Protective Services Specialist 1/2 - Wasilla (PCN 069330M)

Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership; Wasilla, Northern (AK, KY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Insurance Benefits

Retirement Benefits

Paid Leave

twelve paid holidays per year

Job summary

State of Alaska - Office of Children's Services seeks a Protective Service Specialist 1/2 in Wasilla to perform child protection work across units, including investigations, service planning, and family support. Strong writing, self-management, and teamwork are essential to protect children.

The role requires travel, a background check, and the ability to work after hours and weekends as needed in a fast-paced state agency environment.

Qualifications

• Analytical thinking and problem solving to address cases.
• Customer service oriented with strong written and oral communication.
• Integrity, teamwork, and professional ethics in sensitive family work.

Responsibilities

• Investigate reports of child abuse/neglect and plan interventions.
• Coordinate with families, courts, and service providers to ensure child safety.
• Prepare reports for the Court and maintain documentation.
• Travel 1–2 times per month as needed.

Skills

Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving

Customer Service

Interpersonal Skills

Oral Communication

Writing

Integrity

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.

Protective Service Specialist 1/2

Office of Children's Services (OCS) is recruiting for full-time Protective Service Specialist 1/2 in Wasilla, Alaska.

The position is open to Alaska Residents Only.

What You Will Be Doing

As a Protective Services Specialist (PSS), responsible for Child Protection Services in the Family Services unit, the Investigations & Assessment unit, or as Generalist covering both. This case carrying position has a wide range of duties, including investigating reports of child abuse and/or neglect, prepare plans for intervention by soliciting the cooperation of the family and others, and gather information about family dynamics/functionality, 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.

OCS has opportunities across several units. During the hiring process, we work with applicants to match them with a position that best aligns with their strengths, experience, and interests.

Strong writing skills, the ability to manage your workload independently, and a collaborative approach are important in ensuring the safety and well-being of children throughout Alaska. Child protection work can involve making critical decisions in urgent situations. Staff must be prepared to respond quickly and confidently to protect children and maintain their own safety, including in situations that may involve potential physical risk.

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

• Insurance Benefits
• Retirement Benefits
• Paid Leave
• twelve paid holidays per year

Please see the benefits tab on this posting for more information.

The Working Environment You Can Expect

The Office of Children’s Services Wasilla Field Office is in Wasilla. For information on the Wasilla community (including schools, hospitals, housing) please review the Alaska Community Profiles. The typical workweek may include some caseworker visits at school or in resource family homes, virtual and in-person court attendance, and working independently in an office setting. More information about the Anchorage OCS location can be found on our website.

Work Schedule

The work we perform is critical and significantly impacts the communities we serve. As a result, the Office of Children's Services (OCS) requires staff to work after hours and on-call, work in the evenings and weekends as well as weekdays, so overtime is also an expectation when deemed necessary.

Travel

Frequency of travel is expected to be 1-2 times a month for a duration of up to 1 week at a time. There may be day trips and occasional overnight stays in rural conditions with some exposure to extreme weather conditions in the winter. Travel in outlying areas may involve small aircraft and overnight stays. Child protection work requires traveling both on the road system as well as required travel on small planes to rural villages in Alaska, often located significant distances apart in isolated communities.

Who We Are Looking For

• Stress Tolerance: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).
• 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.
• Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Special Note

• All positions require a valid Real ID Alaska driver's license and successful completion of a background investigation, including fingerprinting and a criminal records check.
• Additionally, while the Division does have vehicles assigned to it, they may not always be available for staff use. Mileage reimbursement is available when a personal vehicle is used for work-related matters. Current automotive insurance must be in place prior to use of a personal vehicle while conducting business on behalf of the State.
• Relocation reimbursement costs may be provided by the State of Alaska.
• For positions in this job class, a child protective history check will be performed per AS 12.62.160 and/or 13 AAC 68.315 including a background and fingerprint check.
• The successful candidate may be required to attend multiple training courses normally located in Anchorage.

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

• 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, or 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 cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
• Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

equivalent to those typically gained by

Training in a social science, behavioral science, health science, guidance and counseling, or a closely related field and/or experience providing assistance, information or referrals to the general public related to social services, health care, or legal services; in child, adult, family, or group case management, licensing, or probation services; or providing care or services to delinquent juveniles.

“Typically gained by” means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.

“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accreditedandunaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.

equivalent to those typically gained by

Training in a social science, behavioral science, health science, guidance and counseling, or a closely related field and/or progressively responsible professional experience providing assistance, information or referrals to the general public related to social services, health care, or legal services; in child, adult, family, or group case management, licensing, or probation services; or providing care or services to delinquent juveniles.

“Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.

“Professional experience” means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.

Special Note

Some positions require a valid Alaska driver's license and/or a background investigation including fingerprinting. These requirements will be indicated at the time of recruitment.

NOTE: PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY

At the time of the interview, please provide the following

• Copy of academic transcripts with your application if you will be using education to meet the minimum qualifications and/or competencies desired for the position. (Unofficial are acceptable but must include the institution name/URL on the transcripts). Please provide them at the time of the interview if they are not included in your application.
• A list of three (3) professional references including daytime telephone numbers and email address; at least two (2) of these must be from a current or former supervisor.

*Professional is defined as a supervisor or an individual who has direct knowledge of your work performance.

EEO Statement

The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at: P. O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.

Legal Employment

The State’s online recruitment system, Workplace Alaska, requires applicants to certify that they have a legal right to accept employment in the United States. It is the responsibility of the employee to maintain the appropriate documentation to accept or continue legal employment. The State of Alaska does not function in the role of an employer sponsor.

NOTE

The State of Alaska does not provide VISA Employer sponsorships.

Multiple Vacancies

This recruitment may be used for more than one (1) vacancy. The applicant pool acquired during this recruitment may be used for future vacancies for up to ninety (90) days after this recruitment closes. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply to each recruitment notice to ensure consideration for all vacancies.

Notice

Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 800-587-0430 (toll free) or [phone]. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email from the 'govermentjobs.com' domains.

For information on allowing emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domains, visit the Lost Password Help page located at https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword.

Contact

Name: Cyan Shuman

Title: Talent Acquisitions Specialist

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]