Job Announcement

Provides comprehensive family services for Head Start and Early Head Start parents. Responsibilities include: managing cases through documentation, recruiting and enrolling Head Start and Early Head Start eligible children, communicating with families regarding child health, nutrition, child development, disabilities and mental health, linking and referring families to services, as needed, and assisting in the coordination of parent activities at Gum Springs Children's Center and Gum Springs Glen. Ensures that family services and parents involvement activities are in compliance with the Head Start Performance Standards. Works under supervision of a Child Care Specialist II.

Illustrative Duties

(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.)

• Maintains knowledge of current public assistance and employment policies and applies, explains and interprets federal, state, and local policies to clients, service providers, attorneys, the public, and other interested parties;
• Conducts in-depth interviews of clients to determine and reassess eligibility of clients for financial, publicly supported medical services and/or medical public assistance programs;
• Performs client needs assessments to aid in making appropriate referrals to other services;
• Works with clients to assist with gathering the information required to establish eligibility;
• Compiles and maintains data and documents and may prepare written narratives to support eligibility determinations;
• Ensures timely processing of applications to meet client needs and program policy mandates;
• Authorizes public assistance (e.g., medical aid, financial assistance, food stamps) based on client circumstances and public assistance program requirements;
• Uses various forms of automated technology to document, obtain, and verify information, to generate reports, and to authorize benefits and services for clients; providers, attorneys, the public, and other interested parties;
• Assists clients in obtaining the resources necessary to meet emergency needs;
• Assists clients in obtaining services and coordinates these with other service providers as needed;
• Coordinates and manages clients' participation in a variety of services;
• Participates in case staffing with other County staff or community organizations to assess and address needs of clients;
• Prepares appeal documents and may represent the agency in administrative appeals filed by clients;
• Determines client's employment needs in order to develop a plan of service to move them towards self-sufficiency;
• Provides career counseling;
• Assists job seekers with job search and resume development;
• Assists workforce development staff in the operation of employment programs.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

• Knowledge of basic human behavior and social problems;
• Knowledge of complex federal, state and local laws governing public assistance and welfare reform;
• Ability to read, interpret and apply complex program policies and procedures;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to make mathematical computations;
• Ability to schedule, organize and manage workload sufficient to meet deadlines;
• Ability to use automated technology to establish and maintain case records;
• Ability to handle multiple deadlines, computer systems, high volume of client contact, high caseloads, and competing priorities;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, co-workers and other human service providers;
• Ability to work effectively with people under stress and those from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds;
• Ability to maintain professional ethics related to confidentiality of client information;
• Ability to provide excellent customer service;
• Ability to work in a team environment;
• Ability to maintain flexibility;
• Ability to manage a complex caseload;
• Ability to assess client needs through collection and analysis of employment history and other personal, family and cultural information;
• Ability to use supportive counseling techniques to enhance and develop clients' problem-solving capabilities.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree, plus one year of professional work experience in human services or a related field.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Driver's license

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, a Child Protective Services Registry check, and a driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer. A TB screening upon hire.

Additional Work Schedule Requirements: Flexible schedule required. May need to attend evening or weekend meetings.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Head Start and/or Early Head Start experience.
• Experience implementing parent curriculums, providing parent education, and facilitating groups.
• Experience utilizing database systems to document case notes.
• Experience assessing the needs and strengths of clients/families, creating family partnership agreements with clients/families, and connecting clients/families to community resources and referrals.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Position is active in nature. Must be able to monitor and observe the activities of program participants. Regularly moves about or positions self to supervise and interact with participants at their level. Occasionally lifts, transports, positions, push/pulls or moves up to 50 pounds. Must be sufficiently mobile and possess a range of motion to perform repetitive standing, walking, balancing, stooping, bending, crouching, crawling, sitting on the floor, reaching, squatting, kneeling, and twisting. Ability to react quickly to the physical actions of program participant. Requires the ability to apply CPR and First Aid skills as needed and respond to emergency situations. Administrative and supervisory activities will require ability to operate keyboard-driven equipment. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing. Sufficiently mobile to attend meetings at various locations and make presentations to county staff and community. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include a practical exercise.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 39.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to 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. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov. EEO/AA/TTY.