Child Welfare Practice Improvement Supervisor (Social Services Supervisor)

• Serves as a subject matter expert in child welfare managing activities to include needs assessment, content development, training delivery, and program evaluation;
• Assures timely and continuous delivery and quality of training to child welfare staff as if relates to the Safe & Connected practice model;
• Provides day-to-day coaching and management of staff including supervision, evaluation and hiring;
• Monitors and manages project expenditures in accordance with established budget and contract;
• Ensures project compliance with all applicable requirements of the local, state, and federal regulations;
• Develops performance goals and objectives for the project and staff, and monitors the achievement of those goals;
• Prepares required reports, data, and organizational documents;
• Participates actively in the recruitment and hiring of child welfare staff;
• Works effectively and collaboratively with the program manager, child welfare staff development supervisor and child welfare practice improvement team to help develop curriculum to train staff with child welfare practices;
• Participates in workgroups and committees that improve best practices and service delivery to the families the department and division served;
• Provides project management related to child welfare practices; and
• Performs and supports other CYF program areas as needed.

• Ability to apply and model practice of Safe & Connected Model ;
• Knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to child protective services and other areas of child welfare;
• Knowledge of family engagement theory and strength base approach;
• Knowledge of multidisciplinary approach to service planning;
• Ability to lead and provide supervision within a team structure;
• Ability to apply conflict resolution and problem-solving skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a strong confidence level; speaking to large or small groups is essential to this position;
• Ability to demonstrate coaching, initiative, development skills, organizational awareness, and client satisfaction service approach;
• Ability to exercise discretion and ensure confidentiality; and
• Ability to be professional and comfortable, speaking with all levels of management, and prepare to provide candid feedback to managers regarding staff's progress.

Provides day-to-day guidance and direction to a group of social services specialists
on case related issues, policies and procedures, and agency initiatives;
Ensures acceptable levels of quality and quantity in the delivery of services;
Plans caseloads, assigns cases and reviews case records and reviews and signs off on service plans, case assessments, and other reports which require supervisory review;
Identifies crisis situations and provides intervention as needed to address difficult or dangerous client situations;
Interviews job applicants and makes recommendations for hiring, prepares and conducts formal and informal performance evaluations, and handles performance and discipline issues in a timely manner and in accordance with County personnel policy;
Reviews the work of individual social services specialist and provides feedback and instruction;
Communicates performance expectations; monitors performance and outcomes of staff against the goals and objectives of the program;
Approves and monitors expenditures for client services consistent with the program budget and client outcomes;
Solicits concerns, issues and recommendations from staff regarding programmatic needs and systemic is sues;
Evaluates the effectiveness of policies and procedures and recommends changes;
Holds group and individual conferences with staff to discuss general policies and to interpret related rules, regulations or laws and to assess cases objectively based upon the significant risk factors and to monitor casework progress;
Facilitates open communication between staff and senior management to achieve agency and unit goals;
Plans for and facilitates social services specialists' professional growth and development. Provides staff development including training, mentoring, and encouragement for staff to improve professional skills in order to support access to human services;
Develops and implements ongoing team training plan;
Works with the community to identify families and children needing services and to coordinate these services;
Communicates effectively with social services specialists and senior management regarding the needs of the agency, social services specialist, and clients;
Participates in intra and interagency work groups, supervisors' meetings and special projects;
Provides oversight for required data systems and uses data systems for management of day-to-day work;
Prepares or oversees and presents narrative and statistical reports documenting the
work of the unit and/or in relation to case activity;
Promotes the attainment of agency and individual staff goals related to service access
components (Automatic Call Distribution service levels, case objective outcomes, time studies, silent monitoring, and customer service surveys) through the ongoing monitoring of service requests and subsequent service delivery;
Establishes and maintains ongoing collaborative relationships with public and private providers, community-based groups, and residents to coordinate and integrate services, improve access, and identify community needs and barriers to service delivery;
Participates as a team member in the continuous improvement of the human services access process.

Extensive knowledge of the principles, methods and problems of organization and management;

Extensive knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;

Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and casework supervision;

Thorough knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address them;

Ability to accurately apply, interpret and administer regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;

Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;

Ability to use automated technology;

Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals;

Ability to plan and direct the activities of a group of social service professionals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree; plus four years of increasingly responsible, directly-related professional experience in the social services or human services field. A master's degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of required experience.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, a driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in social work (MSW) or a related human services degree.
• Minimum of two (2) years of professional social or human services work including but not limited to: trauma, aggression, denial, depression, physical injury, family/societal influences and actions, intervention techniques, engaging involuntary clients including alleged abusers and caretakers of victim children, conflict resolution, and the legal system.
• At least two (2) years of experience in child welfare.
• Supervisory experience.
• Experience coaching/training in child welfare.
• Demonstrates knowledge of Safe and Connected Model of Practice.
• Experience working with a diverse multicultural population.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.