Family Services Specialist 2

The City of Alexandria is bordered by Washington D.C. and the Potomac River, Arlington and Fairfax counties, and Maryland. The small city has a cosmopolitan feel with 150,000 people living within 15.75 square miles. At the Department of Community and Human Services, we provide essential safety net services to help city residents enjoy a sense of well-being, safety and self-sufficiency. Our behavioral health programs provide compassionate services that support self-determination and recovery. The beauty of our diverse and resilient people and our commitment to race and social equity, coupled with a historic district dating to 1749, charming waterfront, vibrant arts community and unique places for foodies and shopping, make the City of Alexandria a uniquely wonderful place to live, work and play. We invite all qualified candidates to learn more and apply for our Family Services Specialist II position. The Family Services Specialist II is distinguished from the Family Services Specialist III by the latter's functioning at the advanced level, and becoming more specialized in program areas and assuming more complex duties (such as: interviewing/investigating in cases involving suspected child/adult abuse/neglect, out-of-home placements, guardianships, emergency protective orders, and adoptions). 

A Family Services Specialist II provides intensive, specialized, culturally competent services to children and families, with complex psychosocial diagnoses and histories of abuse/neglect, to ensure the safety and well-being of children in foster care, while working toward permanency within State/Federal timelines. The work may involve providing independent living services to foster youth not living in a family-like setting, while maintaining family supports. The work may also include ongoing support services or prevention services; to support a relative or interested party, who may have stepped forward to raise the child/ren or services to prevent child abuse/neglect, if the child/ren are reunified with a prior custodian.

• Provide case management services for children/youth in foster care;
• Conduct monthly face-to-face visits with each child/youth in foster care;
• Document monthly face to face worker visits, Structured Decision-Making tools, and mandated screens (court, and if applicable education and independent living, etc.) in OASIS;
• Secure funding for needed services through the Family Assessment and Planning Team process;
• Meet with supervisor regularly to address the case direction, services, and needs; 
• Complete Medicaid and Title IV-E redeterminations; 
• Maintain and document regular contact with foster care children/youth, community partners, parents, relatives, and providers via face-to-face contact, e-mail, or phone;
• Facilitate monthly treatment team meetings which focus on safety, well-being, and permanency on each assigned foster care case;
• Develop, write, and submit Foster Care Service Plans and Reviews; 
• Represent the Department in court proceedings to include interpreting laws, filing petitions, compiling evidence, preparing court reports, and testifying; 
• Provide or arrange transportation on each foster care case for visitation, appointments, school, etc.;
• Use creative strategies to intervene with varied client populations;
• Coordinate with peers and community partners to develop plans of service to meet the social, health and emotional needs to resolve client challenges;
• Prepare social histories, psychosocial assessments and develop treatment plans;
• Provide specialized casework to assist clients in confronting and resolving emotional and environmental problems;
• Collaborate with the Family Engagement Unit to locate relatives, refer for Family Partnership Meetings, and for Family Finding;
• Collaborate with the Independent Living Coordinator to ensure foster care youth receive needed life skills training and assessments;
• Collaborate with public school systems to meet the educational needs of foster children/youth;
• Provide continuous 24-hour on-call service for foster care cases, and immediate response to child protective service complaints and/or cases crises during working hours and on a 24-hour on call rotating basis;
• Provide crisis intervention to foster children/youth or their families; 
• Guide case planning in accordance with local, state, and federal foster care policy. Reviews all policy changes when implemented.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

Knowledge, skills, and abilities that promote antiracist practices, diversity, equity, and inclusion in service provision, including support of racial equity work within the Department. Knowledge of normal and abnormal human behavior as well as child development, and different psychotherapy modalities. Knowledge of social work principles, social work ethics, human behavior, and group behavior. Knowledge of loss and grief, family dynamics and family systems. Knowledge of mental illness and intellectual disabilities in adults and children. Knowledge of family engagement tools and techniques. Ability to collect and analyze data and work independently. Ability to interpret laws, policies and regulations concerning child welfare. Ability to develop appropriate permanency plans. Ability to facilitate meetings and collaborate with community partners. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing, with other professionals and with the public. Ability to work in the field and in the office.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a Human Services field or minimum of a Bachelor's degree in any field with 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). Experience in assigned program area and completion of required training programs or 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. Employees must possess a valid driver's license issued by the state of their residence if they are in a position with driving responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree in social work. Some social work experience at the level of Family Services Specialist I; Fluent and bilingual in Spanish and English.