Services Specialist I-Ii - Family Services

JOB INFORMATION

TheFrederick County Division of Family Servicesis dedicated to ensuring all residents connect to community resources that support the livability, well-being, and sustainability of children, youth, and families. The benefits of community services are far reaching and vital to each and every individual, family, and community in Frederick County.

We believe that the best way to support children, youth, and families is by listening to expressed needs and allowing community voice to be our guide in direct service delivery and funding pertinent community programs that sustain the family unit. We encourage you to learn more about the ways our division supports our community by visiting our websiteHERE!

Non-exempt; full-time; 40 hours per week; 8:00 am

• 4:30 pm; Monday

• Friday; full benefits

The Services Specialist is responsible for the coordination of services for families and youth across the spectrum of child-related needs from birth through young adulthood (age 24) by supporting families in navigating appropriate community resources such as mental health and prosocial activities to keep the family unit together. The position will provide direct services and develop an initial assessment, provide referrals and social supports, develop and implement an action plan and coordinate services with families in the community. Supervision is received from the Deputy Director of the Division of Family Services.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members. If you are a person who wants to make a difference, give back to your community, and be a voice for change, apply to Frederick County Government today.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE:

Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full time benefited Frederick County Government employee.

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment

• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover

• 11 paid scheduled holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays

• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County HSA contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending

• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and AD&D benefit

• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program

• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program

• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan

• Vesting after 5 years of service

• Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.

Other employee paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, etc.

For more information, visit ourbenefitspage on the Frederick County Governmentjob opportunities webpage.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform needs assessment, using a motivational interviewing model and verify eligibility of families to develop an action plan which includes identification of family's needs and strengths

• Manage caseload of families; develop solutions to effectively link families and agencies

• Plan for, facilitate and continually update action plan via written and/or electronic documentation in coordination with the Local Care Team

• Develop action plan and maintain records of service being provided to family and caregivers with details of systems contacted; organize and maintain family data and case notes using various data collection tools

• Educate the public about resources available to children with intensive behavioral and mental health needs and their caregivers; provide service linkage to other agencies

• Assess the family's needs for additional financial support and potential barriers; research and apply for local grants on behalf of family

• Attend all Local Care Team meetings to coordinate direct service needs based on the recommendations provided at the team meetings ; at meetings discuss family issues, as needed

• Assist families with completing process and paperwork for out of home placement including voluntary placement agreements, residential or diagnostics facilities; coordinate and assist families when child is existing a residential treatment center and assist family with re-entry service linkages

• Recognize and promote family's readiness, willingness, and ability to participate in accessing services

• Support families in the acquisition and completion of the necessary procedures for out of home placement

• Perform monthly and/or weekly follow ups with families through home visits, phone calls, email, text, etc. as needed; track and analyze in-coming service inquires and outcomes

• Problem solve with participants, intervene in crises, and provide appropriate resource and referral information

• Support families as they take steps to access services including attending meetings, participating on phone calls, court appearances, IEP meetings, and family team discussion meetings, assisting in the completion of applications

• Participate in trainings, point in time counts and programmatic reporting

• Assist families in applying for financial opportunities within the community to assist with paying for recommended services

• Participate in community resource planning and related work to establish better relationship with service delivery systems

• Collaborate with other stakeholders to help identify barriers for the children, youth and caregivers

• Listen and work to address barriers with families by identifying available supports, programs, resources to ensure goals are met; work with families to resolve barriers

• Support families in the acquisition and completion of the necessary policies and procedures for out of home placement

• Advocate for the expressed needs of families in service delivery including IEP meetings and other support meetings

• Develop positive and trusting relationships with individuals and families by providing regular contact and support

• Maintain, analyze and produce written reports based on demographic and other data collected upon enrollment.

• Assist the LCT Coordinator with compiling and maintaining a comprehensive resource guide related to the needs of the clients served

• As needed, participate in outreach activities/events and community engagement efforts for the department and division

• Maintain computerized files, daily logs, progress notes, outcomes

• Attend and participate in collaborative community workgroups, trainings, and conferences that support the well-being of children, youth and families

• Perform other related duties as required

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Any single position may not be assigned all duties listed above, nor do the examples cover all duties that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Level I Requirements: ($25.70 per hour)

• Associate's degree in human services, social work, psychology, or any related field

• Minimum 2 years of direct service work experience in social work, counseling or another human services field providing services to children, youth or families

• Possession of a valid automobile drivers license

• NOTE: Additional years of work experience may substitute for the educational requirement

Level II Requirements: ($27.50 per hour)

• Bachelor's degree in human services, social work, psychology or a closely related field

• Minimum 1 year of direct service work experience in social work, counseling, or another human services field providing services to children, youth or families

• Possession of a valid automobile drivers license

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES:

• Considerable knowledge of local community services and available programs (local, state and federal) related to children, youth, families, and caregivers such as various types of therapy modalities, traditional and non-traditional support services that reflect the diverse care needs of our community

• Knowledge of challenges families and youth face such as poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, substance use/abuse and/or mental health

• Knowledge and willingness to learn various service delivery systems, benefits, and supports available to families including out of home placement procedures.

• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills including facilitating groups and presenting workshops/seminars

• Strong clerical skills with ability to accurately prepare and maintain records and program documentation

• Ability to effectively compile, analyze and present statistics and other program information

• Ability to maintain pertinent and professional and ethical standards at all times

• Ability to actively listen with empathy and encourage participants to communicate their needs

• Ability to make ethical decisions with full knowledge Frederick County policies and procedures

• Ability to effectively organize work, multitask, establish priorities, solve problems, manage time effectively and complete assigned duties with minimal supervision.

• Ability to effectively access and utilize computerized systems and equipment (e.g. word processing, spreadsheet, data management, etc.)

• Ability to build a trusting, collaborative partnership with assigned families

• Ability to work with sensitive, personal information and maintain appropriate confidentiality

• Ability to organize time effectively to meet assigned work demands

• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with persons of diverse educational, cultural, and economic backgrounds; public officials and program administrators; adult and adolescent program participants; co-workers and the general public

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR:

• Secondary language skills in Spanish

• Education or experience in motivational interviewing techniques

• Experience in use of the CANS Assessment

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORKING CONDITIONS:

• While working in this position, the employee is required to frequently sit, walk, and reach

• While working in this position, the employee is required to constantly work indoors and frequently work outdoors

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / EXAMINATION PROCESS

• Ability to provide own transportation to drive to family residences, court and/or school as needed

• Required licensures must be maintained throughout tenure of employment

• Available for varied working hours to accommodate meetings, programs, etc.

EXAMINATION PROCESS (may include):

1.An evaluation of training and experience

2.Job related office skills testing

3.One or more interviews

4.A pre-employment fingerprint supported background investigation