Family Reconciliation Services Specialist 3 (SSS3) - Lakewood Office

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) was created to be a comprehensive agency exclusively dedicated to the social, emotional, and physical well-being of children, youth, and families regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other socioeconomic factors. We believe our workforce should reflect the communities we serve and are actively searching for candidates that reflect that diversity. Our vision is that "All Washington's children and youth grow up safe and healthy-thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community."

We're looking for an experienced Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3) to join our Lakewood Office in Region 5 as an (FRS) Family Reconciliation Specialist.

The Opportunity:
The FRS Specialist provides services to a caseload of families allowing parents to voluntarily engage in services to increase their protective capacities and meet the child’s safety, health, and well-being needs. This individual will provide continuous assessment of risk and safety for children, and take appropriate action if risks are identified. In this role, you will provide advanced-level specialized case management in high-profile or complex cases involving children. As a frontline professional your primary function is to determine if children are safe with their families; intervene to protect unsafe children, and develop case plans with the family to remedy the situation so families can safely parent their children.

Some of what you will get to do:

• Provide comprehensive and on-going assessment of casework needs for child, parent(s)/guardian and foster parent(s) with a focus and priority on child safety.
• Interview and have on-going contact with each, focusing on strengths, cultural beliefs and values, language and learning style, and communication challenges/barriers. Each contact will include an assessment of safety threats and risk to all children involved in the case.
• Consult with other involved professionals/agencies focusing on the strength and taking into consideration the cultural background and beliefs of each and assessing whether all providers/stakeholders are working from a strength based and culturally competent standpoint.
• Assess the need for out-of-home placement, and work with the family to find the most appropriate placement to nurture the child’s cultural and family ties.
• Refer clients for psychological, psychiatric and/or medical evaluations and treatment with other community resources, and monitors progress and effectiveness of care.
• Monitor the health and safety of child by regular visitation in the placement facility and other settings re-assessing the needs and ensuring continued safety and well-being of the child.
• Develop and implement individual safety, service and case plans with families designed to appropriately address safety threats and/or ameliorate risk to children and support the integrity of the family unit.
• Utilize FamLink to document case activities and maintain case records per DCYF policy requirements.
• Initiate payments and service referrals within FamLink for child placement and child/family services, as appropriate, in a timely and accurate manner.
• Write letters, case notes, safety assessments/plans, utilizing the safety framework for decision making, reunification assessments/transition plans, re-assessments, protective action plans; manage and close cases in a professional manner within timeframes set by DCYF policy.
• Participate in in-house case staffings and shared decision making meetings.
• Competently perform computer tasks in FamLink, Word, SEMS, ACES, Barcode and Outlook.
• Attend and participate in all court hearings as witness and/or petitioner, be prepared and able to provide court testimony.
• Attend unit meetings, staff meetings, and trainings.

What we are looking for (Required Qualifications):
Social Service Specialist 3:
NOTE: Degree must be obtained from an accredited college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or foreign equivalent verified by a NACES-approved organization at naces.org.

**Foreign Equivalency certification must be attached to the application for degrees obtained outside the U.S. Incomplete applications may be screened out of the recruitment process.

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

• Master's Degree in Social Work or allied field.
• Previous experience working with children and families, case management, and assessment.

How do I apply?
Complete your applicant profile and attach the following documents:

• Current Resume
• College Transcripts (unofficial copy is acceptable)

Supplemental Information:

This position requires a criminal background check prior to employment. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

Note: Possession of a valid driver's license is required.

This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

The initial screening will be based on the content and completeness of your application and the materials submitted. All information may be verified and documentation may be required. Applications with comments such as "see attachments" or "N/A" in the supplemental question responses will be considered incomplete.

DCYF is an equal opportunity employer and supports equity, diversity, inclusion, and respect.

If you need accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact the Recruitment team at dcyf.jobs@dcyf.wa.gov.

If you're experiencing technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or email support@neogov.com.

To take advantage of the Veteran's preference please attach your DD-214, member 4 long-form, or your NGB-22. Please black out your social security number prior to attaching.

2023-12980