Under general supervision, the Social Services Specialist 1 provides investigative and comprehensive case management for a caseload involving child/adult abuse or neglect. Makes immediate and follow-up actions for at risk clients in need of protective services and/or placement.

• Initiates timely, face-to-face responses to screened-in reports of alleged child maltreatment and conducts assessments that identify and address safety concerns.

• Addresses identified safety concerns by immediately developing and implementing safety plans.

• Conducts diligent search efforts to locate the child/family when unable to make contact.

• Implements Solution Based Casework (SBC).

• Partners with child(ren) and parents in the development and utilization of the Family Functioning Agreement, Action Plan, and Family Plan to achieve desired individual and family-level outcomes.

• Completes genograms to identify available family support network.

• Collaborates with community partners to create systems of support for children and families.

• Ensures that frequency and quality of visits with children and families are adequate to ensure safety, permanency, and well-being.

• Identifies the physical, educational, and mental/behavioral health needs of children, parents, and foster parents and ensures identified needs were effectively addressed.

• Establishes permanency goals for the child(ren).

• Ensures foster care placements and/or living situations are stable and in the best interests of the child(ren) and are consistent with achieving established permanency goal(s).

• Makes concerted efforts to achieve permanency for children in a timely manner and consistent with regulations contained in the Adoptions and Safe Families Act.

• Ensures that siblings in foster care are placed together unless a separation is necessary to meet the needs of one of the siblings.

• Maintains child's connections to his or her neighborhood, community, faith, extended family, tribe, school, and friends.

• Promotes, supports, and otherwise maintains a positive and nurturing relationship between the child(ren) in care and their biological parents/caretakers by encouraging and facilitating activities and interactions beyond visitation.

• Documents case management activities within time frames established by policy.

• Celebrates positive outcomes with child(ren) and family.

• Utilizes privately owned vehicle for work-related travel and duties (including transportation of children).

• Routinely serves on after-hours on-call duty.

• Embraces ongoing learning and professional development opportunities.