In School Neighborhood Networks Social Services Specialist III

Job Announcement

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires.

Effective July 13, 2024, compensation plans will be increased by 2% (market rate adjustment): https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hr/fy-2025-compensation-plan

This position supports the Division of Children, Youth and Families (CYF), and will be based at a specific Fairfax County Elementary School in the South County Region. Spanish is the primary language of over 70% of the population of the school that would be supported by this position. If you are looking to work in a diverse community to strengthen the well-being of children and families, then this opportunity may be ideal for you. DFS is committed to strengthening the well-being of its diverse community by protecting and improving the lives of all children, adults, and families through assistance, partnership, advocacy, outreach, and quality services. To learn more about DFS and its Mission, Vision, and Values, please click here.

ABOUT THIS POSITION: Under general direction of the Neighborhood Networks Social Services Supervisor, performs tasks independently to protect children and build family resilience as articulated by local, state, and federal policies and laws. Coordinates with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) social worker to address immediate, short-term needs experienced by families with children attending the school and receive referrals from the FCPS clinical team for families who have more extensive or complex needs. Works closely with other members of the Neighborhood Networks (NN) team to coordinate additional services for families for longer term needs. Work hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., however, evening and/or weekend work is required.

Duties of the incumbent will include the following:

• Assists referred families in the home and community by coordinating services from other human service agencies and community-based organizations.
• Conducts home visits to assist parents/caregivers with follow through on connecting to community resources, which may include services to address challenges related to out of school activities/childcare; housing instability, financial challenges, medical/health needs, emergency food needs, clothing needs, etc.
• Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resource as needed;
• Through knowledge of childhood trauma and attachment;
• Meets with the clinical team (school social worker, school counselor, school psychologist) for family updates (after parent permission has been obtained).
• Addresses, and if necessary, manages initial crisis situation with clients, assesses safety issues and refers clients to emergency services as needed (e.g., mental health services, child protective services, adult protective services, women's shelter, homeless shelter).
• Demonstrates expertise in community service resources to identify, classify and describe services that address a broad array of client service needs-collaborates with service delivery professionals from all disciplines to identify service resource information requirements-translates those requirements into an automated catalog of resources necessary for client referrals and the development of client service plans.
• Enters client information into computer systems while maintaining client records.
• Utilizes social work tools such as genograms, ecomaps and financial worksheets.
• Represents the Prevention Program in staffings such as case consultations and Review, Evaluate, and Direct (R.E.D) team, other meetings, and events as needed.
• Communicates and works with colleagues, clients and the community in a manner that supports the agency and program goals and objectives.
• Participates as a contributing member on interagency, multi-disciplinary teams, community groups and professional organizations.
• Works a flexible schedule to include evenings and weekend dependent upon the needs of the program.
• Performs other duties as assigned to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families.
  
  

The primary purpose of the CYF Division is to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families. To ensure that the division can carry out its purpose and meet the agency’s responsibilities related to child safety, permanency and wellbeing, the CYF director may reassign this position’s related work duties and responsibilities within the job class. At the discretion of the CYF director, the Neighborhood Networks Social Services Specialist may perform related work duties and responsibilities within the job class to ensure that the Division can carry out its purpose and meet the agency’s responsibilities related to child safety, permanence, and wellbeing. May performs Child Protective Services functions by conducting Family Assessments of alleged abuse or neglect, and in consultation with supervisor, makes assessment of risks posed to clients in accordance with state and local policies, and works to ensure risks are eliminated or minimized.

May need to work a flexible schedule to include evenings and weekends and may be required to be on-call rotation that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

Contributes to the development of protocols, policies, procedures, grants and contracts for a social services program, department, and other entities;

Assists the supervisor in planning and carrying out training for new staff, providing guidance to staff. May directly supervise staff, and covers for the supervisor in their absence;

Serves as a policy expert in an area of social work specialization;

Conducts comprehensive clinical assessments and prepares and implements service plans;

Works with clients to develop a plan of service to meet social, health, emotional and economic needs. With the client, formulates objectives and identifies actions to resolve the clients' problems;

Conducts home visits to families for the purpose of monitoring, counseling and supervision;

Works with the community to identify families, children and individuals needing services and to coordinate these services using a wrap-around approach;

Advocates and assists families and individuals in obtaining services (e.g., mental health, intellectual disability, alcohol and drug, housing referrals, home based services, training and medical services);

Communicates and works with colleagues, clients and the community in a manner that supports the agency and program goals and objectives;

Participates as a contributing member on interagency, multi-disciplinary teams, community groups and professional organizations;

Collaborates and contributes to child specific teams on non-agency cases as assigned to assist in identifying community resources and services for families;

Participates, collaborates and contributes to Comprehensive Services Act activities for families on caseload;

Uses automated technology and hard copy files to maintain and update case data, notes, documents, records, contacts and summaries of information;

Manages and maintains program data and outcomes.

Required Knowledge Skills And Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of social work;

Thorough knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues;

Thorough knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;

Ability to analyze case information and to reach sound decisions on the basis of such information;

Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;

Ability to use automated technology to establish and maintain case records;

Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals.;

Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines;

Ability to provide guidance, direction, supervision and coaching to less-experienced staff;

Ability to provide management and oversight of a program or project.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree, plus three years of professional social work experience. A master's degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

Contingent upon the area of assignment, some positions within this class may require specific certification(s) prior to employment and/or the ability to acquire necessary certification(s) within a specified time period following employment. The certifications are identified in the position description and employment advertisement .

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.

Must be proficient in Spanish and English.

This position is considered essential personnel and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in social work (MSW) or a related human services degree.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in child abuse and neglect prevention.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in service plan development and care coordination.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience working within a school setting or in close partnership with a school.
  
  

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS).
• Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations.
• Sufficiently mobile to make home visits, attend meetings, and community events outside the office.
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle to attend meetings and events not accessible via public transportation. Ability to use automated technology.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds.
• All duties may be performed with or without reasonable accommodations.
  
  

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview; may include practical exercise.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 38.7% of residents speak a language other than English at home ( Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others ) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.