Protective Services Worker - Family and Children's Services

City and County of San Francisco - Human Services Agency; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

City and County of San Francisco - Human Services Agency seeks a Protective Service Worker to perform professional investigation, case management and casework in the Family & Children’s Services program. You will engage children, youth and families, assess safety and risk, and develop case plans to promote stable living situations.

Under general supervision, you will coordinate with families and providers, document findings, testify in Court when needed, and ensure compliance with agency

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Social Work from CSWE-accredited program.
• Master’s Degree in counseling (e.g., Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling) with supervised field placement.
• License: California class C driver's license with clean MVR.

Responsibilities

• Engage children, youth and families to assess safety and risk; develop service plans.
• Conduct comprehensive safety, risk, and protective capacity assessments using designated tools.
• Coordinate case planning, service delivery, and transition to permanent living arrangements.
• Maintaining accurate case information in designated case management systems.
• Testify in court and ensure compliance with legal requirements and agency policies.

Education

Master’s Degree in Social Work (CSWE-accredited)

Master’s Degree in counseling (e.g., MFT, Clinical/Mental Health Counseling)

Job description

Under general supervision, Protective Service Workers perform professional investigation, case management, and casework services at the Family & Children's Services program. This includes the following activities: engagement of children, youth and families; assessment of safety and risk; case planning and service delivery; and transitioning children and families to appropriate permanent and stable living situations.

ESSENTIAL TASK AND DUTIES

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

• Partners with families, communities, and service providers to build a supportive team that addresses the safety, health, and well-being needs of the child, youth, and family.
• Explores safety, well-being, family relationships and natural supports through interviewing, field visits, and gathering collateral information in a timely manner.
• Conduces comprehensive assessments of safety, risk and protective capacity utilizing designated assessment tools.
• Takes appropriate action to ensure child safety, including promoting family strengths, mitigating safety threats and/or removal of children from the home.
• Maintaining case information on applicable computerized case management system(s).
• Collaborates with families and stakeholders to develop behavioral case plans that addresses the family's needs and complies with relevant laws, rules and regulations, based on the assessment.
• Helps connect families to a broad array of services and supports and empowers them to utilize strengths to implement the provisions of a case plan.
• Counsels and educates youth, families, care providers and community partners on the Child Welfare process, legal requirements, and departmental policies and procedures by communicating verbally and in writing to provide necessary and appropriate information to families.
• Builds community partnerships through relationship building and educating community organizations about Family and Children's Services.
• Stays abreast of latest polices, initiatives, and best practices by attending trainings, reading literature reviews, accessing various online child welfare resources, and participating in work groups and site teams to contribute to the development of policies.
• Ensures all assigned cases meet compliance standards and schedules work accordingly.
• Testifies in Court, adheres to Court protocol, and complies with legal requirements.
• Ensures the well-being of children placed in homes by identifying homes to meet children's needs and closely monitors their placement
• Assists out of home care providers to ensure children attend mandatory parental visits and medical and dental appointments to comply with mandatory County and State procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Prepares written correspondence, electronic records, and court reports by maintaining well documented records in a clear and timely manner, according to Agency procedures.

How to Qualify

1. Education

a. Possession of a Master’s Degree in Social Work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work education (CSWE);

OR

b. Possession of a Master’s Degree from a two-year (2) counseling program from an accredited college or university. (Qualifying Master’s Degrees in counseling include Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Addiction Counseling and Counseling Psychology that included a supervised field placement as part of the course curriculum).

AND

2. Experience

a. Satisfactory completion of two (2) semesters of graduate field placement, which involved the provision of direct services to families or children in one of the following or closely related areas: child welfare, family counseling, juvenile probation, pediatric social work, adolescent alcohol and drug counseling or school social work;

OR

b. Six (6) months post baccalaureate professional work experience which involved the provision of direct services to families or children in one of the areas previously described.

AND

3. License: Possession of a valid California class C driver's license and clear Motor Vehicle Record (MVR).

Note: Applicants who will receive their Master’s degree by the end of the current semester/quarter may submit a written request to be placed on the eligible list under waiver pending receipt of the Master’s degree; for these applicants, appointment referral is contingent upon verification of the required education and experience.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

LICENSE, CERTIFICATION AND SPECIAL CONDITIONS:

Some positions in Class 2940 Protective Services Worker may require bilingual proficiency depending upon the department's bilingual needs. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for bilingual positions. Applicants must indicate on the application form the language(s) in which they claim proficiency.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The essential duties of this position require incumbents to: drive, usually outside the City of San Francisco; to get in and out of vehicles, climb flights of stairs to complete home visits; lift objects weighing up to 40 pounds; incumbents will be required to work after standard work hours to respond to emergency response shifts which can occur on nights and weekends including After Hours shifts.

Note: A current copy of the driver license and a current Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) must be submitted prior to appointment. Applicants must possess a good driving record, defined as not having the driving privilege suspended, revoked or being placed on probation for cause involving the safe operation of a motor vehicle within the preceding three (3) years. Violations will be reviewed on an individual basis and may be cause for non-selection or disciplinary action if employed.