Social Services Specialist III - Healthy Families

JOB
This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires.Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children, youth, and families? The Department of Family Services (DFS) is looking for a dedicated and dynamic individual to join our team as a full-time home visitor for the Healthy Families Fairfax (HFF) program within the Children, Youth, and Families Division (CYF). Discover more about DFS, our Mission, Vision, and Values here.Healthy Families Fairfax is a home visiting program designed for expectant parents and families with newborns. Over 85% of the families we serve speak Spanish. Our services are free, confidential, and voluntary. We offer home visits that empower parents to foster their children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, helping them succeed in life. Healthy Families Fairfax supports parents in providing nurturing care, promoting a healthy and prosperous future for their children. Our dedicated Home Visitors assist parents in realizing and utilizing their inherent skills to become the best version of themselves.Key responsibilities: Conduct home visits to support parent-child relationships, healthy development, and family functioning.Promote nurturing parent-child interaction and attachment through activities and support.Encourage healthy childhood growth and development, including milestones, health, safety, nutrition, and school readiness.Enhance family functioning by building trust, supporting family well-being, and providing resources and strategies for self-sufficiency.Conduct virtual visits when in-person visits are not feasible due to special circumstances.Participate in and document group meetings as home visits when applicable.Collaborate with multi-disciplinary team members.Documentation: Maintain timely and accurate records of home visits ensuring that goals and focus areas are addressed.Collaborative Environment: Work collaboratively with team members from other Children, Youth, and Familiesprograms and community partners.Partner with families and community stakeholders to strengthen community preventionprograms and build protective factors.Location & Travel: Currently based in Annandale but subjected to change.Regular travel throughout Fairfax County.Travel for conferences and trainings in and outside of Virginia.Occasional evening and weekend hours required.Why Join Us?Be part of a mission-driven organization committed to the well-being of families.Be part of a team dedicated to impactful community work.Enjoy a collaborative and supportive work environment.If you are ready to take on a meaningful role and drive positive change in our community, apply now to become part of the HFF team at DFS!

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)Assists the supervisor in planning and carrying out training for new staff, providing guidance to staff;May directly supervise staff, and covers for the supervisor in their absence;Conducts comprehensive clinical assessments and prepares and implements service plans;Works with clients to develop a plan of service to meet social, health, emotional and economic needs;With the client, formulates objectives and identifies actions to resolve the clients' problems;Conducts home visits to families for the purpose of monitoring, counseling and supervision;Makes assessment of risks posed to clients in accordance with state and local policies, and works to ensure risks are eliminated or minimized;Works with the community to identify families, children and individuals needing services and to coordinate these services using a wrap-around approach;Advocates and assists families and individuals in obtaining services (e.g., mental health, intellectual disability, alcohol and drug, housing referrals, home based services, training and medical services);Communicates and works with colleagues, clients and the community in a manner that supports the agency and program goals and objectives;Participates as a contributing member on interagency, multi-disciplinary teams, community groups and professional organizations;Collaborates and contributes to child specific teams on non-agency cases as assigned to assist in identifying community resources and services for families;Provides training and education on a variety of social work topics;Uses automated technology and hard copy files to maintain and update case data, notes, documents, records, contacts and summaries of information;Manages and maintains program data and outcomes.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a human services field OR minimum of a bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area (Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia). Contingent upon the area of assignment, some positions within this class may require specific certification(s) or experience prior to employment and/or the ability to acquire necessary certification(s) within a specified time period following employment. The certifications and preferred qualifications are identified in the position description and employment advertisement.CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIREDValid driver's license.NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, a driving record check, and a Child Protective Services Registry check to the satisfaction of the employer.Bilingual in English & Spanish.This position is considered essential personnel and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).Works a flexible schedule to include evenings and weekends. May be required to be on-call rotation that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field.PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s degree in social work or a field related to counseling, psychology, or marriage and family therapy.Three years of experience in social work, psychology, sociology, counseling, or related experience.Experience conducting home visits.Continuous full-time child welfare or case management experience.Experience working collaboratively with school professionals, community stakeholders and other service providers.Experience working with a diverse multicultural population.PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations. Ability to stand, stoop, bend, stretch, walk, climb, sit and type on a keyboard. Ability to lift up to 35 pounds. Ability to use automated technology. Sufficiently mobile to regularly visit family homes, branch offices, attend meetings and events outside the office. The ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.SELECTION PROCEDURE: Panel interview and may include a practical exercise. Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity. Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce. Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.#LI-RS1