Job Abstract

• Visiting prospective foster parent applicants in their homes to determine appropriateness of participation in a multi-session group preparation process to assure development of areas of foster parent competency
• Applying clinical knowledge in assessing families' strengths and challenges with regard to foster parenting during the mutual family assessment process
• Conducting assessment interviews in the applicants’ homes utilizing the genogram, eco map, and other clinical tools
• Preparing detailed written assessments for applicants to include Mutual Family Assessments (i.e., home studies)
• Making recommendations for certification of foster parent applicants
• Providing supportive counseling to applicants and information and referrals to community resources
• Providing interstate compact services to families
• Completing Reports of Investigation for the Fairfax County Circuit Court, as well as court custody home studies
• Participating in Family Partnership Meetings and court hearings, as needed
• Serving as a trainer for prospective foster parent applicants and current foster parents
• Facilitating training for families to include topics such as trauma, discipline, loss & grief, adoption, and competencies required to be a foster/adoptive parent
• Providing information to agency staff about foster home regulations
• Responding to inquiries from the public about foster care and adoption by telephone, in person, and electronically
• Attending supervision, unit and program meetings, work group meetings, training sessions, interdepartmental meetings, RED team, and case consultations
• Attending large scale community education events and presenting information to the public about foster care and adoption, as needed
• Strategizing and linking resources to prospective foster families
• Using automated technology for training and to maintain client data, case records, and correspondence
• Assisting with maintaining training data
• Functioning as a leader and mentor to other team members
• Providing supervisory coverage and support to the team when the supervisor is on leave
• Performing other duties as assigned

(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.)

• Contributes to the development of protocols, policies, procedures, grants and contracts for a social services program, department, and other entities;
• Manages service contracts and provide and directs other contract-related functions;
• 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;
• Serves as a policy expert in an area of social work specialization;
• Coordinates or oversees the daily activities of a program or project to include staff supervision, oversight of administrative functions/requirements associated with the program or project, evaluation of the program or project for its impact/effectiveness, and making recommendations for changes or improvements;
• 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;
• Provides crisis intervention on a timely basis to clients or families whose well being is seriously and immediately threatened, to include Child Protective Services after-hours;
• Conducts mediation services to families in conflict;
• Investigates allegations of abuse and neglect of children, elderly persons and incapacitated adults who live in the community and institutional facilities;
• Makes assessment of risks posed to clients in accordance with state and local policies, and works to ensure risks are eliminated or minimized;
• Performs emergency removal of children from their homes when required, places children in foster homes and residential programs, and coordinates services for them as needed;
• Represents the agency in court proceedings; prepares testimony and testifies in Juvenile, Circuit, Criminal, Civil and Federal Courts;
• Interviews and counsels natural parents, adoptive parents, foster parents and children to be placed in foster homes or residential facilities and those involved in adoption placement;
• Evaluates child's readiness for placement and recommends placement, ensuring compliance with legal provisions;
• Conducts and documents interstate and intrastate family home studies to evaluate and make recommendations as to families' ability to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children;
• Evaluates and trains foster and adoptive parents;
• 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;
• Assesses eligibility for foster care protect/prevent funds;
• Participates, collaborates and contributes to Comprehensive Services Act activities for families on caseload;
• Provides training and education on a variety of social work topics;
• Recruits volunteers and manages volunteer services;
• 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.

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

• Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of social work;
• Thorough knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues;
• Thorough knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;
• Knowledge of casework supervision practices and procedures;
• Ability to analyze case information and to reach sound decisions on the basis of such information;
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to use automated technology to establish and maintain case records;
• Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals.;
• Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines;
• Ability to provide guidance, direction, supervision and coaching to less-experienced staff;
• Ability to provide management and oversight of a program or project.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree, plus three years of professional social work experience. A master's degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

Contingent upon the area of assignment, some positions within this class may require specific certification(s) prior to employment and/or the ability to acquire necessary certification(s) within a specified time period following employment. The certifications are identified in the position description and employment advertisement.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background, a driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in social work or closely related field.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in foster care and adoption.