CPS Hotline Specialist II; Social Services Specialist II

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full‑time) for new county hires.

The Division of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) of the Department of Family Services (DFS) is seeking a CPS Hotline Specialist to receive, evaluate, and document reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. DFS is committed to strengthening the well‑being of its diverse community by protecting and improving the lives of all children, adults, and families through assistance, partnership, advocacy, outreach, and quality services.

The CPS Hotline Specialist is a member of the Child Protective Services (CPS) Hotline. The primary responsibility of this position is to document reports (telephone, oral, written, fax, and/or email) of child abuse and/or neglect; serve as a policy expert on the related Virginia Code; and assess the nature and extent of need. Must work during County observed holidays when Fairfax County Public Schools are operational.

Work hours are Monday‑Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Must work during county observed holidays when Fairfax County Public Schools are operational.

• Evaluates and determines if the reported information of child abuse and/or neglect meets the statutory and agency guidelines for child maltreatment.
• Serves as subject matter expert surrounding state and local policies on screening child abuse and neglect referrals.
• Implements and leads the Review, Evaluate, and Direct (RED) Team of CYF Safe & Connected Model to determine the validity, response time, and track assignment for reports of child abuse and neglect.
• Provides information and referral resources, and brief (immediate) crisis intervention to callers for referrals/inquiries that do not warrant a CPS intervention.
• Uses automated technology in multiple systems to support the decision‑making and assignment process.
• Documents all validated and invalidated referrals in the automated computer systems, OASIS, in accordance with state and local policy.
• Assigns validated referrals by alerting assigned worker/supervisor of referral.
• Provides an overview of the CPS Hotline process to staff, supervisors, and managers.
• Performs other duties as assigned to ensure child safety and improve outcomes in families.

• Knowledge of child protection laws, rules, and regulations.
• Knowledge of conducting child protective services assessment and investigation.
• Knowledge of foster care and adoption laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to assess safety and risk.
• Ability to perform comprehensive assessment.
• Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resources as needed.
• Possess critical thinking skills, ability to apply critical thinking, knowledge, and research.
• Ability to meet deadlines and keep up with documentation.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work.
• Knowledge of current social service problems and methods/approaches to address issues.
• Knowledge of regulations and guidelines relating to the assigned area of social service specialization.
• Ability to analyze case information and reach sound decisions on the basis of such information.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to use automated technology to establish and maintain case records.
• Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals.
• Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines.

Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a human services field OR minimum of a bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area (Section 22

VAC
40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia).

Contingent upon the area of assignment, some positions within this class may require specific certification(s) or experience prior to employment and/or the ability to acquire necessary certification(s) within a specified time period following employment. The certifications and preferred qualifications are identified in the position description and…