This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires.
Do you want to be a part of a team that makes a difference in the lives of children and families? As a Child Protective Services (CPS) Specialist Family Safety Practitioner, you will engage with parents and their children who are at risk of or victims of abuse or neglect and strengthen families so they can safely care for their children. This life-changing work involves taking decisive and appropriate actions when a child needs protection, analyzing complex information, and employing intervention services and strategies to achieve the best outcomes for children.
We are looking for people who are committed to children’s safety and family preservation, possess good critical thinking and decision-making skills, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. While this job is challenging and may have long and sometimes unconventional hours, this is more than a job—it is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and families.
Duties of the CPS Specialist:
In this job, you will be supported by a team of caring people working together to keep children safe and strengthen families. You will make an impact by:
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Assessing allegations of child abuse and neglect, which includes interviewing children, parents, and other involved parties, often in their homes or community spaces
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Using our practice model to comprehensively assess children and their families, including assessments of protective, risk, and safety factors
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Taking appropriate actions based on informed decisions and relevant policy to keep children safe and support families. This may include creating and monitoring safety plans, connecting families with services, providing brief clinical interventions to address immediate concerns, de-escalating tense situations, supporting families’ decisions for alternate living arrangements, or separating children and placing them in foster care.
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Collaborating with other professionals to gather and share information and inform decision-making.
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Taking legal action when needed to ensure children are safe. This includes preparing and filing court paperwork and attending and testifying in court hearings.
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Documenting interactions and observations related to assessments and decision-making in a timely manner.
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Assisting on the CPS Hotline and screening new referrals of child abuse and neglect (if applicable)
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Supporting practitioners who are providing clinical casework services to children and their families as part of in-home or family support services (if applicable)
This recruitment will be used to fill multiple FSP II vacancies in CPS regional teams and the Mobile Team within the Children, Youth and Families Division.
What you need to be successful:
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Ability to manage conflict and cope with pressure in a professional manner
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Ability to work flexible hours as needed, including on-call rotation
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Ability to work collaboratively
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Knowledge of child development and family functioning
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Ability to use critical thinking skills to analyze information and develop goals for the safety and well-being of children
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Ability to partner with families to address issues such as parenting, financial stability, mental health, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, etc.
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Ability to work with individuals and families across cultures
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Strong verbal and writing skills
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Ability to plan and organize your work while adjusting to changing situations and priorities
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Commitment to learning about process, policy, best practices and our practice model and apply the learning to daily tasks.
Grow your career with Fairfax County!
With more than 16,000 employees, Fairfax County is a diverse workforce offering employees stimulating and challenging opportunities across a broad scope of career opportunities. As a Fairfax County employee, you impact the well-being of our community every day.
This is an exciting time to join Fairfax County Government as we shape racial and social equity policies in the county through the One Fairfax Policy. Using this framework, we intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services. To learn more, we highly encourage you to watch the Becoming One Fairfax—An Introduction to Key Concepts video by clicking here and visit the One Fairfax webpage here.
Finally, click here to learn more about learn more about our Department of Family Services, meet our director and some of our practitioners, watch a short video to learn more about this position, read the top 5 reasons to come work with us, and check out the great benefits, including excellent paid leave, health plans, and retirement plans. In addition to the many County benefits, working with us gives you access to supervision towards becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, our Child Welfare Institute onboarding academy, and practice guidance grounded in the Safe & Connected™ practice model.
All Fairfax County Government employees are expected to adhere to the Standards of Conduct. In maintaining a drug free workplace, employees are prohibited from manufacturing, distributing, possessing, using or being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while at work or on county premises.
