Protective Services Specialist I/II (Chi...
Location: Bethel, Alaska
Description: Workplace Alaska is employing Protective Services Specialist I/II (Chi... right now, this job will be placed in Alaska. More complete informations about this job opportunity kindly see the descriptions. The Western Regional Office of Children’s Services is recruiting for
Children’s Protective Services Specialist I/II (PSS I/II) Positions in Bethel
Candidates wi! ll be referred at the highest level for which they qualify
Protective Services Specialists are an important part of a close knit unit of caseworkers all with the same goal of ensuring child safety and strengthening families. PSS’s have a very challenging job that can be stressful at times. Our field offices in Aniak, Bethel and Saint Mary’s are “rural†and in a challenging area (the Western Region) which serves 56 surrounding villages. National Geographic shows of “Flying Wild in Alaska, Alaska State Troopers, and Yukon Men†begin to shed light on the challenges and rewards of working in this region. No glamour, but rewarding and heartfelt with every smile.
Three elements are essential for success: understanding of the State of Alaska Practice Model and Guiding Principles, Indian Child Welfare Act, and having a cultural understanding of Alaska Natives in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region. Successful applicants must also demonstrate excell! ent oral and written communication skills, critical thinking s! kills, and the ability to work independently. Additionally, the incumbent must be able to successfully work with children and families in small village communities where there is little personal anonymity.
Protective Services Specialist assignment considerations are being accepted for the Initial Assessment Unit, and the Family Services unit. Broad-spectrum descriptions are below.
Initial Assessments
An Initial Assessments Unit member investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect. They have the difficult task of figuring out what happened and predicting what will happen in the future. Initial Assessments receives and investigates reports of abuse and neglect 24 hours per day, every day of the year.
An initial assessment includes interviewing and gathering information to see if abuse or neglect happened and if intervention is necessary. The worker considers both risk and safety issues and may recommend services for the child and family to! reduce the risk of further abuse or neglect.
The purpose of an investigation is to:
See if a child can safely live with their family.
Find out if abuse or neglect happened.
Learn whether other children in the family are victims of abuse or neglect.
Determine if there is a risk of abuse or neglect in the future.
Develop a plan, if needed, to keep the child or children safe. Essential Job Functions
Responding quickly in crisis situations that involve children in an abusive or neglectful situation. Sometimes these situations can be dangerous.
Investigating allegations of child abuse or neglect and taking the necessary steps to protect children. This could include removing a child from their family.
Interviewing people in the case such as the person who reports it, family members, doctors, nurses, and others familiar with the family situation.
Checking children for signs of abuse or neglect. This may involve serious injuries.! Family Services
A Family Services Unit member performs social work! related to protecting children while reducing the threats within the home to maintain the family. A PSS I/II caseworker has a very challenging job that can be stressful at times -- but there are few occupations that offer more opportunities to learn new things about families, your community, and yourself.
Essential Job Functions
Evaluating and recommending appropriate actions necessary to resolve family emotional and/or physical stress situations, which cause child abuse or neglect;
Engaging families to identify their own strengths and needs to achieve safety for their children while preserving the family; and
Visits clients' homes to assess risk to children for abuse/neglect, plan for child safety, and strengthen families so they can function without OCS intervention.
Interact objectively with “caretakers†who have abused and/or neglected children in their care.
Works as part of a team, which involves helping with crisis situations relatin! g to other caseworkers’ assignments as well as following the directions of the courts and agency.
Helps identify resources and community supports available to the family.
Educates clients to change previous behavior that led to child abuse and/or neglect and empower clients to identify ways to make those changes. Sounds good, but what other kinds of things will I be doing? (Knowledge Skills, Abilities, applies to both units)
Be willing to remove a child from a dangerous situation. Encounters clients who are angry and/or scared.
Responding quickly in crisis situations that involve children in an abusive or neglectful situation. Sometimes these situations can be dangerous.
Understand and apply the Indian Child Welfare Act (1976) when working with First Nations People (American Indian & Alaska Natives).
Learn about cultures and lifestyles different from their own and understands how to determine child safety and well-being within that context.
Spend about 40% of your time documenting casework activity, relevant and appropriate information, and completing required forms.
Work under constant time pressure created by the nature and volume of the cases, prioritize efforts, and may include flexible work hours.
Testifying in court and preparing comprehensive reports of investigative findings that support recommendations to the court.
Serving as liaison to social service agencies, schools, local law enforcement agencies, and attorneys.
Building community relationships with law enforcement agents, therapists, court personnel, and representatives from various agencies and tribal organizations
Maintaining a balance of objectivity and empathy for families living in stressful and crisis situations.
