Child Protective Services Worker | Social Service Specialist 1

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Job Description:

As an employee working within the Child Welfare Program, you will have an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Oregon’s most vulnerable children and families. Your dedication will help us achieve the Child Welfare Vision for Transformation that will support children and young adults to be safer, healthier, experience less trauma and achieve a greater well-being.   

As a Child Protective Services (CPS) Worker, you will: 

• Respond to referrals and determine whether child abuse or neglect has occurred. 

• Gather information through interviews with parents and children. 

• Observe and analyze the safety of home environments. 

• Gather collateral information from school personnel, doctors, therapists, and law enforcement officers. 

• Fulfill documentation requirements and enter info into databases. 

• Arrange medical evaluations and substitute care placement for children. 

• Present and testify in court. 

Interested in learning more? Here are some testimonials from current ODHS Workers.

Pursuant to ORS 419B.021, states that any position engaged in child protective investigations and/or custody determinations must meet the educational requirements. Experience alone will not meet the minimum qualifications for those positions. Degree must be completed, not in progress. 

• • The Oregon Department of Human Services does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, you will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security’s I-9 form confirming authorization to work in the United States. ODHS will use E-Verify to confirm that you are authorized to work in the United States.

  • If selected as a finalist, we will conduct a criminal history and background check. Adverse criminal history or background check may lead to disqualification. Additional background check information.

  • Finalists must be cleared by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) through a fingerprint-based criminal records check. 

• One year of Human Services related experience. Or

• Completion of coursework equivalent to certification consistent with Oregon Caseworker Competency.

• Two years of Human Services related experience. Or

• One year of Human Services related experience and related training, coursework, or certification consistent with Oregon Caseworker Competency.

We are looking for candidates with:

• Demonstrated ability to be self-motivated and manage your time well.                  

• Demonstrated ability to use trauma-informed practices that are sensitive to the child and family’s lived experience, language, race, and culture.

• Demonstrated excellent written communication skills, including the ability to write in plain language with minimal spelling and grammar issues.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively engage with families under challenging and time-sensitive circumstances.

• Experienced being a reliable resource for others and delivering high quality work in a timely manner.

• Demonstrated ability to be an active listener and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.                  

• Your work will be conducted in offices, participant's homes, and other community sites. 

• Employee’s work schedule will be Monday - Friday from 8 am - 5 pm PT; hours may fluctuate based on service needs. Occasional compensated overtime during evening and weekend work may be required.   

• This position will be required to participate in an on-call rotation for mandatory on call for child protective services. 

• Frequent travel is required. Some travel may be hours away. Some travel may be in hazardous weather conditions. 

• You may interact with a wide range of people including some who have experienced trauma and may exhibit challenges in controlling their emotions. 

• Walking into stressful situations that may require quick decision-making skills to ensure safety of those being serviced and own physical safety. This may also be trauma inducing. 

Attention all candidates!

Clearly describe how you meet the minimum qualifications and essential attributes in your application materials. Your application materials will determine if you are selected to move forward in the selection process. Please include detailed work and education history.

• Please make sure your application materials, resume and job history are clearly outlined as this information will be used to determine your starting salary range. Note: Your resume and cover letter may be uploaded in the Resume/CV field on the online application.

• The State of Oregon does not request or require your age, date of birth, attendance or graduation dates from an educational institution during the application process.

• The use of outside resources such as Artificial Intelligence software during applicant skill assessments, examinations, and/or interviews is prohibited unless otherwise stated by the hiring agency. Unauthorized use of outside resources during the hiring process will result in disqualification.

Veterans’ and Oregon National Guard preference:

• Eligible Veterans and Oregon National Guard servicemembers (current and former) who meet the qualifications of the position will be awarded candidate preference. For more information, please visit Veterans Resources.

• This is a permanent, full-time position and is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).  

• The salary range listed is the non-PERS monthly salary range. If you are already a participating PERS member or once you become PERS eligible, the salary range will increase by 6.95%.

• This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies in the same classification.

We invite you to contact the recruiter for accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), application questions or job-specific questions.

• The recruiter for this position is Yvette Medford. Please include the REQ# when corresponding.  

• Email: yvette.c.medford@odhs.oregon.gov

• Phone (call or text): 541-709-0306

Come for a job. | Stay for a career. | Make a difference... for a lifetime!