Family Services Specialist 4

This position functions as a lead worker in the Adult Protective Services unit. Employees serve as support for the supervisor by performing tasks such as ensuring staff coverage, workload balance, training staff, reviewing case files, and providing back-up supervision of staff. 

The Family Services Specialists IV class is distinguished from the Family Services Supervisor class by the latter’s spending a majority of time in supervisory activities such as handling personnel issues, problems, and evaluating the work of others. 

Employees may provide consultation on complex cases and may also work on complex case assignments such as individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.

 Employees work within established policies, procedures and guidelines with a high degree of independence, seeking supervisory assistance only in unusually complicated and difficult cases/situations. 

Provides persons, families, or vulnerable populations with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses, neglect and abuse; ensures that reports of suspected abuse/neglect are assigned to appropriate staff; ensures that the local department has staff on duty 24 hours per day, seven days per week to respond to reports of abuse/neglect; provides guidance, consultation and supervision to other staff in the absence of the supervisor; prepares social histories and psychosocial diagnoses and develops treatment plans which identify problems, clinical methods for dealing with them, and the means by which services will be provided either within the agency or through referral to other community resources; represents the agency in both civil and criminal court proceedings which involves interpreting laws, filing petitions, preparing court records, testifying before the court, preparing witnesses for examination, and compiling evidence; provides direct intervention and service delivery for difficult, complex social work cases, and coordinates casework; develops and conducts training for staff, interns and other professionals in the community; supervises social work interns by guiding them in their service delivery, assessing their strengths and weaknesses, and communicating with the school liaison about their progress; conducts field visits to residential facilities, consults with therapists and residential staff and participates in the staffing and planning of meetings; functions as a lead worker providing guidance and training to other staff; coordinates program functions, develops programs, and evaluates materials; and serves as backup for on-call during after hours, to include evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services field or minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in any field and a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area (Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia).

Comprehensive knowledge of social work principles and practices; human behavior and motivational theory; laws, policies, and regulations relating to human services program areas

Demonstrated ability to communicate verbally and in writing.

Knowledge of supervisory practices and principles if required in specific assignment.

Skill in operating a personal computer and the associated software; and possess a valid driver’s license for a minimum of two years for the operation of a motor vehicle.

Demonstrated ability to provide guidance and training in program areas to other employees if required in specific assignment.

Considerable experience in assigned program area (Adult Protective Services) and completion of required training programs. Work experience in a leadership role.

Experience interviewing those related to abuse/neglect.

Equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Possession of a BSW or MSW degree and a Commonwealth of Virginia Social Worker license are desirable.

Contact Information: 

Frederick County Department of Social Services Human Resources 

107 North Kent Street
3rd Floor
Winchester, VA 22601

[email protected]