Lead Child Welfare Specialist

Lead Child Welfare Specialist

Remote

ICF is seeking a Lead Child Welfare Specialist to support the Children’s Bureaus (CB) child welfare monitoring and improvement efforts through the federal Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR). CFSRs are designed to determine states’ compliance with Titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act, and to evaluate child welfare system performance and require states to make improvement in outcomes for children and families. We seek a Lead Child Welfare Specialist to work with federal staff to support all aspects of these monitoring strategies. This position will be assigned to the CFSR Unit as a state lead and will work collaboratively with CB Regional Offices and jurisdictional child welfare agencies to monitor state child welfare performance and achieve improvement goals.

This position will require approximately 25% travel or less.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assisting CB in implementing all aspects of the CFSR in assigned states, including:
• preparing states for participation in reviews
• conducting case reviews and secondary reviews in states
• reviewing and providing feedback on assessments, progress reports and correspondence
• interviewing agency staff, partners, and stakeholders to assess system functioning and improvement
• supporting states in the development, implementation and monitoring of their Program Improvement Plan (PIP)
• Using and analyzing assigned state’s CFSR data indicators, context data, case review data, and other available data to assist CB and the state in understanding the state’s performance, planning for onsite reviews, developing their PIP, and monitoring and adjusting their improvement strategies
• Supporting states, in conjunction with CB, in the development or improvement of their Continuous Quality Improvement systems, including their case review processes and accurate application of the federal Onsite Review Instrument (OSRI), and the meaningful engagement of stakeholders in their process, particularly those with lived experience in the state’s child welfare system
• Coordinating, facilitating, and supporting collaboration among CB, state agency staff, state legal and judicial partners, tribal communities, CB training and technical assistance providers, grantees and others on CFSR-related work
• Assisting the CB in developing or revising content and supporting the delivery of CFSR-related trainings, and participating in federally required and self-directed training and learning activities
• Assisting the CB in developing, improving, or revising all aspects of the CFSR process and materials, such as instruments, manuals, briefs, or guides and communications such as information memoranda, technical bulletins, or program instructions
• Supporting CB by identifying regional or national trends or technical assistance needs by analyzing child welfare programs, gathering research on promising practices, and preparing reports, briefings, or presentations on those as required
• Promoting national consistency in the CFSR monitoring activities and ensuring fluid communication among the CFSR Unit, the CB Regional Offices, and assigned states

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of 8-12 years relevant experience in child welfare or a related field
• Bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field
• 8 yrs of CFSR-related child welfare programs, including work experience in a federal, state or local public child welfare program
• 5 yrs of experience with CFSR and PIP process, including experience accurately applying the federal OSRI
• 5 yrs of experience with synthesizing and analyzing information and data and communicate those findings
• Ability to pass a federal background check to serve in a position of public trust

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in social work or a related field
• Experience using, managing, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting public agency administrative child welfare data to drive continuous quality improvement
• Direct experience in administering the CFSR process, PIP development and/or implementation, or similar Continuous Quality Improvement or Quality Assurance processes at the federal, state or local level
• Experience in public child welfare agency practice and/or policy management
• Experience working in a federal contracting environment

Required Professional Skills:

• An understanding of, and responsiveness to, diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic contexts
• Ability and willingness to apply racial equity lens to all areas of work
• Ability to promote and contribute to an equitable and inclusive organizational culture and environment
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities, with ability to analyze situations, identify existing or potential problems and recommend solutions
• Superior interpersonal skills including courtesy, professionalism, and a cooperative attitude
• Ability to manage multiple tasks under critical time frames
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical state and regional staff
• Ability to manage and adapt to competing priorities, perspectives, and stakeholder needs
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, tact, and diplomacy

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