Family Services Specialist I - Child Protective Services at City of Chesapeake Human Resources – Chesapeake, Virginia

Family Services Specialist I – CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES (CPS)
The City of Chesapeake Department of Human Services seeks an experienced Child Protective Services (CPS) Family Services Specialist that under the supervision of a Family Services Supervisor will be responsible for case management duties associated with conducting CPS assessments and investigations. In this position the applicant will investigate CPS referrals concerning allegations of child abuse/neglect, assess child safety and risk utilizing a variety of structured decision-making tools, interviews, and observations. The position will require the applicant to prepare court documents related to child safety and appear in a variety of court hearings to testify in cases. Applicant will have to make sound decisions pertaining to child safety to include removing children from their home and placing children with relatives or in foster care. Applicant is required to collaborate with law enforcement, mental health professionals, and emergency medical services partners when conducting CPS investigations and assessments. The applicant will have a demanding caseload to include investigations and family assessment referrals. Applicant should be able to model professional behavior and best practices from the Virginia Services Practice Model. Applicant will also be required to complete tasks related to Child Protective Services Intake procedures. Applicant should have strong attention to detail and be able to work in a fast paced environment. This position requires applicants to have a flexible schedule and selected applicant must be willing and able to work after hours.

TYPICAL TASK

The City of Chesapeake offers an exceptional range of benefits. Please browse our Benefits Brochure for a full list of benefits and employee perks.

VOCATIONAL/EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT:
In order to be evaluated for vacancies in the Family Services Specialist job series, applicants shall possess the qualifications outlined in (1) OR (2) below:
1) A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in the human services field, including Social Work, Rehabilitation Counseling, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Counseling and Guidance, Counselor Education, Human Services, Sociology, Family and Child Development, Aging Studies, Gerontology, Criminal Justice with a minor in one of the above studies, or other related degrees determined by the Department of Human Resources based on the similarity of the curriculum and course content.
2) A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in any field accompanied by a minimum of two years of appropriate and related, full-time equivalent experience in a human services-related area.
To be considered for promotion, persons currently employed in the Family Services Specialist job series by a local department prior to January 1, 1999, who do not meet the qualifications outlined in either (1) or (2) above, must possess four years of appropriate and related experience in a human services area and must have successfully completed all available competency-based training related to the promotional area.

SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES:
Requires a valid driver’s license and a driving record that is in compliance with City Driving Standards.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Emergency Duty (On-Call) participation is required to comply with mandated responsibilities as listed under Section 63.2-1503,B; Section 63.2-900; and 63.2-1604-63.2-1610, Code of Virginia. Employees may be expected to work hours in excess of their normally scheduled hours in response to short-term departmental needs and/or City-wide emergencies.

In accordance with City policy, this position is deemed safety-sensitive. As such, applicants for this position are subject to pre-employment drug/alcohol testing after receiving a conditional offer of employment and may also be subject to random testing. This drug test includes testing for marijuana. Possession of a medical marijuana card will not excuse an applicant from the testing process; however, a test will not be considered positive for marijuana if a valid medical marijuana certification is presented unless the position requires a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or is a sworn law-enforcement officer/deputy.