Social Service Specialist 2-3 In-Training (SSS3) - Region 4/King County

State of Washington; Washington; On-site; USD 60,241 - 85,061; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Retirement benefits

Paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation leave

Job summary

The State of Washington is hiring Social Service Specialists 2/3 to ensure child safety through assessments and family intervention. This permanent, full-time position is based in Washington State, requiring strong experience in social services and the ability to develop case plans that protect children. Specialists will document activities in the State's database, attend court, and work collaboratively with families and community partners.

Benefits include medical insurance, retirement plans, and paid leave. Join us in making a difference!

Qualifications

• Five years of paid social service experience for SSS2, six for SSS3.
• Experience assessing risk and safety regarding children.

Responsibilities

• Determine if children are safe with families through investigations.
• Intervene to protect unsafe children and develop case plans.
• Document case notes and case activity in the State database.

Skills

Ability to take action to learn and grow

Ability to meet the needs of others

Education

Bachelor's degree in social services or related field with required credits

Master's degree in social services or related field

Job description

Job Overview

Position: Social Service Specialist 2 (SSS2) / Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3) — Units: CPS, CPS/FAR, CFWS.

Location: King County (Kent, Queen Anne, Rainier Valley, Bellevue, West Seattle).

Type: Full‑time, Permanent.

Salary: $5,398–$7,622 base; additional 5% premium for King County employees; 10% assignment pay upon reaching SSS3 goal class.

Travel is required within assigned areas and with clients.

DCYF is seeking Social Service Specialists at the SSS2 or SSS3 level to join our Region 4 team. Applicants may progress from SSS2 in training to SSS3.

Responsibilities

• Determine if children are safe with their families through respectful investigation and/or assessments.
• Intervene to protect unsafe children and develop a case plan with the family to remedy the situation so families can safely parent their children.
• Follow child welfare laws, policies, and procedures.
• Conduct ongoing comprehensive assessments of risk and safety, develop case plans, and authorize services for children, youth, birth parents, and caregivers.
• Implement culturally appropriate, ADA‑sensitive, and individualized service plans with families that are goal‑directed, behavior‑specific, and time‑limited.
• Refer, coordinate, and monitor the delivery of services.
• Utilize shared planning meetings to plan, develop, and coordinate with parents, relatives, attorneys, and other relevant professionals.
• Conduct health and safety visits to ensure the child’s health, safety, and well‑being needs are met.
• Develop and implement timely permanent plans that are responsive to the child’s permanency needs.
• Provide reasonable and active efforts to parents to prevent removal and ensure early and prompt referrals for court‑ordered services.
• Identify primary and concurrent permanent plans within legal and mandated time frames.
• Consult with the agency attorney and prepare required legal documents for court, placement, and service delivery.
• Assist in placing children in approved placements and prepare the child for visitation with parents and siblings.
• Transport children to placement, appointments, or family time/sibling visits.
• Schedule and supervise/monitor visitations.
• Document case notes/case activity in the State computer database, FAMLINK.
• Write court reports and prepare legal documents.
• Attend court and provide expert court testimony.

Required Qualifications

Social Service Specialist 2 – Five (5) years of paid social service experience and completion of 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline; or a Master’s degree in social services or related field with practicum; or a Bachelor’s degree in social services or related field with 30 semester or 45 quarter credits and one (1) year of paid experience; or one (1) year as a Social Service Specialist 1.

AND

1. The ability to take action to learn and grow.
2. The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Social Service Specialist 3 – Six (6) years of paid social service experience and completion of 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline; or a Master’s degree and one (1) year paid experience; or a Bachelor’s degree and two (2) years paid experience; or one year as a Social Service Specialist 2.

AND

1. The ability to take action to learn and grow.
2. The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Paid social service experience must include at least one (1) year assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family‑centered practice services.

Preferred / Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable laws, rules, and policies on child protective and child welfare services.
• Knowledge of addiction, treatment, relapse prevention, and recovery principles, and/or experience working with individuals with substance use disorder.
• 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.

Training and Development

Social Service Specialists must complete a mandatory 9.5‑week Worker Core Training (WCT). The curriculum covers child welfare system fundamentals, Revised Code of Washington, policies, risk and safety assessment, service planning, documentation, court reporting, and testifying.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance.
• Retirement benefits through the Washington Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) and optional Deferred Compensation Program.
• Paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation leave based on full‑time status.
• Access to Washington State Employee Assistance Program and other support resources.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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, 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.