Family Services Specialist I

The City of Virginia Beach Department of Human Services is recruiting for a Family Services Specialist I (FSSI) to work in our Child Protective Services divisions. The FSSI will, under the supervision of a Human Services Supervisor, investigate and assess alleged child maltreatment. The FSSI must be able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team facilitating a team approach with police, medical, social work, and mental health professionals.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

• Manage a high-volume workload of CPS referrals and demonstrate the ability to make independent decisions based on knowledge of policies and procedures.
• Document detailed, and accurate investigative narrative, dispositional assessments, safety assessments, and risk assessments.
• Engage children and families to maximize information gathering and to build trust to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to ensure child safety.
• Utilize trauma informed strategies to overcome challenges and build upon family strengths
• Spend time in the community visiting client’s homes, schools, court, and collateral visits that are pertinent to each family’s referral.
• Conduct safety and risk assessments on an ongoing basis with each assigned referral. Review assigned referrals with their immediate supervisor, or designee.
• Take appropriate actions to ensure that children are separated from unsafe situations by utilizing natural support in the family and community and at last resort recommending placement in foster care.
• Write court affidavits and petition the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court for child protective orders and or emergency removal orders.
• Organize and participate in Family Partnership Meetings and varieties of team meetings designed to support and engage families.
• Receive and screen new allegations of child abuse/neglect. Make appropriate validity decisions and make plans for immediate response to new CPS referrals.
• Ensure that all referral interviews and interactions are documented within 24 hours.
• Work in collaboration with police, mental health professionals, emergency medical services partners with triaging families and conducting investigations.
• Standby on-call duties after normal business hours on a rotating basis.

The City offers a generous benefits package which includes health, dental and life insurance, retirement, and savings plans, maternity/paternity and parental leave, and Holidays and paid leave.

A $3,000 hiring bonus is being offered for this position. Hiring bonuses shall only be for new hires of original full-time employment or reemployment as defined in Human Resources Policy No. 5.0.

• $500 will be awarded in the first paycheck.
• $1000 will be awarded upon completion of the six (6) month interim performance evaluation with an overall rating of “Meets Expectations”.
• $1,500 will be awarded upon completion of the employee’s one (1) year probationary period and a performance evaluation with an overall rating of “Meets Expectations”.