Job Announcement

Works as part of the Division of Children, Youth & Families (CYF). As an agency, 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.

As a member of the Family Engagement Program (FEP) and under general direction of the Father Engagement Supervisor, the Father Engagement Specialist III consults with CYF and systems of care agencies staff on effective strategies to engage uninvolved fathers. Supports advanced trauma-informed clinical interventions with fathers and their families. Collaborates on efforts to identify, locate, and engage fathers and paternal relatives. Serves as the lead facilitator of fatherhood parenting and mentoring groups. Helps train volunteer group facilitators and mentors.

Duties and responsibilities of the Father Engagement Specialist III include:

• Provide bi-monthly (or as needed) home visits to fathers to support them with case management needs.
• Facilitate weekly groups for fathers using 24/7 Dad curriculum and relationship-based support.
• Link fathers to community resources, including but not limited to, shelter, domestic violence services, legal, childcare, food support programs, financial assistance, employment/training, health, and immigration support services.
• Provide workshops in the community covering topics such as positive discipline, parenting style, children’s development, and others.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team of Family Support Specialists, social workers, marriage and family therapists and community partners.
• Coordinate services with other providers who are involved with each family.
• Comply with documentation requirements.
• Participate in program evaluation efforts.
• Maintain client files and timely program documentation.
• Attends group supervision, individual supervision, and regular program staff meetings.
• Connect with other agency’s programs with Early childhood services to collaborate and strengthen father engagement services across the county
• Integrates feedback to promote development of child welfare staff in developing capacity and competence in using the Safe & Connected™ model in everyday practice
• Assures timely and continuous delivery and quality of training to child welfare staff
• Provides day-to-day coaching of practitioners and supervisors in their work with families and with each other
• Collaborate with agencies, partners, outside vendors or consultants, and stakeholders outside of CYF
• Participates in workgroups and committees that improve best practices and service delivery to children and families in Fairfax County
• Prepares reports, data, and organizational documents
• Performs other duties as assigned to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to apply and model the practice of the Safe & Connected Model™
• Knowledge of Father Engagement theory, 24/7 Dads Curriculum and strength-based approach
• Ability to consider the work through an Equity Informed Lens
• Ability to apply critical thinking skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a strong confidence level speaking to large or small groups is essential to the position
• Ability to exercise discretion and ensure confidentiality
• Knowledge of child protection laws, rules, and regulations
• Knowledge of foster care and adoption laws, rules, and regulations
• Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resources as needed

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;
Manages service contracts and provide and directs other contract-related functions;
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;
Coordinates or oversees the daily activities of a program or project to include staff supervision, oversight of administrative functions/requirements associated with the program or project, evaluation of the program or project for its impact/effectiveness, and making recommendations for changes or improvements;
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;
Provides crisis intervention on a timely basis to clients or families whose well being is seriously and immediately threatened, to include Child Protective Services after-hours;
Conducts mediation services to families in conflict;
Investigates allegations of abuse and neglect of children, elderly persons and incapacitated adults who live in the community and institutional facilities;
Makes assessment of risks posed to clients in accordance with state and local policies, and works to ensure risks are eliminated or minimized;
Performs emergency removal of children from their homes when required, places children in foster homes and residential programs, and coordinates services for them as needed;
Represents the agency in court proceedings; prepares testimony and testifies in Juvenile, Circuit, Criminal, Civil and Federal Courts;
Interviews and counsels natural parents, adoptive parents, foster parents and children to be placed in foster homes or residential facilities and those involved in adoption placement;
Evaluates child's readiness for placement and recommends placement, ensuring compliance with legal provisions;
Conducts and documents interstate and intrastate family home studies to evaluate and make recommendations as to families' ability to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children;
Evaluates and trains foster and adoptive parents;
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;
Assesses eligibility for foster care protect/prevent funds;
Participates, collaborates and contributes to Comprehensive Services Act activities for families on caseload;
Provides training and education on a variety of social work topics;
Recruits volunteers and manages volunteer services;
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;
Knowledge of casework supervision practices and procedures;
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

MINIMIMUM 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.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

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

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
• Three or more years of professional-level social work experience, to include two or more years of experience in child welfare
• Prior experience in child welfare. Child welfare is the continuum of services designed to ensure that children are safe and that families have the necessary support to care for their children successfully

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. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to use automated technology. Sufficiently mobile to attend/participate in person and virtual home visits, courts and community-based meetings to include case consultations, RED teams, ongoing professional development opportunities in various locations, and ability to attend trainings and conferences locally, state-wide and nationally as needed. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview, may include practical exercise.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 39.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we are committed to providing county services to individuals regardless of English proficiency. Qualified candidates who are bilingual in English and another language are encouraged to apply for this job 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.