(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)
Performs individual and family safety and risk assessment and casework duties pursuant to applicable state and federal policies/ law, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people facing vulnerabilities;
Determines whether people at risk of harm should be separated from their current living situation including, emergency separations of children or vulnerable adults from their homes when required;
Engages county residents in services that are often non-voluntary and/or protective in nature. County residents engaging in these services are often experiencing difficulties that may be stressful and upsetting and threaten their immediate physical or psychological safety;
Advocates for and assists families and individuals in obtaining services (e.g., mental health, intellectual disability, alcohol and drug, housing referrals, financial assistance for basic needs, home based services, training, and medical services) to ameliorate the circumstances that brought them to the attention of the department;
Provides family, individual, and group counseling and conducts mediation services to families in conflict;
Investigates and/or evaluates complaints of alleged abuse or neglect, and in consultation with supervisor, makes assessment of risks posed to clients in accordance with state and local policies, and works to ensure risks are eliminated or minimized;
Prepares written reports and required documentation supporting decisions related to immediate and ongoing safety needs;
Provides crisis intervention on a timely basis to clients or families whose wellbeing are seriously and imminently threatened;
Collects, documents, and makes appropriate case decisions related to information from clients, their family members and community support systems regarding their social, financial, physical health, emotional well-being, and problems affecting the completion of safety or services plans;
Documentation is detailed and becomes part of the case file which is a legal record;
Participates in the development of court related documents and may testify or attend court to provide support to the clients and/or their caregivers;
Provides training, outreach and education for allied resources including (but not limited to) foster and adoptive parents, volunteers, families, and other county residents regarding supportive services, agency programs, and other specialized topics related to the wellbeing of county residents at risk of harm;
Works with and monitors individual service providers such as contract service providers and volunteers who work with clients to adhere to or complete safety or service plans;
Uses case management, documentation management technology, and hard copy files to maintain and update case data, notes, documents, records, contacts, and summaries of information in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and policies.
(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)
Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and case management;
Knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues;
Knowledge or skill with crisis intervention or conflict resolution techniques;
Knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization;
Ability to analyze case information to reach sound decisions based on such information;
Ability to demonstrate advanced critical thinking and judgment by understanding and applying governing policy and statutes alongside best practices and unique case factors;
Ability to engage with persons effectively and empathically from different cultures who may be experiencing stressful family situations;
Ability to maintain a high level of sensitivity and confidentiality while performing client related tasks;
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;
Ability to use case management and documentation technology to establish and maintain case records;
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 schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines;
Skill in defining and explaining complex rules and guidelines in a variety of settings;
Skill in writing reports that are behaviorally specific, factually correct, include conclusions and recommended action;
Ability to engage children, adults, and/or families under safety-sensitive, time-limited, and difficult circumstances, to gather information and make informed decisions that are inclusive of their language, race, and culture;
Ability to engage and work with community partners and organizations;
Ability to collaboration as a team member to create and support safety planning and monitoring;
Ability to engage with juridical systems and processes to support the safety needs of clients as needed or when required by statute;
Demonstrated ability to set boundaries and participate in self-reflective practice and working knowledge of the National Association of Social Workers'’ Code of Professional Ethical Standards.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a human services field OR minimum of a bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area (Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia).
In order to be evaluated for positions in the Family Services Occupational Group, individuals who do not meet the degree requirement at the time of application for employment must be in their last semester of a degree program that will meet the requirements listed above.
Contingent upon the area of assignment, some positions within this class may require specific certification(s) or experience prior to employment and/or the ability to acquire necessary certification(s) within a specified time period following employment. The certifications and preferred qualifications are identified in the position description and employment advertisement.
CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
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Valid driver’s license
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Positions within this class are required to complete the state mandated training in the functional area within a specified time period.
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check, driving record check, and a Child Protective Services check.
This position is considered essential personnel and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).
Requires being part of an on-call rotation that includes evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday hours which may require immediate response into the field.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:-
Master's degree in social work (MSW) or a related human services degree.
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Three years of experience in social work, psychology, sociology, counseling, or related experience.
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Experience performing child protective services, foster care and/or family preservation.
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Experience working with the court system or family group facilitation.
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Experience working with a diverse multicultural population.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Work requires performing tasks with risks of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Ability to navigate through and make decisions in stressful and crisis situations. Sufficiently mobile to travel outside the office for client contact, court appearances, community events, and to conduct family assessments and investigations of allegations of child abuse and neglect. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to use automated technology. Ability to lift 20 lbs. Must be able to operate a motor vehicle and make use of personal vehicle. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.
SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include exercise.
Note: This job announcement is listed with a closing date of 8/28/26 and interested applicants are advised to submit their applications as soon as possible. Interviews will be conducted on a regular basis throughout the recruitment with candidates whose qualifications best fit our needs. If your application is received later in the recruitment process, it may not be reviewed or considered. The application process may close prior to the currently advertised closing date when the position has been filled.
Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.
Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.
Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314.
[email protected] EEO/AA/TTY.
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