Family Services Specialist III -Senior Family Support Worker (Albemarle)

May provide supervisory coverage in supervisors absence.

Essential Functions:

• Recruits engages and provides voluntary services to families through school community and other referral sources.
• Assesses cognitive social/emotional and behavioral functioning of children and families; develops case plans in partnership with families based on identified needs to strengthen families; and delivers specialized and appropriate trauma-informed and family-centered services designed to ensure child safety well-being and permanency.
• Advocates for families in the educational process; acts as a liaison between school and DSS for at-risk youth by promoting academic success community engagement and social/emotional well-being in the school and home setting.
• Participates in the identification of social problems and advocates for and collaborates in the development of needed resources within multiple systems inclusive of schools DSS families and community; assists and supports families in their use of agency school and other resources.
• Coordinates with county schools other agencies and multi-disciplinary and interagency teams to provide early intervention and family support case management.
• Plans promotes and provides family engagement processes and activities inclusive of school and community events.
• Promotes cultural understanding and competency and an organizational climate of equity and inclusion and provides customers with an experience that is professional empathetic and responsive.
• Provides supervisory coverage in supervisors absence; assists with onboarding and training of and mentoring to new FS workers;provides case/resource consultation and coaches team members in providing services to children and families; collaborates with unit supervisor and team members across child welfare to assist with administrative responsibilities including monthly child welfare meetings educational opportunities and general support; partners with supervisor to collect and assess programming outcomes.
• Maintains professional confidential case records according to state and federal law and policy; provides accurate and timely updated entries into the required information systems; interprets agency programs and policies to other agencies and the community; attends and participates in related departmental and school meetings and training.
• Provides services in a specialized service area and may be assigned cases with a high degree of complexity and/or sensitivity and/or carry primary responsibility for a specific program function such as intake.
• Performs related work as required

Competency: Knowledge/ Skills/Abilities:

• General knowledge of social economic and health problems and needs;
• Knowledge of child development and parenting practices;
• General knowledge of social institutions and the methods of the helping process including adult learning;
• General knowledge of individual and group behavior;
• General knowledge of policy affecting practice with children and families;
• Ability to identify social problems and client strengths and needs and to assess the ability of individuals and families to utilize services in problem solving;
• Ability to recognize and accept the rights responsibilities and differences of others;
• Ability to work effectively with individuals and families in helping them attain success;
• Ability to plan and organize work;
• Ability to understand and interpret laws policies and regulations and to apply program protocol and guidelines consistently;
• Ability to communicate and establish effective working relationships with families coworkers other professional and technical staff social and community agencies schools and the general public;
• Ability to work effectively with others in departmental and school-based teams;
• Ability to prepare reports and maintain records;
• Knowledge and skill in use of computer software programs databases and management information systems.
• Ability to coach mentor and support staff.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelors degree in a Human Service field; or a Bachelors degree in any field and a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area.
• Experience in assigned program area; or equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge skills and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications/Certifications:

• Masters Degree in Social Work or another human services field.
• A Commonwealth of Virginia Social Worker license.
• Fluency in Spanish.
• Previous experience working in a local department of social services providing direct services to children adults and/or families or closely related experience.
• Previous experience working in or with public schools.

Physical and Mental Requirements: