Social Services Specialist - Safety / Lee County

Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services; Tupelo (MS); On-site; USD 36,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services is advertising a Time-Limited Social Service Specialist – Safety to work in the Safety Unit. Responsibilities include receiving investigation assignments, performing historical checks, and recognizing signs of maltreatment.

You will conduct safety assessments, testify in court, and collaborate with law enforcement to protect children. Qualifications include a Bachelor's degree and 1–3 years of relevant experience; licensure may be

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree is required.
• 1–3 years of experience in social services or related field preferred.
• Licensure as a social worker may be preferred by appointing authority.
• Strong communication and organizational skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Receive investigation assignments and conduct historical checks of records to determine prior agency involvement.
• Recognize signs of child maltreatment (abuse, neglect, exploitation).
• Investigate reports of maltreatment through the Centralized Intake and Assessment, including home visits and structured interviews.
• Conduct safety and risk assessments and make ethical, fact-based recommendations for services.
• Prepare for, attend, and testify in court hearings and administrative appeals.
• Collaborate with law enforcement, legal teams and other stakeholders to support investigations.
• Travel in personal vehicle (mileage reimbursed) and participate in on-site training.
• Document work in accordance with policies and upload to the shared drive.

Skills

Investigation

Court testimony

Communication

Time management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

This Opportunity is for a Social Service Specialist -- Safety with a work location in Lee County, MS.

About The Agency

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services has a position available for a Frontline Social Service Specialist within the Safety Unit. The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) is committed to protecting and nurturing Mississippi's at-risk children and families. MDCPS offers a variety of positions statewide, including social work positions providing case management services and working with potential foster families, supervisor positions providing clinical and administrative support, and agency support positions such as policy development, human resources, information technology, program management, training, and budgeting/finance. Working with MDCPS will give you the chance to make a life-changing difference for Mississippi's most vulnerable children and families.

If you have any additional questions, you can contact Touya Harrington of Workforce Development at 601-301-8494 or [e-mail]

About The Position

This Time-Limited (14) position is advertised for a Social Services Specialist - Safety. --- Responsibilities and duties include: receiving investigation assignments and conducting historical checks of records to determine if individuals in the reports have had prior agency involvement,

• Recognize signs and symptoms of child maltreatment (Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation),
• Investigates reports of child maltreatment (Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation) of children that are reported through the Mississippi Centralized Intake and Assessment including human trafficking, maltreatment in care, and child fatalities through conducting home visits, visits to other settings where children/families live and other structured interviews,
• Conducts safety and risk assessments to determine safety of children and make ethical and fact-based recommendations for continuation of services. This includes monitoring safety plans and making referrals for services as appropriate,
• Prepare for, attend, and testify in court hearings and administrative appeals on investigations,
• Participate in collaborative internal team meetings,
• Schedule and attend forensic interviews, autopsies, and other meetings regarding investigations.
• Document initial and ongoing work in accordance with established protocols, practices, and policies. This includes finalizing completed investigations with all supportive documents uploaded to a shared drive and sending final notifications per policy,
• Serve as mentor and peer support for new staff to the unit,
• Participate in scheduled staffing and other meetings,
• Build professional relationships and collaborate with law enforcement, legal and other stakeholders to support the agency's work in the investigation process,
• Requires routine travel in personal vehicle (mileage reimbursed based on DFA guidelines).
• May require work beyond assigned geographic area and/or special assignments,
• Use data to manage and plan the workday for timely initiation and completion of work,
• On-call after work hours and on weekends in designated coverage area,
• Other duties as assigned This consists of 4 weeks (every other week) of on-site training and 4 weeks of On-The-Job Training, and must pass a comprehensive test prior to continued employment and/or advancement. MUST HAVE A VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE AND INSURANCE What you'll need to be Successful Professional commitment to and caring about clients and the larger profession of child welfare. Personal resilience and strong self-efficacy beliefs about the ability to work with clients to produce positive client outcomes. Efficient organizational and time management skills. Good oral and written communication skills. Positive work morale. Ability to be flexible in thinking and problem solving. Realistic expectations about the difficulty and challenges of the work. Ability to handle an often-unpredictabl work environment

Preferred Qualifications

Typically requires a Bachelor's Degree and 1 - 3 years of experience. Appointing authority may require a social worker's license. --- Hiring Agency Prefers: Bachelor's degree and one (1) to three (3) years of experience. Appointing authority may require a social worker's license. A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in social work, social services, psychology, educational psychology, sociology, nursing, criminal justice, counseling, marriage and family therapy, family studies, or a related field. In this position, the salary may be based on Education and Qualifications.