Family Safety Practitioner III - Adult Protective Services

• Conducts investigations in response to reports of abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation involving older adults and incapacitated adults in their own homes, community, and facility settings.
• Serves as the policy expert and contributes to the development of policy, protocols, and procedures.
• May coordinate contracts related work to perform APS services with the assistance of the supervisor and program manager and manage a county credit card for emergency expenditures. The contract work may be related to Home Base Care services.
• Assesses the need and extent of protective services required and in collaboration with the client, their support systems, and other public and private service providers, arranges for the necessary services to prevent/ameliorate the abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
• Responds to emergency cases to stabilize the situation.
• Attends court hearings and provides professional testimony.
• Coordinates the daily activities of team to include staff supervision support.
• Provides limited oversight of administrative functions/requirements associated with quality assurance and evaluation of the program for its impact/effectiveness and making recommendations for changes or improvements.
• Serves as a consultant, trainer, and policy expert for division social workers and staff from other agencies.
• Serves as a resource and member of interdisciplinary teams and work groups.
• Makes public presentations to promote community awareness of services available to prevent and address abuse, neglect, and /or exploitation.
• Provides assistance to the unit supervisor and covers in the supervisor's absence

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

Knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues;
Knowledge or skill with crisis intervention or conflict resolution techniques;
Knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;
Ability to analyze case information to reach sound decisions based on such information;
Ability to demonstrate advanced critical thinking and judgment by understanding and applying governing policy and statutes alongside best practices and unique case factors;
Ability to engage with persons effectively and empathically from different cultures who may be experiencing stressful family situations;
Ability to maintain a high level of sensitivity and confidentiality while performing client related tasks;
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;
Ability to use case management and documentation 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 engage children, adults, and/or families under safety-sensitive, time-limited, and difficult circumstances, to gather information and make informed decisions that are inclusive of their language, race, and culture;
Ability to engage and work with community partners and organizations;
Ability to collaborate as a team member to create and support safety planning and monitoring;
Ability to engage with juridical systems and processes to support the safety needs of clients as needed or when required by statute;
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals;
Ability to schedule and manage workloads 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;
Ability to develop and present training programs and other presentations;
Ability to set boundaries and participate in self-reflective practice and working knowledge of the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Professional Ethical Standards;
Skill in defining and explaining complex rules and guidelines in a variety of settings and providing sound guidance and direction to staff;
Skill in writing and reviewing reports that are behaviorally specific, factually correct, include conclusions and recommended action.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")

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

*A related field/experience is based solely on the position description.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.
Positions within this class are required to complete the state mandated training in the functional area within a specified time period.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.

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).

Schedule may require being part of an on-call rotation for protective, preservation, critical well-being, and/or permanency for mandatory services that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's in social work.
• Experience in working with older adults and/or adults with disabilities.
• Adult protective services experience
• Experience in working with diverse multicultural populations.
• Previous work experience with a public, state, or local social services agency.
• Experience providing case management.
• Experience conducting home visits.

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.

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.