core Values

.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

The Office of Children's Services is committed to an organizational culture that values each team member. We are committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. We celebrate and value the diversity of our employees, partners, and families we serve.

Your first twelve months in the agency are probationary and considered a training period, with formal virtual training, on-the-job training with your supervisor, and with other colleagues.

While this is a field-based position that involves working in the community, part-time telework within the duty station is an option upon eligibility.

Full-time benefits of this position include but are not limited to: Insurance Benefits; Retirement Benefits; Paid Leave; and twelve paid holidays per year. Please see the benefits tab on this posting for more information.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

This position is located at the Juneau Field Office, located in the heart of the Mendenhall Valley, conveniently located near shops, restaurants and the bus line.

The work we perform is critical and significantly impacts the communities we serve. As a result, the Office of Children's Services works on evenings and weekends as well as weekdays, so overtime and on-call work are expectations of our workers. Travel may be frequent or minimal. Varies based on regional needs. Travel to villages or cities for placement or visitation varies based on regional needs. Travel in outlying areas may involve small aircraft and overnight stays. The typical workweek may include some caseworker visits at school or in resource family homes, virtual and in-person court attendance, and mostly working independently in an office setting.

Our teams are based around having a strong work ethic and high ethical standards, believing in treating all people with dignity and respect, as well as being self-motivated, organized and honest. We are all about getting the job done while still contributing to a positive, upbeat work environment.

For information on the Juneau community (including schools, hospitals, housing) please review the

Alaska Community Profiles

.

Who We Are Looking For:

We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies:

Self-Management

Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.

Stress Tolerance

Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).

Teamwork

Encourages and facil. Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; f...

To view the general description and example of duties for the position please go to the following link:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/alaska/classspecs/892150?keywords=protective%20services%20specialist&pagetype=classSpecifications

Minimum Qualifications

Competency Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions

This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications.

Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description

The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations, as opposed to specific tasks, and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to successfully meet the competency, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in

Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving

Uses a logical, systematic, and sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one’s knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary.

Customer Service

: Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside State government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, and satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

Integrity

Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, self, and others; is trustworthy.

Interpersonal Skills

Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultura