Social Services Specialist - Wellbeing/Permanency

Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services; Lexington (MS); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services is seeking a Frontline Social Service Specialist in the Wellbeing/Permanency Unit. You will create and maintain case files for children in care, visit placements, conduct investigations, and coordinate services, safety assessments, and family visits.

You will also attend court, assist with new hires as needed, and support after-hours coverage. Ideal candidates have a Bachelor's degree in a related field, 1–3 years of experience, and a valid

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent in a related field.
• Social work licensure preferred for appointment.
• Experience in child welfare or social services is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain case files for children in care.
• Visit children in care in foster homes, facilities, and hospitals.
• Complete investigations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
• Complete ongoing safety and risk assessments.
• Participate in county conferences/meetings for assigned children-in-care.
• Attend court hearings and coordinate family visits and services.

Skills

Professional commitment

Resilience

Organizational skills

Oral & written communication

Positive work morale

Flexibility in thinking

Unpredictable environment handling

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Social worker license (preferred)

Job description

About the Agency

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services has a position available for a Frontline Social Service Specialist position within the Wellbeing/Permanency 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 position is advertised for a Social Services Specialist within the Wellbeing/Permanency Unit, create and maintain case files for children in care; document in MDCPS online database program; visit children in care in foster homes, facilities and hospitals; complete investigations of abuse, neglect for exploitation; complete ongoing safety and risk assessments; participate in scheduled county conferences/meetings for assigned children-in-care; make referrals for children-in-care to receive services including dental, vision and medical; transport children-in-care to appointments and destinations; arrange for visitation with siblings and parents; attend staff meetings with supervisor (normally) and all-staff meetings; assist with new hires by being "shadow buddies"; on-call for after-hours situation (rotating responsibility with other staff members); attend court for hearings; communicate with families, service providers, parents, foster parents and the public; schedule and attend Family Team Meetings. Along with other duties.

• Create and maintain case files for children in care
• Document in MDCPS online database program
• Visit children in care in foster homes, facilities and hospitals
• Complete investigations of abuse, neglect for exploitation
• Complete ongoing safety and risk assessments
• Participate in scheduled county conferences/meetings for assigned children-in-care
• Make referrals for children-in-care to receive services including dental, vision and medical
• Transport children-in-care to appointments and destinations
• Arrange for visitation with siblings and parents
• Attend staff meetings with supervisor (normally) and all-staff meetings
• Assist with new hires by being "shadow buddies"
• On-call for after-hours situation (rotating responsibility with other staff members)
• Attend court for hearings
• Communicate with families, service providers, parents, foster parents and the public
• Schedule and attend Family Team Meetings

This position 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. WILL NEED VALID DRIVERS 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-unpredictable work environment

Preferred Qualifications

Typically requires a Bachelor's Degree and 1-3 years of experience. Appointing authority may require social worker's license. Hiring agency prefers: Bachelors' Degree and 2-4 years of experience. Appointing authority may require 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. VALID DRIVERS LICENSE AND INSURANCE

MDCPS is an Equal Opportunity Employer