SENIOR CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR (Internal Job Posting)

Location: West Palm Beach Service Center, Palm Beach County

Shift: Weekend Unit, Saturday-Tuesday

This is professional work protecting children, working with families and conducting investigations of alleged abused, abandoned, neglected or exploited children. This position will assume an individual contributor role and be a model of child protection practice to other Child Protective Investigators (CPIs).

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the Department's internal salary policy guidelines. Includes 5% pay additive, shift differential for weekend staff.   

Duties and Responsibilities

• Stands in as acting supervisor and completes all supervisory duties and activities when the unit supervisor is away from the office;
• Effectively conducts and completes case consultation with other investigators;
• Be an effective and active model and mentor for other the other investigators in the unit;
• Conducts investigations regarding allegations of abuse, neglect, abandonment and/or special conditions for children;
• Works closely with law enforcement;
• Collects information through observation and interviews with the children, parents, relatives, neighbors, and other parties associated with the case, as well as analysis of criminal, past service history and other records;
• Engages families to understand the family’s perspectives about family dynamics, challenges and solutions, identifies needs and determines the level of intervention needed to include voluntary services or court ordered dependency services;
• Assesses danger threats, child vulnerabilities and caregiver protective capacities in order to determine whether a child is safe or not safe;
• Develops with family and other persons as necessary any required present and/or impending danger plans based on  analysis of danger threats in operation;
• Manages and modifies safety plans as necessary during the course of the investigation;
• Arranges emergency placement for any child that cannot safely remain in the home;
• Notifies state attorney, law enforcement, child protection team and other required individuals as appropriate;
• Provides written present and impending danger assessments;
• Completes Risk Assessment on families investigated and explains risk score to family;
• Conducts staffings required for families with risk scores that are High and Very High Risk;
• Presents safety plan and impending danger assessment at case management case transfer staffing and participates in discussion as to recommended follow-up actions;
• Provides families with services linkages to agency and community resources based on needs assessment and provides recommendations for development of case plan to Case Manager;
• Conducts initial/ongoing child present and impending danger assessments;
• Develops with the family a signed Present Danger Plan and a signed safety plan for any identified threats and interventions;
• Notifies state attorney, law enforcement, child protection team and other required individuals as appropriate;
• Schedules and gathers information for and participates in case staffing;
• Prepares appropriate reports/documentation in coordination with Children’s Legal Services and provides testimony in court;
• Maintains thorough documentation in the client records/appropriate information system(s) and maintains organized client files;
• Reports indication of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment to the Florida Abuse Hotline;
• Establishes and maintains cooperative and professional working relationships with organizations and other agencies involved with child protective investigations such as community based providers, Children’s Legal Services, law enforcement, medical personnel, schools, and other community/agency resources;
• Ensures effective communication with deaf or hard-of hearing customers or companions in accordance with the ADA and/or Section 504 and shall manage service records and report this data and any resources and/or training needs to their designated program point of contact.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must possess current valid State of Florida driver's license
• Must possess operational private vehicle for use in the performance of daily work activities.
• Prefer minimum of 2 years of child protective investigative experience
• Current/Active Florida Child Protective Investigator Certification

EXAMPLES OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The position will perform all job tasks in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and requirements applicable to state and federal laws or procedures.

It is the policy of the Florida Department of Children and Families that any applicant being considered for employment must successfully complete a State and National criminal history check as a condition of employment before beginning employment, and, if applicable, also be screened in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, F.S., and Chapter 408, F.S. No applicant may begin employment until the background screening results are received, reviewed for any disqualifying offenses, and approved by the Agency.  Background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for State and Federal criminal records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and may include local criminal history checks through local law enforcement agencies.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.