Child Welfare Specialist Trainee

We are seeking a highly motivated and dedicated Child Welfare Specialist Trainee to join our team at the Department of Children and Family Services. As a Child Welfare Specialist Trainee, you will play a critical role in providing professional child welfare services for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.

• Participate in developing case plans and objectives in family team conferences and agency staffings, and prepare cases for presentation to the multi-disciplinary team for consultation.
• Provide supportive counseling and other supportive services for clients and arrange for the provision of services from community resources based on the case plan.
• Interviews clients and families and composes correspondence to compile social histories and psychosocial assessments.
• Prepare and submit appropriate reports to the court and the district attorney on cases in compliance with state laws and agency policy, prepares and submits necessary affidavits, and testifies in court proceedings.
• Conduct regular home visits to assess safety factors and works with the family toward reunification or some other permanent placement for the child.
• Searches for relatives and locates, selects, and oversees the most appropriate placement or change of placement for a child.
• Obtains identifying information, determines if the report meets intake requirements as established by state law, determines the current status of the child and/or adult to evaluate extent of danger/risk, determines priority level of report, and prepares complaint form.
• Investigate allegations of abuse and/or neglect of children and/or adults in accordance with agency policy and state law. Provides those services required for the child's immediate safety.
• May serve on 24-hour on-call duty to respond to child abuse and/or neglect reports.
• Assesses needs in response to identified problems with a particular focus on those affecting the parent/child relationship, parenting ability, or other factors contributing to the abusive and/or neglectful environment in the family.
• Conducts regular home visits with the family to assess safety and risk factors and determine further treatment needs.
• Develops a case plan with the family to address identified issues and to link the family to community resources.

• A baccalaureate degree.
• Six years of full-time work experience in any field may be substituted for the required baccalaureate degree.
• Candidates without a baccalaureate degree may combine work experience and college credit to substitute for the baccalaureate degree as follows: A maximum of 120 semester hours may be combined with experience to substitute for the baccalaureate degree.
• 30 to 59 semester hours credit will substitute for one year of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.
• 60 to 89 semester hours credit will substitute for two years of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.
• 90 to 119 semester hours credit will substitute for three years of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.
• 120 or more semester hours credit will substitute for four years of experience towards the baccalaureate degree.
• College credit earned without obtaining a baccalaureate degree may be substituted for a maximum of four years full-time work experience towards the baccalaureate degree. Candidates with 120 or more semester hours of credit, but without a degree, must also have at least two years of full-time work experience to substitute for the baccalaureate degree.
• Possession of a high school diploma or equivalent.
• A valid driver's license and access to a personal vehicle.

The incumbent of this position must not have been convicted or pled nolo contendere to a crime listed in R.S. 15.587.1 (c).

Any college hours or degree must be from an accredited college or university.

This position may be filled as a probational appointment or a job appointment that may last up to 48 months. Job appointments may convert to probational appointments. Also, it may be filled as a detail and promoted within 12 months.

You must include all relevant education and experience on your official State application.

The duties that you describe in the Work Experience section of your application will be reviewed by State Civil Service as part of the process in determining if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job.

Your experience WILL NOT be evaluated based on the job title alone. You must describe your actual duties. If you are a current employee of the State of Louisiana, it is important that you indicate in the 'Duties' section for each job the specific programs that you worked in to receive credit for that experience.

List all prior employment. Work experience left off of your electronic application or only included in an attached resume will not be credited. Resumes WILL NOT be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants qualifying based on college training or receipt of a baccalaureate degree will be required to submit an official college transcript to verify credentials claimed prior to appointment. Please make every effort to attach a copy of your transcript to your application. The transcripts can be added as an attachment to your online application. The selected candidate will be required to submit original documentation upon hire.

This position is part of a Career Progression Group, vacancies may be filled from this recruitment as a Child Welfare Specialist Trainee, 1, 2, or 3 depending on the level of experience of the selected applicant(s). The maximum salary for the Child Welfare Specialist 3 is $84,302.

No Civil Service test score is required to be considered for this vacancy.

To apply for this vacancy, click on the 'Apply' link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

DCFS is an 'Equal Opportunity Employer' and Louisiana is a 'State as a Model Employer for People with Disabilities'.