CPS​/FRS Social Service Specialist ; SSS- Vancouver​/Columbia Office

Overview

Our vision is to ensure that “Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy—thriving physically, emotionally, and academically, nurtured by family and community.

Job Title: CPS/FRS Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3)

Location: Vancouver, WA (Columbia Office, located on the Columbia waterfront). This position will be eligible for hybrid telework 1-2 days per week after completing the probationary period.

Closes: 2/4/26

Salary: $5666 - $7622 Monthly. This position will receive 10% assignment pay in addition to the regular base salary; duties include performing visits in unregulated environments, such as private residences, to conduct investigations for allegations of abuse and/or neglect to assess the safety of vulnerable children.

We’re looking for a Child Protective Services (CPS) Investigator/Family Reconciliation Services (FRS) Social Service Specialist to join our Vancouver-Columbia team, located along the Columbia River waterfront. If you want a career where you can make a significant difference in the lives of children, apply today.

The Opportunity: In the Investigator role, your primary responsibility is to evaluate child safety and risk, assess complex family situations, interview children and families, develop plans to protect children, and offer services to children and families to keep children safely in the home. In the FRS role, your primary responsibility is to work with youth between the ages of 12 and 17, help fix conflict within the home, and connect the family to ongoing services for longer-term support.

• Investigate, assess, and evaluate reports of child abuse and neglect.
• Assess the safety and risk of the family throughout the case and take appropriate action to protect children, implement and monitor services, and provide support to the family.
• Provide comprehensive and ongoing assessment of casework needs for children, parent(s)/guardian(s), and foster parent(s) with a focus on child safety.
• Assess the need for out-of-home placement, and work with the family to find the most appropriate placement.
• Develop, implement, and monitor safety plans.
• Monitor the health and safety of children through regular visitation.
• Utilize FAMLINK to document case activities and maintain case records.
• Prepare and present written and oral testimony for court proceedings.

Social Service Specialist 3:

• Six (6) years of paid social service experience and 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline, OR
• Bachelor’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or any degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline and two (2) years of paid social service experience, OR
• Master's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or any degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline and one (1) year of paid social service experience, OR
• One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 2.

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

* Paid Social Service experience must include at least one year of assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered practice services.

• Prior public child welfare experience.
• Knowledge of social casework principles and practices, risk assessment and decision-making, interviewing techniques, solution-based casework, principles of child development, applicable Federal and State laws, and community resources.
• Experience assessing risk and safety concerning child abuse and neglect, and developing safety or service plans with families.
• Familiarity with community resources and the local community.
• Ability to organize information to meet FAMLINK documentation requirements.

As a Social Service Specialist, you are required to successfully complete a mandatory 9.5-week Worker Core Training (WCT). This training provides the foundational knowledge and skills needed to perform core job functions, including assessing risk and safety, supporting child well-being, gathering…