Requisition No: 878115
Agency: Children and Families
Working Title: FAMILY NAVIGATOR - 60075207
Pay Plan: Career Service
Position Number: 60075207
Salary: $55,000-$65,000
Posting Closing Date: 08/19/2026
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Department of Children and Families Tallahassee, Florida
Open Competitive
TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION RESPONSES TO THE QUALIFYING QUESTIONS ARE REQUIRED AND MUST BE VERIFIABLE BASED ON YOUR SUBMITTED APPLICATION.
Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.
What you will do:
As a Family Navigator you will engage with families early in the investigation process and partner with them to assess their needs, set goals, access services and progress toward safe, long term independence. You will ensure that our highest risk families have a voice in the process and feel empowered to make needed changes. You will establish relationships with system partners and help pave the way as this exciting new program grows and expands in the Suncoast Region.
How you will make an impact:
Promote access, engagement, and coordination of services for families in the child welfare system with behavioral health needs by deploying strategies designed to rapidly engage families in services, work closely with providers, and monitor the delivery of quality services.
Work closely with families to develop relationships, set goals, and provide support and guidance as they navigate the system and work toward long term safety and stability.
Identify service needs, coordinating service intervention, and collaboration with system of care partners including the child protective investigator, child welfare case manager, and other subject matter experts who become engaged in assessment and treatment identification.
Use knowledge of the child welfare system to assist with recognizing behaviors associated with safety and well-being and ensure thorough assessment and understanding of family dynamics in order to quickly engage families in meaningful service linkage and intervention.
Understand the stages of change and provide insight into behavioral changes connected to successful outcomes to promote safe and stable families by following identified cases from inception through closure to ensure ongoing collaboration and information sharing among partners and service providers, heighten awareness of existing risk factors, and ensure intentional service connection and delivery to promote safe and stable families.
Actively establish relationships with Child Protective Investigator, Case Management and provider staff and support these workers in understanding the effects of active engagement and accurate identification and activation of service needs on behavioral change and family well-being and stability.
Responsible for participation and/or facilitation of staffings, care coordination, and assistance with resolving barriers frequently present in families involved in the child welfare system which may include field response and working with the family in their residence or physical location.
Work collaboratively with community service providers and the Managing Entity to develop contacts, facilitate referrals, and assist investigative and case management staff with engaging clients in recommended services and improving timely access to treatment.
Participate in and, at times, facilitate, legal, multi-disciplinary, and any other meetings that will assist the investigative, case management and provider staff and families with establishing positive outcomes and strengthening families.
Ensure inter-agency collaboration with principle stakeholders in child and adult protection and domestic violence systems, i.e., DOH, DOE,DJJ, university schools of social work, Ounce of Prevention, child advocates, child advocacy centers, Department of Elder Affairs, etc.
Work with other Department leadership as well as programs to integrate the services of Office of Child and Family Well-Being with other programs of the department, especially the Office of Quality Assurance, Substance Abuse and Mental Health, and Economic Self-Sufficiency.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree or higher in social work or a related field.
Valid Driver License
Experience as child welfare or behavioral health professional.
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 rating.
Preferred qualifications: Experience in the principals and strategies of family engagement.
Licensed clinician (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT) or similar licensure.
Certified as a Child Welfare Professional.
5+ years total combined experience as child welfare or behavioral health professional.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Judgment and Decision Making: Weighing the relative costs and benefits of a potential action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.
Speaking: Talking to others to effectively convey information.
Writing: Communicating effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Listening: Listening to what other people are saying and asking questions as appropriate.
Information Gathering: Knowing how to find information and identifying essential information.
Problem Identification: Identifying the nature of problems.
Systems Evaluation: Looking at many indicators of system performance, taking into account their accuracy.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Idea Evaluation: Evaluating the likely success of an idea in relation to the demands of the situation.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of principles and processes involved in business and organizational planning, coordination, and execution. This may include strategic planning, resource allocation, manpower modeling, leadership techniques, and production methods.
Law, Government and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Personnel and Human Resources: Knowledge of policies and practices involved in personnel/human resource functions.
Communications and Media: Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods including alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Psychology: Knowledge of human behavior and performance, mental processes, psychological research methods, and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
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 including:
No state income tax for residents of Florida
Annual and Sick Leave benefits
Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year
State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options
Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (
Flexible Spending Accounts
Tuition waivers
And more!
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.
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.
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. All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.
Location:
PALM BAY, FL, US, 32905 COCOA, FL, US, 32926 MELBOURNE, FL, US, 32934 ROCKLEDGE, FL, US, 32955 MELBOURNE, FL, US, 32907 COCOA, FL, US, 32927 MELBOURNE, FL, US, 32901 TITUSVILLE, FL, US, 32078 COCOA, FL, US, 32922 MELBOURNE, FL, US, 32904 PALM BAY, FL, US, 32907 COCOA, FL, US, 32929 TITUSVILLE, FL, US, 32780 TITUSVILLE, FL, US, 32796 MELBOURNE, FL, US, 32935 TITUSVILLE, FL, US, 32781 MELBOURNE, FL, US, 32940 PALM BAY, FL, US, 32909 MELBOURNE BEACH, FL, US, 32951
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