Requisition No: 823148 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: FAMILY SERVICES SPECIALIST - 60075451

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60075451 

Salary: TBD 

Posting Closing Date: 04/30/2024 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Child Protective Family Services Specialist

Department of Children and Families

Suncoast Region: Lee County

Internal Agency Only or Open Competitive

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.

What you will do:

This is advanced professional work assessing and developing Child Protective Investigators (CPIs) to ensure possession of the appropriate level of professional competencies. This position will work in cooperation with CPI Supervisors and management in promoting the development of knowledge, skills, and their application for CPIs.

Organizes and facilitates real time and virtual based CPI pre-service classroom trainings.

Assists in facilitating in-service classroom training opportunities and dissemination of these training sessions.

Observe and document investigator casework activities in providing protective investigations, assessment of service needs, and referrals to service providers.

Reviews casework, assessments, and safety plans with investigators, and provides consultation and direction to ensure appropriateness, clarity, quality, thoroughness, and proper documentation.

Provides real-time support/guidance by scheduling field assessments (random and scheduled) during investigative activities conducted by CPIs to provide on-the-job training.

Assist in providing guidance to investigators by coaching, motivating, modeling, and providing other mentoring initiatives.

Coach and assist CPIs with documenting aspects of investigations (i.e., chronological entry of case summaries), in which support was provided to investigators, by updating the appropriate information systems.

Observe, analyze, and evaluate individual CPI performance to determine their effectiveness and level of competency and provide recommendations to regional management regarding actions to improve performance.

Serves as member of leadership team responsible for developing system-based solutions to CPI training and development issues or concerns.

Based on field experience and observations, provide recommendations to the Department’s Program Office on enhancements to both CPI pre-service and in-service training to ensure the development and maintenance of a comprehensive and relevant training curriculum.

Serves as a subject matter expert in child protective investigations.

Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with organizations and other agenices involved with child protective investigations such as community based providers, Children’s Legal Services, law enforcement, medical personnel, schools, and other community/agency resources.

Travel to observe field work or provide in-service or pre-service instruction is required.

Required to assist with training pre-service when needed as well as facilitate in-service trainings regularly, and as such need to earn at Child Welfare Trainer certification.

How you will make an impact:

• Observe and document investigator casework activities in providing protective investigations, assessment of service needs and referrals to service providers.
• Review casework, assessments, and safety plans with investigators, and provide consultation and direction to ensure appropriateness, clarity, quality, thoroughness, and proper documentation.
• Assists CPIs in determining and facilitating appropriate service referrals and supports during the investigative process.
• Serves as a subject matter expert in child protective investigations.
• Manage or assist in special projects, for either ongoing or one-time assignments.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• At least 2 years of experience as a Child Protective Investigator.
• Must be trained and practicing Florida’s Safety Practice method.
• Current/Active Child Welfare Certification credentials from the Florida Certification Board.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license.
• Must possess operational private vehicle for use in the performance of daily work activities. Selected applicants are required to provide proof of vehicle registration and documentation of the appropriate insurance coverage. The Department provides a Vehicle Insurance Allowance to assist with the cost of insurance coverage due to the use of private vehicle for work purposes.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent critical thinking skills.
• Highly competent with data collection and analytics.
• Knowledge of theories and practice in Child Protection.
• Knowledge of professional ethics relating to child protection and counseling.
• Knowledge of family-centered interviewing and counseling techniques.
• Knowledge of investigative techniques.
• Knowledge of interviewing and observation techniques.
• Skill in considering child development in guiding placement of children.
• Ability to recognize indicators of abuse and neglect.
• Ability to conduct risk and safety investigations.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to understand and apply relevant laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Ability to actively listen to others.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to maintain well-executed case files.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Ability to utilize computer systems.
• Ability to write accurate investigative reports.

Candidate Profile (application) must be completed in its entirety.

• Include supervisor names and phone numbers for all periods of employment.
• Account for and explain any gaps in employment so that the hiring process is not delayed.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications.
• It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of entering work history.
• If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits.

For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

Growth Opportunities:

With 12,000 employees across the state DCF promotes opportunities and training for all. Our jobs are among the most challenging, complex, and difficult in State government. They are also among the most rewarding. All employees are encouraged to take advantage of available Department opportunities for advancement and professional development.

Where you will work:

Florida is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, no matter where you land in Florida, you’re never more than 60 miles from a body of saltwater. And if the beach isn’t your scene, there are 175 state parks to explore! Meanwhile, Floridians hail from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and walks of life, making it an incredibly diverse melting pot that many residents and visitors to Florida love. The Sunshine State is a great place to live and work – Come join our team!

About Department of Children and Families:

Mission:  The mission of the Department of Children and Families is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.

Vision: We are a highly skilled workforce committed to empowering people with complex and varied needs to achieve the best outcomes for themselves and their families. In collaboration with community stakeholders, we will deliver world class and continuously improving service focused on providing the people we serve with the level and quality that we would demand and expect for our own families.

Values: A workforce that operates with integrity maintains loyalty to a code of ethics that requires the courage to take responsibility for providing the highest quality of service to the vulnerable. We are a solutions-focused learning organization built on a foundation of transparency in action and accountability of results. Both within the organization and among our stakeholders, we thrive in a culture of respect for diversity of opinion that is nurtured through open communication. High performing and committed, we are unified in our goal of excellence in achieving quality outcomes for those we serve.

To learn more please visit https://www.myflfamilies.com/.

• If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you will be required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.
• The position will perform all job tasks in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and requirements applicable to state and federal laws or procedures.
• We hire only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers.
• Participation in the State of Florida Direct Deposit Program is required as a condition of employment per F.S. 110.113, and enrollment must be completed within the first 30 calendar days of your appointment.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: Male candidates born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion into an authorized position unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS) before their 26th birthday or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire.  For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov.

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT: It is the policy of the Florida Department of Children and Families that any applicant being considered for employment must successfully complete a State and National criminal history check as a condition of employment before beginning employment, and also be screened in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, F.S., and, if applicable, Chapter 408, F.S.

No applicant may begin employment until the background screening results are received, reviewed for any disqualifying offenses, and approved by the Agency. Background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for State and Federal criminal records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and may include local criminal history checks through local law enforcement agencies.

Licensure/registration/certification requirements:

Incumbents in this job class are required to use a personal vehicle to conduct field investigations, field visitations, or transportation of clients, and must maintain a valid driver's license, vehicle registration, and appropriate automobile insurance. Incumbents will receive a Vehicle Insurance Allowance. See CFOP 40-4, Vehicle Insurance Allowance For Selected Child Welfare and Adult Protective Services Staff, for additional information related to this job requirement.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE. Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here. All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.