Protective Service Specialist 1/2 - Wasilla

Job Description

Come join the State of Alaska!

This job class uses Competency Based minimum qualifications (MQs). Please read the Competency Based MQ instructions below to learn more.

The Department of Family and Community Services,

Office of Children's Services (OCS) is

recruiting for full-time

Protective Service Specialist 1/2

in Wasilla, Alaska.

The position is open to Alaska Residents Only.

What You Will Be Doing

:

The individual in this position is responsible for Child Protection Services. Depending on the needs of the agency, this position can either be in Family Services or Investigations & Assessment, or a Generalist covering both. Starting as a level 1 (trainee) or 2 (journey) is dependent on experience and qualifications. This position has a wide range of duties, including investigating reports of abuse and/or neglect, preparing plans for intervention by soliciting the cooperation of the family and others, gathering information about family dynamics/functioning, developing plans to ensure child safety while assisting parents in addressing their diminished protective factors, placing children out of the home with a relative or licensed foster home when necessary, providing ongoing and/or in-home services to families, writing and submitting reports to the Court, working closely with Tribal/Community Partners, frequent face-to-face and telephonic contact with parents and caregivers of children in custody and making referrals to other service providers and agencies.

For more information regarding the different programs within the Office of Children’s Services, please review the OCS Practice Model posted on our website.

Mission and Values/Culture:

The Office of Children's Services strives for a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and wellbeing are paramount and employees at all levels promote a culture where everyone is valued, treated equitably, and treated respectfully.

The Mission of the Office of Children's Services is: Ensuring the safety, permanency and well-being of children by strengthening families, engaging communities, and partnering with Tribes.

Everything we do is underpinned by our Core Values.

Benefits of Joining Our Team

:

The Office of Children's Services is committed to an organizational culture that values each team member. We are committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. We celebrate and value the diversity of our employees, partners, and families we serve.

Your first twelve months in the agency are probationary and considered a training period, with formal virtual training, on-the-job training with your supervisor, and with other colleagues.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

This position is in the Wasilla Field office, which is conveniently located next to many services and shopping centers such as Carrs/Safeway. This position will either be in the Investigations & Assessment Unit or the Family Services Unit, depending on the need for each unit. Our teams are based around having a strong work ethic and high ethical standards, believing in treating all people with dignity and respect, as well as being self-motivated, organized and honest. We are all about getting the job done while still contributing to a positive, upbeat work environment.

While traveling is not a regular requirement of this position it may be needed occasionally to provide support/coverage for the rural areas and/or other regions. Travel may involve plane, boat, or four-wheeler transportation, and may also include overnight stays with per diem and accommodations paid for by the State. Travel will be infrequent, 1 to 2 trips per month for up to a week at a time, depending on casework needs.

The Office of Children's Services requires staff to work after hours and on-call. Overtime is also an expectation when deemed necessary. OCS Staff are considered essential, so are expected to work during pandemic and other natural disasters.

Who We Are Looking For:

We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies:

Stress Tolerance

: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).

Self-Management

: Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.

Teamwork

: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Special Note

All positions require a valid Real ID Alaska driver's license and successful completion of a background investigation, including fingerprinting and a criminal records check.

Additionally, while the Division does have vehicles assigned to it, they may not always be available for staff use. Mileage reimbursement is available when a personal vehicle is used for work-related matters. Current automotive insurance must be in place prior to use of a personal vehicle while conducting business on behalf of the State.

Relocation reimbursement costs may be provided by the State of Alaska.

For positions in this job class, a child protective history check will be performed per AS 12.62.160 and/or 13 AAC 68.315 including a background and fingerprint check.

The successful candidate may be required to attend multiple training courses normally located in Anchorage.

To view the general description and example of duties for the position please go to the following link:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/alaska/classspecs/892150?keywords=protective%20services%20specialist&pagetype=classSpecifications

If you can imagine yourself in this role, we encourage you to apply!

Minimum Qualifications

Competency Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions

This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications.

Please ensure your application

(through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description

The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations, as opposed to specific tasks, and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to successfully meet the competency, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving:

Uses a logical, systematic, and sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one’s knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary.

Customer Service

: Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside State government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

Integrity/Honesty:

Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact