PTH Family services Specialist - Las Vegas, United States - Clark County (NV)

Description

ABOUT THE POSITION

Clark County Department of Family Services is accepting applications for Part-Time Family Services Specialist with experience working in a Child Welfare setting.

The ideal candidate will perform a variety of duties including receiving children admitted into protective custody, conduct home studies to assess both stability and placement options for children being adopted, provide direct services to youth, secure documentation needed to obtain medial, behavioral health, and development services.

Clark County Department of Family Services (DFS) is the local public agency whose role is to help keep children safe.

The agency was formed in July 2002 in response to the merger of state and county child welfare services.

Mission Statement

Protecting children from abuse and neglect by partnering with our community to build safe, nurturing and stable families, to support family preservation, when possible, to provide permanent families for those children who cannot safely return home and to ensure the well-being of children in our care.

Please Note:
Part-time employment will not lead to permanent employment. Part-time hourly employees are used to fill positions normally less than twenty (20) hours per week. Part-time employees do not receive benefits.

In order to work at the Department of Family Services, employees must not have any qualifying offense that violates the standards required by NRS 432B.198 and/or NRS 432B.199.

As indicated in NRS 432A.1773, any person hired to work in a licensed childcare facility, who is responsible for the daily operations, administration or management of the childcare facility must be at least 21 years of age.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's Degree in one of the following areas: Behavioral Science, Business Administration, Child Development, Communications, Counseling, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood, Education, Health Science, Human Services, Marketing, Nursing, Psychology, Public Administration, Social Science, Social Services, Social Work, Sociology, Special Education or a related field.

Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see attached resume" on your application.

Working Conditions:
Work under potentially abusive, hazardous or emergency conditions. May work evening, night, weekend and holiday shifts.

Licensing and Certification:
Must possess a valid Nevada Class C driver's license at time of appointment.

Background Investigation:
Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation. Periodically after employment background investigations may be conducted.

Pre-Employment Drug Testing:
Employment is contingent upon the results of a pre-employment drug examination.


EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

In the Department of Family Services (DFS), the part-time Family Service Specialist functions as a support position to each unit in which it is assigned.

Child Receiving/Placement

• Receives children being admitted into protective custody, processes the admissions; assesses the immediate needs of children regarding physical and mental health; foster care placements for children.
• Responsible for securing placements of children on their caseload, releasing/processing children coming and leaving campus, completing Inventory/Acuity screens of incoming children, attend CFTs/Court when needed.
• Compile monthly statistic reports, e-mail PC Admission/Court calendar to workers daily, email daily logs to Child Haven Leadership Staff, create and/or update well-being forms.
• Enter case notes, complete PRIME screens/matches, enter service authorization, create custody letters, interact with foster parents & children, work well with co-workers, be a team player and accept criticism/feedback.

Shelter

• Assesses immediate factors affecting a child's immediate safety upon intake into Child Haven and implements strategies to safeguard the child.
• Implements the Child Haven Active Teaching Treatment Approach (CHATTA) for behavior modification and skill development; meets weekly with assigned children to review progress on the treatment plan.
• Facilitates therapeutic activities by way of various recreational, social, cultural and academic programs/activities; reads, interprets and properly administers medical instructions when needed; counsel children on adjustment problems and family and personal relationships; facilitates, supervises and documents parental and sibling visitation.

Medical Case Management/Nurse Case Management

• Performs a variety of paraprofessional child welfare and protection duties to support the safety, permanency, and well-being of children.
• Provide vital services by securing documentation needed to obtain necessary medical, behavioral health, and developmental services, provide skilled case management services to assist caseworkers, and transport and accompany child victims with behavioral, medical, and mental health needs to community medical appointments.
• Complete psychotropic medical record entries, complete medical passports and perform medical passport quality assurance, and refer eligible children to Nevada Early Intervention Services.

Intake Hotline

• Takes incoming phone calls or written requests from various community sources regarding potential child abuse and/or neglect complaints.
• Documenting these complaints and completing written assessments of child abuse/and or neglect; interviews children, parents, family members, representatives from various agencies and others, on the phone to obtain and verify pertinent information regarding potential child abuse and neglect referrals.
• Assess immediate safety needs of children to include both their physical and mental health.
• Arranges for immediate response to emergency calls, immediate removal and placement of children when warranted and collaboration with various Law Enforcement agencies.

Child Protective Services (CPS) & Permanency Case Management (Out of Home, In-Home and Adoptions)

• Provides on-going assessment of the future risk of harm to children and needed services to reduce the risks of future harm; plans for children, focusing on the goal of preserving their family, reunification, or achieving permanent placement in another family.
• Provides services to families with child abuse and/or neglect issues in a variety of settings including family homes, foster care, adoptive homes, relative care and other alternative out-of-home placements.
• Develops collaborative case plans with families and key parties to address barriers to child safety and revises plans with children and families; assists in meeting case plan goals and provides regular monitoring of case progress; makes referrals to community agencies and develops case strategies for short- and long-term assistance and problem resolution.
• Performs crisis intervention when needed; provides various services to aid clients in promoting and achieving self-sufficiency when appropriate; assesses, secures and monitors financial resources for which clients have been deemed eligible to receive (i.e. Social Security).
• Identifies candidates for adoption planning and assists in successful case transition; conducts home studies to assess both stability and placement options for children being adopted; assists adoptive parents in understanding and supporting family connections (e.g. with siblings) of child/ren to be adopted.
• Conducts post-placement visits after adoption; social summary interviews; deliver resources to parents/children, e.g. food vouchers, bus passes, drug test forms; partners with primary staff to ensure worker safety, support; completes social summary paperwork and case closures.
• Supervise child/parent visits and be able to document in the UNITY system; provides transportation for parents and/or children to visit and appointments.
• Transport children who have been taken into protective custody.
• Completes child wellbeing and other necessary forms; obtain releases of information from parents and obtains records, i.e. medical, school, other; conducts CPS and police records checks in other jurisdictions; completes Diligent Search requests; completes fingerprinting.
• Enters case notes on activities that they were present for or participated in, with the exception of offender and victim investigative interviews; and conducts and documents collateral contact.

Additional Responsibilities May Include:

• Conducts and documents initial non victim, sibling interviews in cases involving neglect only (INV); initials non-offending parent interviews in cases involving neglect only (INV).
• Testifies in court; attends court hearings; files court documents; supervises visitations; conduct follow up visits with families; assists parents in applying for services; assists in documenting results of primary workers NIA information collection.
• Interviews children, parents, and family members, representatives from various agencies and others, via phone to obtain and verify pertinent information regarding potential child abuse and neglect referrals.
• Screens and documents incoming phone calls from various community sources regarding potential child abuse and/or neglect complaints.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Mobility to work in a typical office setting, use standard office equipment, and be capable of commuting to various off-site locations in order to attend meetings or make on-site visits; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person or over the telephone.

Specified positions may require mobility and stamina to assist families experiencing crisis and support child safety and well-being.