Senior Family Services Specialist

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General Statement of Duties

Provides professional, intensive, specialized continuing case management services involving concentration in the areas of child and adult welfare; performs a broader scope of duties requiring routine utilization of greater professional knowledge and independent application of professional skill; performs other duties as assigned.

Essential Duties

This position will be responsible for facilitating Family Partnership Meetings (FPMs) and family finding and engagement activities on child welfare cases.  The position will facilitate collaborative decision-making through solution-focused meetings with youth, families, caregivers, family supports, service providers, professionals in the community and agency staff and will include:

• Identify family and supports for youth involved in child welfare through interviews with staff and families and database searches;
• Engage family and extended family and supports in discussions about the child welfare process and their inclusion in this process;
• Provide neutral meeting facilitation to promote open dialogue regarding the strengths and needs of youth and their families while promoting safety and identifying support and services to help mitigate risk;
• Support placement location through the completion of the permanency assessment tool;
• Prepare written reports from FPMs and documentation in agency databases;
• Provide ongoing evaluation of the FPM process, to include the regular collection and review of data related to these meetings;
• Work cooperatively and in a leadership capacity with other agency facilitators on the coordination and completion of quality FPMs and family engagement work, to include managing all FPM requests and managing a calendar with meeting availability;
• Provide training and guidance to other facilitators and staff on family engagement strategies and the FPM process;
• Work with agency leaders to provide feedback and advocate for system improvements that support best practices and implementation of policy changes.

This position will also provide family finding and engagement services in coordination with child welfare family services specialists at key points throughout the agency's involvement:

• Participate in agency removal team meetings with a focus on the engagement of family, extended family and family supports;
• Identify family and supports for youth involved in child welfare through interviews with staff and families and database searches;
• Engage family and extended family and supports in discussions about the child welfare process and their inclusion in this process, with a specific emphasis on the first 30 days of foster care placement and at critical decision points in the prevention, ongoing and foster care cases;
• Document all efforts and contacts in agency databases;
• Coordinate efforts with other agency staff to recruit, approve and support kinship resources and the exploration and approval of kinship resource families.

The position will participate in community, agency, division and unit meetings and on committees and task forces as there is a need for representation from the agency or unit; provide training and education to community groups through public speaking engagements; provide other supportive job functions, such as group facilitation; participate in agency case staffings, FPMs and removal team meetings as needed.

The position is required to participate on a Henrico County Shelter Team with assignments as designated by the Emergency Operations Center and agency leadership staff.  Performs related work as assigned.  The position will accept additional assignments when necessary.

Considerable knowledge of current social, economic and health concerns; considerable knowledge of casework philosophy, methods and practices; considerable knowledge of individual and group behavior and of current literature and trends in the social work field; knowledge of community resources available to meet clients needs; ability to make independent judgments; ability to understand and interpret laws and regulations and to deal effectively with the public; ability to plan and organize work; ability to gather facts and report them accurately and to write reports.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Four (4) year baccalaureate degree in a relevant human services field in accordance with VA Code § 63.2-219;

Experience: Three (3) years of relevant social work experience;

OR: Any equivalent combination of education, experience and training which provides the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities.

Additional Information

Successful completion of all training requirements established pursuant to the VA 63.2-208. Standards for personnel.

Central registry check and criminal history record check & fingerprinting are conducted on all persons conditionally offered employment, including a conditional offer of initial employment, or a conditional offer to promote, demote, or laterally transfer an employee.

Valid driver’s license to perform assigned duties at various locations.

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