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                              DIRECTOR OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES

&

DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY

 

Maximum Annual Salary:  $148,304

 

San Mateo County's Human Services Agency strives to promote economic self-sufficiency for individuals and families, community and family strength, as well as child safety and well-being.  In 2008, The Human Services Agency was accredited by the Council on Accreditation and is the first county in California to be accredited in all eligible services.  To support this, we currently have two leadership opportunities available for the following:

·       Director of Child Welfare Services - Working closely with community partners, the successful candidate will be responsible for the administration of all child welfare programs, including screening, CPS investigations, out-of-home placement, family maintenance, adoptions, foster home licensing, adolescent service, court unit and the emergency shelter.    

 

·       Director of Economic Self-Sufficiency - Working closely with staff, county, state and federal partners, the successful candidate will be responsible for the administration of the economic self-sufficiency programs within the Human Services Agency including General Assistance, CalWORKs, Food Stamps, Medi-Cal, Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Workforce development.

 

Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's degree in psychology, public administration, business administration, social work or a related discipline, and 4 years of increasingly responsible experience in a multi-disciplinary social services or human services program, including at least 2 years of significant administrative experience in a large public agency. Master's degree is preferred.

Recruitment Closing Date: February 4, 2010 by 5:00 pm PST

To view the job descriptions and instructions on how to apply, visit our web site: http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/hr  EOE

 

 

Description: JBS International, Inc., a consulting firm located in North Bethesda, Maryland, provides support to the Federal Government through contracts primarily focused on health and human services. The JBS-managed Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance Coordination Center (T/TACC) supports the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in coordinating the work of the Bureau’s Training and Technical Assistance Network. The Organizational Development Associate works as part of the project leadership team to develop a single point of coordination for intensive, on-site training and technical assistance services to States and Tribes and to develop communication strategies and tools for use within the Network and between the Network and the Children’s Bureau. The position is designed to perform a large portion of its work through Web-based technologies and telephone communications. Key tasks of the ODA include: Serving as project liaison to designated Children’s Bureau offices, States, Tribes and members of the T/TA Network and consulting with them to help develop the single point of coordination and communication strategies described above. Receiving and assessing specific T/TA requests from States and Tribes Collecting data through interviews, online research and other methods on the structure and function of the T/TA Network and on the T/TA needs of States and Tribes Writing reports that describe T/TA Network structure and operations and that describe the T/TA needs of States and Tribes Attending three or four Network related meetings per year in the DC metro area

Minimum Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and ten years in the child welfare field with some administrative experience are required. Familiarity with the U.S. public child welfare system and the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network are highly desirable. Ability to meet tight deadlines and accuracy of task completion are critical to this position. Proficiency in Web-based communications and strong writing skills are required. Ability to multi-task and respond to competing deadlines is needed.

Application Information: If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample (not edited by others) and three references to jobs@jbsinternational.com. EOE, M/F/D/V

 

Children’s Rights seeks a full-time Senior Child Welfare Policy Consultant to work on two projects: 1) an assessment of a major urban foster care system, and 2) a case study of a successful state effort to reduce the placement of children in foster care in institutions.

There is a strong likelihood that this consulting engagement will be expanded to include additional responsibilities in other projects and will be converted into a full-time position (Senior Child Welfare Policy Analyst) by January 1, 2009.

Through its legal advocacy, Children’s Rights is currently working on the reform of child welfare systems in ten states and localities across the nation. In these jurisdictions, Children’s Rights has secured or is working to secure a court order requiring the child welfare system to improve its services and outcomes for children and families.

Children’s Rights’ Policy Department staff work closely with the legal staff and play a critical role in helping to advance the pace of reform in these jurisdictions, by tracking a jurisdiction’s progress against the established benchmarks, and by providing technical assistance to the state and local stakeholders responsible for improving the system.

In addition to these targeted reform campaigns in specific jurisdictions, Children’s Rights also examines national and selected local policy issues, studies them and issues reports to inform the field and support advocacy for necessary policies, practices and resources.

The work of Children’s Rights provides a unique opportunity for a child welfare professional to examine and affect child welfare policy and practice at the local, state and national levels.

Responsibilities:
The Senior Child Welfare Policy Consultant’s work will include the following:

 

• Work closely with the Director of Policy and other staff to oversee the implementation of an assessment of a major urban child welfare system that will include both quantitative and qualitative components (a case record review, interviews and focus groups). Oversee data collection and analysis and write report summarizing findings and making recommendations for reform.


• Work closely with the Director of Policy and other staff to design and produce a case study of a successful state effort to reduce the number of children in foster care who are placed in institutions. The Consultant will be involved in reviewing and summarizing relevant data and interviewing major stakeholders in order to describe how the state was able to substantially reduce its use of institutions for children in foster care. The consultant will participate in all aspects of information-gathering and will play a major role in drafting the case study, which will be disseminated nationally.

 

As noted above, there is a strong likelihood that this consulting engagement will be expanded to include other responsibilities and turned into a full-time employee position (Senior Child Welfare Policy Analyst) by January 1, 2009. The Senior Child Welfare Policy Analyst reports to the Director of Policy and will be required to:

 

• Use knowledge of child welfare best practice and policy to assess the performance of state and local child welfare systems involved in class action system reform litigation with Children’s Rights;
• Provide child welfare policy and practice technical assistance to help states and localities involved in class action system reform litigation with Children’s Rights to improve services and results for children and families;
• Work closely on the above internally with Children’s Rights legal staff and externally with senior and other child welfare agency staff and community stakeholders in states and localities;
• In collaboration with the Director of Policy, take lead responsibility for developing and executing national and selected local policy research projects, which may include quantitative and qualitative analyses of key child welfare issues and practices;
• Prepare reports, articles, and other written materials on child welfare policy issues;
• Prepare presentations and presents on child welfare issues at local and national conferences;
• Assist the Policy Director with administrative issues within the Department;
• Provide guidance and supervision to policy staff and interns in the absence of the Policy Director;
• Handle special projects.

 

Qualifications:

 

• A master’s degree in social work, public policy or related field or a law degree;
• At least seven years of child welfare practice, policy and/or research experience;
• Extremely strong oral and written communication skills;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with professionals at various levels;
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a team; and
• Proficiency in word processing (Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel and other relevant programs). Knowledge of SPSS a plus.

 

Interested candidates should send a resume and thoughtful cover letter to Anita Estling at aestling@childrensrights.org.