Initial Posting Date:

06/27/2019Application Deadline:

07/25/2019Agency:

Department of Human ServicesSalary Range:

$3,664 – $5,339Position Type:

EmployeePosition Title:

Social Service Specialist 1 – ICWA Active Efforts Specialist – NewportJob Description:

Social Service Specialist 1 – ICWA Active Efforts Specialist
Office of Child Welfare – Newport, Oregon
119 NE 4th St, Newport OR 97365

***Current State of Oregon Employees please use your Workday account – go to Career – Internal – Find jobs to apply!

***All others – To apply for this position, click on the “Apply” link above to fill out the online application and submit by the posted closing date.

This employment opportunity is with the Oregon Department of Human Services, Office of Child Welfare, Children, Adults and Families.  There is 1 permanent, full-time Social Service Specialist 1- Active Efforts Specialist opening located in Newport.  This position is represented by a Union.

You will be helping engage children, families, foster parents and caregivers in a multitude of ways to achieve safety, permanency and well-being of Oregon’s children.

For more information on Child Welfare programs please click here.

What you will be doing:

The primary goal of this position is to provide safe and equitable reduction of Native American children in foster care, make sure the agency provides active efforts on substitute-care and in-home cases, and prevent children from entering care. As the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Regional Case Specialist, you will provide leadership and direction to ensure that DHS adheres to the intent of the federal law regulating services to Indian children and families, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and diversity matters related to Native Americans.  This position monitors and interprets agency policies and procedures to remove barriers to achieve the goals and the spirit of ICWA for DHS families receiving services.  In addition, the incumbent works closely with District Managers, Program Managers, supervisors, case workers, parents and families to develop and monitor implementation and outcomes of the statewide strategies to strengthen compliance with ICWA.  This position works closely with District and Program Managers to identify and implement concrete and measurable steps to strengthen local relationships with tribes and advance local strategies relating to case planning.  This position will ensure information and data is obtained timely from local tribes and tribes across the United States.  This position provides intensive assistance to ICWA case workers to achieve permanency for ICWA/Native American children and will assure active efforts are achieved with native families by providing additional consultation necessary to comply with ICWA understanding and culturally specific services. This position will be responsible for documenting the achievement of goals associated with the regional ICWA Case Specialists work.

ACTIVE EFFORTS SPECIALIST: The following is a list describing the purpose for this position.
–    To safely decrease the disproportionate representation of ICWA Native American children in foster care.
–    To increase community support, engagement and collaboration with Tribes and the Native American community.
–    To ensure culturally specific services are accessible to Native American clients and families.
–    To improve the Department’s ability to achieve 100% active efforts on all Native American/lCWA cases.
–    To increase collaboration between DHS and Tribes including, but not limited to the following:
–    Establish and maintain consistent and ongoing communication between DHS and Tribes.
–    Evaluate the feasibility of developing a pre-test and post-test for families following Child Welfare engagement.
–    Conduct Native American/lCWA focus groups.
–    Coordinate District training activities.
–    Identify “best practices”.

What’s in it for you:
Collaboration in an open office with a team of bright, committed individuals to work with and learn from. We offer full medical, vision and dental with paid sick leave, vacation, personal leave and ten paid holidays per year plus pension and retirement plans..  DHS has a commitment to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce that includes members of historically underrepresented groups. If you are interested in becoming our new Social Service Specialist 1, please apply today!

Working conditions:
The duties in this position include working with challenging and sometimes hostile clients; working with LEA in sometimes unsafe and unsanitary home environments. This work requires a valid Oregon Driver’s License. Work requires the ability to prioritize work related to child safety and respond quickly to emergent situations. This position requires working a flexible schedule as a condition of employment with the normal workday of 8 am to 5 pm; however, working hours may be adjusted within a given week, to provide planned services. Occasional compensated overtime during evening and weekend work may be required.

This is what you need to qualify:

A Bachelor’s or higher-level degree in Social Work/Human Services or a closely related field; OR

A Bachelor’s degree in a field not closely related (to Social Work/Human Services) and one year of human services related experience (i.e., work providing assistance to individuals and groups with issues such as economically disadvantaged, employment, abuse and neglect, substance abuse, aging, disabilities, prevention, health, cultural competencies, inadequate housing).

Requested Skills/Desired Attributes:
The Most Competitive Candidate Will Have:

• Ability to use trauma informed practices that are inclusive of the child and family’s language, race, and culture.
• Ability to track and prioritize multiple unrelated projects/cases
• Ability to interview children and adults to gather information which may include having difficult conversations about sensitive topics.
• Ability to present complex information to clients, co-workers, law enforcement and in court in a clear and concise manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain professional casework relationships that engage and empower families despite potentially hostile interactions with clients.
• Ability to maintain a calm demeanor in emotionally charged situations, cope with daily exposure to traumatic experiences and develop and practice self-care.
• Ability to learn and utilize technology, multiple databases, accurately enter data, and use word processing software while working with sensitive and confidential information.
• Understands and appreciates the different views, expertise and experience of others.

Only the candidates whose experience, as described in their application, that most closely matches the qualifications and requested skills of this position will be invited to an interview.

*A Resume and Cover Letter is optional, along with your application.

Additional Requirement:
Successful candidates for this position must pass a Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) fingerprint-based background check and maintain CJIS eligibility. Due to CJIS requirements related to system access, the following convictions are likely to result in being disqualified for this position: Felony Convictions, Computer theft, identify theft and fraud. CJIS Clearance is done at the conditional job offer.

How to Apply:

To apply for this position, click on the “Apply” link above to fill out the and submit by the posted closing date and time. The work experience and/or education section of your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet all the minimum and special qualifications listed above. Complete the supplemental questions. We do not accept a resume in place of the completed application. While completing your application, please be aware that Workday will log you out after 20 minutes of inactivity and will not save your application.

Need Help?

• For questions about the job duties or application process, contact christopher.fisher@state.or.us Senior Recruiter. Please be sure that you include the job announcement number.
• If you need an alternate format to apply, please describe the alternate format needed or contact our ADA Office at, ADA.DHS@dhsoha.state.or.us
• Have questions about Workday, and want some tips on understanding the state application process? Check out this link: https://www.oregon.gov/jobs/Pages/support.aspx

Veterans’ Preference:
Eligible veterans who meet the qualifications will be given veterans’ preference. To receive preference, veterans must attach appropriate documentation as outlined by the Department of Administrative Services at the following website: Veterans Resources.

Pre-employment Checks:
Employment will be contingent upon passing an abuse check, criminal records check and driving records check, and the information shall be shared with the DHS, Office of Human Resources (OHR). Any criminal or founded abuse history will be reviewed and could result in the withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment.  This position may access federal tax information. As a condition of employment, employees in any positions with access to federal tax information are required to pass enhanced background checks every five years, including fingerprint checks and verification with local law enforcement of electronic records in the Law Enforcement Database System (LEDS).

Work Authorization:
DHS does not offer VISA sponsorships. Within three days of hire, successful candidates will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security’s I-9 form confirming authorization to work in the United States.

DHS commits to inclusive excellence by advancing equity and diversity in all that we do. We are an affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.