Be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
Talking frankly and objectively with families about income, money management, sex abuse, and personal relationships that they will probably consider personal and ! private.
Flying on small planes, walking distances in all extreme weather conditions while carrying your equipment (gear) to get to your visit with the potential of spending the night in atypical facilities.
Other duties as assigned. To learn more about the Office of Children's Services, please visit:
dhss.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/default.aspx
To learn more about working as a Children’s Protective Services Specialist, please visit:
vimeo.com/44692712 as well as: dhss.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/recruitment/default.aspx
Please read the following special notes concerning this recruitment carefully:
Your cover letter is the key to an interview for this position . In addition to your cover letter, a writing sample may be requested in order to proceed to the interview phase. The education and/or experience being used to meet the minimum qualifications for this position must be highlighted and adequately documented in the application and cover ! letter in order to be considered. Attaching a resume is not an alternat! ive to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting "see resume" or any similar response on any portion of your application, failure to address the Knowledge Skills and Abilities, not submitting a cover letter, or not submitting a writing sample when requested may lead to removal from consideration for this job opening.
This position requires a valid Alaska Driver’s license and successful completion of a background investigation, including fingerprinting and a criminal records check .
The successful candidate will rotate with other staff to provide after-hours, emergency, on-call responses to alleged child abuse and neglect situations.
Relocation reimbursement may be considered by the State of Alaska for this job to the above location. Please inquire at the time of job offering.
For some positions in this job class, a child protective history check will be performed per AS 12.62.160 and/or 13 AAC 68.315.
The successful c! andidate will be required to attend multiple training courses in Anchorage.
Minimum Qualifications:
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a major in a social, behavioral or health science, law or a related field.
Substitution:
Four years of any combination of postsecondary education (3 semester/ 4 quarter hours equal 1 month of experience) in a social, behavioral or health science, law or a related field and/or paraprofessional experience (any level) providing assistance, information or referrals to the public related to social services, health care or legal services may substitute for the bachelor’s degree.
Special Note:
Some positions require a valid Alaska driver’s license and/or a background investigation including fingerprinting. These requirements will be indicated at the time of recruitment.
Additional Required Information:
At time of application , applicant must a! ttach as separate documents:
1. A copy of academic transcripts, if ! education is used to meet the minimum qualifications for the job class. (Unofficial OK).
2. A list of three (3) professional references, which includes daytime telephone numbers; at least one (1) of these must be from a current or former supervisor.
At time of interview applicant must submit:
1. Copies of two (2) most recent performance appraisals, if unavailable, two (2) documented supervisory letters of reference may be substituted.
2. If applicable, documentation (DD214, DD215) supporting Veteran's Preference.
Please read the below information carefully. This applies to your application submission.
FLEXIBLY STAFFED
This position is flexibly staffed. This vacancy may be filled at either the I or II level, depending on the applicant's training and/or experience. The full range of salaries is listed above. Starting salary will be determined by the level the position is hired at. If filled at Level I, promotion to the Level I! I will only occur upon successful completion of the probationary period and required training, as well as the applicant meeting the minimum qualifications of the higher job class and final approval by supervisor.
COVER LETTER
A cover letter is required. Please attach it as a separate document for this position. The cover letter should highlight your knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience as they pertain to the responsibilities listed in the job description above. Please attach the cover letter to your application before submitting it online or, if unable to attach to your application, fax it to the contact number provided in the job posting. The cover letter will be used to help determine which applicants will advance to the interview phase of the recruitment and selection process .
EDUCATION
If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not o! btained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies! of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.
WORK EXPE! RIENCE
If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer name, your job title, dates of employment, and whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment.
MULTIPLE VACANCIES
This recruitment may be used for more than one (1) vacancy. The applicant pool acquired during this recruitment may be used for future vacancies for up to ninety (90) days after this recruitment closes. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply to each recruitment notice to ensure consideration for all vacancies.
NOTICE
Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 800-587-0430 (toll free) or (907) 465- 4095. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is! correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email! from the ‘govermentjobs.com’ domains. For information on allowing emails from the ‘governmentjobs.com’ domains, visit the Lost Password Help page located at https://www.governmentjobs.com/js_lostpswd.cfm?&topheader=alaska.
EEO STATEMENT
The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-0430 or 465-4095 in Juneau or (907) 465-3412 (TTY) or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at the address above. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.
Contact Information:
Diane Moehring, Administrative Officer I
Phone: (907) 543-7226
Fax: (907) 543-4143
E-mail: Diane.Moehring@alaska.gov
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If you were eligible to this job, please deliver us your resume, with salary requirements and a ! resume to Workplace Alaska.
Interested on this job, just click on the Apply button, you will be redirected to the official website
This job will be opened on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 22:32:18 GMT
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