FAMILY SERVICE WORKER SPECIALIST

$40,339 - $58,493/Yr

State of Arkansas - Forrest City, AR

Full-time - Entry Level

Forrest City, AR

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

The Family Service Worker Specialist position is being filled to assist with statewide implementation of Team Decision Making expansion. This position will be responsible for facilitating Team Decision Making (TDM) meetings for their assigned counties. A Team Decision-Making meeting is a facilitated meeting to determine if a child needs to be separated from their parent/primary caregiver due to the parent/primary caregiver behaviors that threaten a child's safety. TDM facilitators guide teams through a structured, solution-focused process. The meeting seeks to make a 'live' decision or recommendation about if that child(ren) can be left in the home or if there is a serious threat and the child(ren) needs to be removed. TDM facilitators also engage community and service providers to secure community locations and determine what services and supports are available for families within the community.

Responsibilities

• Recommends the opening of protective services, foster care or supportive services cases and provides direct casework service.
• Conducts home studies and may investigate suspected child abuse and neglect complaints.
• Develops case plans to establish goals, objectives, tasks, and time frames for all parties involved in case.
• Recruits and trains foster families and visits parents on a regular basis to monitor progress toward case objectives.
• Intervenes in crisis situations, removes the child from the home if the situation is life threatening and arranges for temporary placement in foster homes, group homes, or treatment facilities.
• Prepares court reports for custody hearings and presents testimony when necessary.
• Attends or conducts staff meetings to discuss investigative findings and observations and to develop and monitor case plans.
• Acts as lead worker by assigning and reviewing work, training new employees and providing input on employee evaluations as needed.
• Provides counseling and guidance to clients in defining their needs, interests, and courses of action and refers clients to other professionals, agencies, services, or community resources appropriate to client's problems.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• The formal education equivalent of a bachelor's degree in social work, sociology, psychology or a related field.
• Three years of experience as a social field worker, or related area.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in data entry and Children's Reporting Information System (CHRIS) and Microsoft Office, Word, Outlook and Excel.
• Experience in assessing safety and completing child welfare investigations and/or monitoring protective services cases and/or foster care cases.
• Ability and experience in scheduling and addressing medium to large groups and engaging in community stakeholders.

Benefits

• Pension
• Maternity leave
• Paid state holidays