Job Announcement

This is an exciting time to join Fairfax County Government as we shape racial and social equity policies in the county through the One Fairfax Policy. Using this framework, we intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services. To learn more, we highly encourage you to watch the Becoming One Fairfax—An Introduction to Key Concepts video by clicking here and visit the One Fairfax webpage here. In alignment with One Fairfax, Department of Family Services (DFS) is committed to strengthening the well-being of its diverse community. To learn more about DFS and its Mission, Vision, and Values, please click here.

ABOUT THIS POSITION: DFS is seeking a full-time Post Permanency and Life Skills Specialist (Social Services Specialist III) to support the Division of Children, Youth and Families (CYF). 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.

The Post Permanency and Life Skills Specialist position is a member of the Foster Care and Adoption, Resource and Support Program, based in the Fairfax office. Occasional travel is required to our regional offices in Reston, Annandale, and South County. Frequent driving around the county and to outlying areas is also required. The specialist in this position is responsible for the following:

• Providing supportive counseling and crisis intervention to adoptive and kinship families via telephone or in-person
• Using trauma-informed practice and a strength-based approach to help and guide parents to find the most beneficial services
• Monitoring appropriateness and progress of residential care, home based services, outpatient counseling, and other services provided to families through post adoption services
• Processing applications and responding to inquiries for adoption and kinship assistance services
• Determining eligibility for subsidy and negotiating agreements for services with adoptive families
• Advocating for families during negotiations with the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS)
• Responding to requests provided by the VDSS for adoption record disclosures and searches
• Using systems such as Accurint, Ancestry.com, social media, and internet search engines to identify and locate adoptees and/or birth family members for the goal of exchanging information
• Employing advanced clinical skills to share sensitive information with adoptees, birth family members, and adoptive parents
• Providing support and guidance to older youth in foster care and youth who have aged out of foster care by connecting them to housing, educational, and employment services
• Conducting life skills trainings for youth on an individual and group basis
• Assisting youth in the completion of the National Youth in Transition Database survey
• Processing funding requests for older youth and overseeing the budgets for Chafee Independent Living and Educational and Training Voucher funds
• Ensuring all paperwork is completed accurately and deadlines are met
• Maintaining client data, case records, and correspondence in electronic databases and filing systems
• Collecting and analyzing data for the unit to improve outcomes
• Providing subsidy and life skills policy interpretation to peer and child welfare staff
• Contributing to the development of protocols and procedures to ensure that the unit effectively meets the needs of youth and families
• Functioning as a leader and mentor to other team members.
• Providing supervisory coverage and support to the team in the absence of the supervisor
• Attending supervision, unit and program meetings, work group meetings, training sessions, interdepartmental meetings, red team, and case consultations
• Performing other duties as assigned

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 in Social Work or closely related field
• Clinical license, such as LCSW, LPC, or another related field
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in foster care and adoption

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Must be able to lift 30 pounds. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to use automated technology, including but not limited to computer and cellular phone. Sufficiently mobile to make home visits and attend community events. Sufficient mobility to travel outside the office, county, and state for client contact, court appearances, and community events. Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

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.