Cfws Social Service Specialist 3 (Sss3) - South Bend

Our vision is to ensure that "Washington state's children and youth grow up safe and healthy- thriving physically, emotionally, and academically, nurtured by family and community."  

Job Title: CFWS Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3)

Location: South Bend, WA

Closes: 5/21/24

Salary:  $5,214 - $7,016 Monthly. This position will receive 10% assignment pay. This in addition to the regular base salary; the required duties include performing visits in unregulated environments, such as private residences, to conduct investigations for allegations of abuse and/or neglect to assess the safety of vulnerable children.

We're looking for a Child and Family Welfare Services (CFWS) Social Service Specialist (SSS3) to join an amazing team at our South Bend office. South Bend (also known as the oyster capital of the world) is a rural office in Southwest Washington about an hour away from Olympia. Easy access to beaches of the Pacific Ocean for all kinds of recreation and fresh, locally caught seafood. Would you like a career where you make a significant difference in the lives of children? If so, apply today.

Click here to learn more about DCYF.  

The Opportunity:

In this role, you will assess complex family situations, child safety, and risk through interviewing children and parents, developing protection plans, and recommending services. To achieve this, you will need to engage in critical thinking, exercise independent judgment, and protect children from harm. It is also vital to develop strong partnerships with families and follow all required casework management directives.

Some of what you'll do:

• Provide comprehensive assessments of casework needs for children and families.

• Assess the need for out-of-home placement, and work with the family to find the strongest placement.

• Provide psychosocial summaries, home studies, and other appropriate correspondence to outside agencies.

• Provide case management services to facilitate out-of-home placements and review the need for continued out-of-home care.

• Supervise and place as necessary, dependent children (abused, neglected, and abandoned) in foster or other approved placements.

• Prepare and document cases for court proceedings.

• Prepare and present written and oral testimony for court proceedings.

• Utilize FamLink to document case activities and maintain case records.

What we're looking for (Required Qualifications):

Social Service Specialist 3: 

• Bachelor's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or any degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline AND Two (2) years of paid social service experience*.

OR

• Master's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or any degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline AND One (1) year of paid social service experience*.

OR

• One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 2.

• Paid Social Service experience must have included assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered practice services.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Current knowledge of applicable laws, rules and policies on delivery of child welfare services within Washington State.

• Demonstrated ability to implement risk assessment in all cases.

• Demonstrated knowledge of shared decision-making processes for making case plans, such as Family Team Decision Meetings, dependency case conferences, permanency planning staffing, Child Protective Teams, Local Indian Child Welfare Advisory Committee, adoption teaming staffing, and Behavior Rehabilitation Services team meetings.

• Demonstrated knowledge of FamLink system for documentation.

How do I apply?

Complete your applicant profile and attach the following:

•  Transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable for application purposes)

Supplemental Information:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington's children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our mission to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve.  If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal history will be conducted. 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.

This position is included in the supervisory bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).  For more information: https://wfse.org/

Incumbent must hold a valid driver's license when operating a state or privately owned vehicle on official state business.

The incumbent must successfully complete formal training courses as required by law, policy, and regional requirements within one year of their appointment.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Degrees 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 a 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.

For more information about this position or if you need an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, please contact DCYF recruiter. 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.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388. 

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