APS Investigator Specialist

Job Overview:
As an APS Investigator Specialist with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, you will play a critical role in protecting the elderly and adults with disabilities who are unable to protect themselves. This challenging yet rewarding job offers opportunities to learn new things about families, your community, and yourself.

Key Responsibilities:
• Conduct investigations into reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of elderly or disabled adults, gathering social, functional, physical, and mental-emotional information for evaluation.
• Provide services after normal working hours and on weekends to maintain 24-hour coverage, including receiving reports of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
• Determine temporary or long-term action to be taken to remove or lessen an immediate threat to the life or health of an adult protective services client, including counseling clients and caregivers, providing information and referral services, testifying in court to seek emergency protective services, finding alternate housing when necessary, and providing ongoing services.
• Develop individualized service plans to meet the needs of the adult protective services client and maintain detailed documentation on each case.
• Make presentations and participate in community awareness and related activities to inform the public about the program.
• Prepare routine, statistical, and special reports for management.
• Serve in a lead capacity in the absence of a supervisor.
• Perform other duties as assigned and required to maintain unit operations.
• Promote and demonstrate appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers and all work-related contacts.
• Attend work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy.

Requirements:
• An accredited Bachelor's degree or accredited Associate's degree or more than 60 accredited college credit hours for the APS Investigator Specialist I position.
• For the APS Investigator Specialist II position, employment as an APS Investigator Specialist I for 9 months and receipt of APS Investigator Specialist Certification or current employment as an APS Investigator Specialist II in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or previous employment as an APS Investigator Specialist II in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
• For the APS Investigator Specialist III position, employment as an APS Investigator Specialist II for 9 months and receipt of Advanced APS Investigator Specialist Certification or current employment as an APS Investigator Specialist III in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or previous employment as an APS Investigator Specialist III in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
• For the APS Investigator Specialist IV position, employment as an APS Investigator Specialist III for 24 months and receipt of Senior Advanced APS Investigator Specialist Certification or current employment as an APS Investigator Specialist IV in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or previous employment as an APS Investigator Specialist IV in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Additional Information:
This position may be filled at any level from an APS Specialist I to APS Specialist IV. Factors such as education and experience may be considered when establishing the starting salary; however, the starting salary for this position may not exceed the maximum of the pay group.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
These requirements are not exhaustive, and additional job-related physical requirements may be added to these by individual agencies on an as needed basis. Corrective devices may be used to meet physical requirements. These are typical requirements; however, reasonable accommodations are possible.

Physical Activities: He/she is frequently asked to stand, hear, and talk; he/she is occasionally asked to climb.

Physical Demands: The incumbent typically performs work that requires him/her to exert up to 20 pounds occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

Visual Requirements: The incumbent must be able to see objects clearly at 20 inches or less, and at 20 or more feet. In addition, he/she must be able to adjust his/her eyes to bring objects into focus, distinguish colors, see objects in his/her peripheral vision, and see objects in three dimensions.

Working Conditions: He/she typically works in a mobile environment (the majority of work is performed outside of the office environment) and is exposed occasionally to adverse environmental conditions including, but not necessarily limited to, extreme heat, wetness and humidity, chemicals, close quarters, gases and heights.

Interview Requirements: Any candidate who is called to an agency for an interview must notify the interviewing agency in writing of any reasonable accommodation needed prior to the date of the interview.

The APS Professional Education Program reimburses eligible staff for the cost of tuition and fees up to $10,500 per fiscal year. An applicant must be an APS employee and must have one year of full-time continuous APS employment before the date of the application is due. To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a bachelor's or master's program that is relevant to APS work and any position within APS can apply.

Business-related travel is reimbursed at the state-approved mileage rate and according to DFPS policy.

APS Investigator Specialists are mobile caseworkers. Mobile casework is not the same as working from home. APS Investigator Specialists spend the majority of their workday 'in the field' conducting home visits to interview clients and alleged perpetrators. Although each workday may begin and end at home, APS Investigator Specialists are expected to be in the field making visits and engaging the community every day.

MOS Code:
Note: Military occupation(s) that relate to the initial selection criteria and registration or licensure requirements for this position may include, but not limited to: 31D, 35L, 35M, 68X, 73A, 311A, 351L, 351M, HM, IS, NC, 183X, 230X, 683X, 783X, IV, MST, INV, ISS, OAP12, 0149, 5821, 5822, 5832, 1N0X1, 4C0X1, 4E0X1, 14NX, 42SX, 43HX, 71SX, 0868, 66C, 47L, 66R, 67D, L24A, 001387. All active duty military, reservists, guardsmen, and veterans are encouraged to apply if qualified to fill this position. For more information see the Texas State Auditor's Military Crosswalk.

As a state agency, DFPS is required Texas Administrative Code (TAC 206 and 213) to ensure all Electronic Information Resources (EIR) follow accessibility standards. The staff must be familiar with the WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 to create accessible content including but not limited to; Microsoft Office documents, Adobe PDFs, webpages, software, training guides, video, and audio files.

HHS agencies use E-Verify. You must bring your I-9 documentation with you on your first day of work.

I-9 Form - Click here to download the I-9 form.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HHS agencies will provide reasonable accommodation during the hiring and selection process for qualified individuals with a disability. If you need assistance completing the on-line application, contact the HHS Employee Service Center at 1-888-894-4747. If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodation to participate in the interview process, please notify the person scheduling the interview.

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