Program Consultant - Olympia, United States - State of Washington

Description

Our vision is to ensure that "Washington state's children and youth grow up safe and healthy-thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community."

Job Title: Program Consultant - Social and Health Program Consultant 4 (SHPC4)

Location: Bellingham, WA - Region 3. This full-time position will work Monday -Friday, 40 hours per week. However, a flexible schedule is required to respond to client needs, emergent situations, and travel to attend trainings and meetings in other locations.

Closes: 05/28/2024

Salary: $6,046 - $8,133.

We're looking for a Program Consultant (SHPC4) to join our strong and supportive Child Welfare Early Learning Navigator Program team. The Program Consultant (SHPC4) provides active support for Child Welfare Social Service Specialists in the Bellingham Office in assessing, matching, and connecting families with children five and under to early learning and family support resources in their local communities. If you have a dynamic work ethic, proven leadership skills, and want to make a difference in the lives of children and families, apply today

Click here to learn more about DCYF.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will work to increase the number of successful referrals from CPS (Investigations and Family Assessment Response) and FVS (Family Voluntary Services) to community early learning and family support resources. This position's goal is to promote long-term positive outcomes for children, including decreasing subsequent reports of abuse or neglect and subsequent out-of-home placements for young children and families who experience the CPS process. This includes training other Social Service Specialists and system partners, supporting the data collection and analysis, and providing leadership of systemic changes to increase prevention supports to families. You will primarily focus on families with open CPS and FVS cases while also being expected to support families in dependency and out-of-home placements.

Some of what you'll do:

• Serve as a subject matter expert in child development, family support, and early learning education.
• Consult with Social Service Specialists on identifying early learning and family support needs, determine appropriate available resources, and connect families to identified services in one-on-one settings, case staffings, and meetings.
• Develop mechanisms to receive referral information made from Social Service Specialists and send referrals to community resources/providers.
• Engage directly with families with active child welfare cases in person or over the phone and inform them of the benefits of early learning and family support programs.
• Document interactions with families and Social Service Specialists in the computer database system; Famlink.
• Coordinate office staff with overlapping expertise in early learning, family support, child development, child safety, and child wellbeing.
• Follow up with community resources/providers to determine if referred families and children enrolled or received the identified service/program and engage in additional outreach to families.
• Work with community partners to facilitate monthly early learning case staffings.
• Build and maintain relationships with community early learning and family support resources/providers.
• Develop tools and training to support staff in child welfare and early learning programs.
• Plan and execute presentations or other interactions between community resources and DCYF staff to keep staff informed about available services.
• Coordinate with other Child Welfare-Early Learning Navigators, DCYF Office of Innovation, Alignment, and Accountability staff, and other DCYF staff to support the success of the overall Child Welfare Early Learning Program.

What we are looking for

• One year of experience as a Social and Health Program Consultant 3 or equivalent.

OR

• Two years of experience as a Social and Health Program Consultant 2 or equivalent.

OR

• A Bachelor's degree in social work, health or social science, public administration, or a related field AND five years of professional experience in planning, administering, developing, or delivering social, financial, health, or chemical dependency treatment services programs.

OR

• A Master's degree in social work, health or social science, public administration, or a related field AND four years of professional experience in planning, administering, developing, or delivering social, financial, health, or chemical dependency treatment services programs.

Degree must be obtained from an accredited college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or foreign equivalent verified by a NACES-approved organization at Foreign Equivalency certification must be attached to the application for degrees obtained outside the U.S. Incomplete applications may be screened out of the recruitment process.

Employees must successfully complete a formal training course sponsored by their division within one year of their appointment.

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

• A parent/caregiver with lived experience in one of the following services: Family Assessment Response, ECEAP, Head Start, Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (early intervention), or home visits.
• Minimum of one year of case management experience as a Social Service Specialist in CPS-Child Protective Services, FVS-Family Voluntary Services, and/or CFWS-Child Family Welfare Services.
• Prior work experience in early learning and/or family support programs in Washington State.
• Demonstrate skills in engagement and relationship building with individual clients and across diverse populations.
• Demonstrate skills in public speaking and the ability to tailor communication to different audiences.
• Prior experience using state computer database FamLink.

How do I apply?

In addition to completing the online application, applicants must attach the following documents to their profile to be considered for this position:

• Letter of interest describing how you meet the specific qualifications for this position
• Current resume detailing experience and education
• Copy of college transcripts

Supplemental Information

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington's children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our mission to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

This position requires a valid unrestricted (other than corrective lenses) driver's license.

This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). For more information:

If you need an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact DCYF Recruiter. If you're experiencing technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, call NEOGOV toll-free at or email

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at