DCS PROGRAM SPECIALIST - 05142024-57791

Job Information

LOCATION OF (2) POSITIONS TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES, CHILD AND FAMILY MANAGEMENT DIVISION, RUTHERFORD COUNTY

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and experience equivalent to three years of professional work in one or a combination of the following: counseling or case management services; program evaluation of counseling or case management services, two years of which must involve providing these services to children and/or juveniles.

Substitution of Education for Experience: Graduate course work credit received from an accredited college or university in social work, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, human services, and/or child development may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of one year, there being no substitution for the required two years of children's services work (e.g. 36 graduate quarter hours in one or a combination of the above listed fields may substitute for one year of the required experience).

Necessary Special Qualifications: Applicants for this class must:

• A valid vehicle operator's license may be required for employment in some positions.
• Applicants for this class must have no conviction of a felony.
• Applicants must be willing to be fingerprinted and must have their fingerprints on file with the Department of Children's Services (TCA 71-3-533).
• Applicants must authorize release on any investigative and criminal records obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the Department of Children's Services (TCA 38-6-114; TCA 71-3-533).

Examination Method: Education and Experience,100%, for Preferred Service positions.

Summary

Summary: Under general supervision, is responsible for Children's Services program evaluation and consultative work of average to considerable difficulty; and performs related work as required.

Distinguishing Features: An employee in this class evaluates Children's Services program delivery provided by field staff or provides technical advice and interpretations of policy and procedure to staff in order to improve the quality of work. This class differs from DCS Program Coordinator in that an incumbent of the latter serves as the lead policy writer for program policy and procedure development or acts as the Commissioner's designee in Children's Protective Services custody determinations.

Responsibilities

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships:

• Networking with internal and external stakeholders to ensure open dialogues exist and to facilitate coordination and unified effort.
• Maintaining professional working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth and effective team operations.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others:

• Interpreting a variety of relevant laws, policies, procedures, and regulations for internal and external stakeholders to facilitate understanding, enhance communications, and ensure compliance.
• Conducting training for agency employees and external stakeholders to comply with departmental, state, and federal laws, rules, regulations, guidelines, processes, and procedures, facilitating change, and improvement initiatives.

Communicating with Supervisors and Peers:

• Providing regular updates to management, peers and other internal stakeholders on the status of projects and other assigned work to ensure that quality of service is maintained and improved.
• Maintaining an open dialogue with external stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient communication.
• Process paperwork and maintain files to ensure services are provided to customers and stakeholders.
• Responding to emails, phone calls, and other correspondence as required.
• Entering personal time and leave/overtime requests into the appropriate databases as required.
• Contribute to the development of written action steps and outcomes for youth to achieve permanency and well-being.

Monitor Processes:

• Monitor customer compliance with program requirements through personal communication and third party reporting to ensure services are properly administered.
• Review credentials of customers to ensure they meet requirements of relevant laws, standards, and policies.
• Monitor DCS service provision using electronic data to ensure compliance with relevant laws, standards, and policies.

Developing Objectives and Strategies:

• Contribute to the development of written action steps and outcomes for youth to achieve permanency and well-being.

Getting Information:

• Obtains information and/or written documents from current and potential service providers to ensure the necessary services are available to the customers.
• Obtains information and/or written documents from internal and external stakeholders to assess problems.
• Ask questions of stakeholders to determine program eligibility.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards:

• Monitor performance and/or outcome-based data to assess whether customers are receiving the quality of service that should be provided.
• Monitor performance and/or outcome-based data to assess whether customers are receiving all the services that should be provided.
• Complete reports through electronic data entry to verify services that are provided to customers so that funding can be maintained.
• Review child welfare data by locality/region/state to determine the needs of that particular area.
• Reviews case documentation to ensure services are being provided according to relevant laws and policy.

Documenting/Recording Information:

• Enter information into the case child welfare database to track and evaluate service delivery and quality.
• Uses office productivity software including but not limited to word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, presentation software, web-based email programs, instant-messaging programs, and search engines.
• Generate documents from the child welfare database to facilitate service delivery.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment:

• Drive passenger vehicle within the state of Tennessee to transport youth and attend meetings.

Competencies

Competencies:

• Integrity and Trust
• Time Management
• Presentation Skills
• Customer Focus
• Work/Life Balance
• Decision Quality
• Priority Setting
• Ethics and Values
• Interpersonal Savvy
• Managing Diversity

Knowledge:

• Intermediate knowledge of counseling and/or case management

Skills:

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Reading Comprehension
• Writing
• Active Learning
• Critical Thinking
• Monitoring
• Coordination
• Instructing
• Time Management

Abilities:

• Oral Expression
• Oral Comprehension
• Deductive Reasoning
• Written Expression
• Inductive Reasoning
• Written Comprehension
• Category Flexibility
• Time Sharing
• Speech Clarity
• Speech Recognition
• Auditory Attention

Tools & Equipment

• Personal Computer
• Telephone
• Fax Machine
• Printer
• Passenger Vehicle

TN Driver Standards

State of Tennessee positions that may involve driving responsibilities require candidates to meet the following minimum driver qualifications:

• A valid driver's license
• For the past five years, the candidate's driver record must not have record of the following violations: driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, license suspension for moving violations, more than 4 moving violations.

Please include your Driver's License Information under the Licenses and Certifications section of your application.

**Agencies may allow an exception based on other factors.