FAMILY FINDER SPECIALIST

Requisition No: 866200

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: FAMILY FINDER SPECIALIST - 60074753

Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60074753

Salary: 47,000 - 55,000

Posting Closing Date: 12/17/2025

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Family Finder (Operations Review Specialist)

Department of Children and Families

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

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree (degree must be conferred at the time of application).

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work or related field preferred. (When applying please attach required education, certification, or licensure).
• At least 2 years in child welfare, preferred in child abuse investigations.

• Current/Active Child Welfare Certification credentials from the Florida Certification Board.
• Must be trained and practicing Florida's Safety Practice method.
• Valid Driver License; and
• 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.

Duties and Responsibilities

This position performs advanced family finding program efforts to discover, engage, plan, make decisions, and evaluate strategies to locate relatives and fictive kin.

• Conducts extensive/advanced searches, such as case mining, mobility mapping, internet searches and cold calls, to locate adult relatives and fictive kin.

• Collaborate with the child protective investigator to identify and build positive connections between the child and the child's relatives and fictive kin.

• Identify and build positive connections between child and the child's relatives and fictive kin.

• Attends and participates in family finding group decision making which may include conducting a multidisciplinary meeting with all parties involved and prospective family members or fictive kin.

• Attend Case Transfer Staffing as needed to inform Child Welfare Professionals of status of family finding efforts.

• Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with organizations and other agencies involved with child welfare such as community-based care providers, Children's Legal Services, Guardian ad Litem, schools, clinical professionals, and other community agency resources.

• Regularly reviews and identifies any changes to Florida Statutes, DCF Operational Procedures, Administrative Rule, and policies. Ensures participants are aware of changes, confidentiality, and HIPAA, and identifies potential problems related to case specifics.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge in Florida's Practice Model and Florida's official electronic system of record, Florida Safe Family Network (FSFN). Experience in Microsoft Office, familiar with the child welfare system, excellent written and oral communication skills, strong interpersonal skills relative to diverse populations in academic, public health, and community settings. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple competing deadlines. Analytical, decision making, and organizational skills.

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.