Children and Families Program Supervisor

Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families' (DCF), Foster Care Division (FCD) is seeking a skilled Program Supervisor for anticipated Region 3 (Middletown, Norwich, Willimantic) and Region 5 (Danbury, Torrington, Waterbury) positions. This opportunity allows you to make a significant impact on the lives of children and families, providing them with world-class support and care.

As the Children and Families Program Supervisor, you will:

• Coordinate regional operations of the FCD, ensuring flawless execution of recruitment, support, and retention of licensed caregivers.
• Manage placement services, licensing, and support for Kinship caregivers.
• Collaborate with other divisions, community partners, and contracted providers to successfully implement comprehensive care strategies.
• Ensure strict adherence to the Department’s policies, procedures, and quality assurance/improvement measures.
• Supervise multiple regional area offices, with responsibility for up to six direct reports and thirty to forty social work staff.
• Determine operational needs and adjust work schedules accordingly.
• Travel throughout the state as required to coordinate and support regional activities.

Why Join Us?
We are an ambitious team dedicated to making a difference, engaging in meaningful work that positively impacts children and families. Together, we collaborate with a diverse group of professionals and community partners, fostering connections that drive success. We benefit from professional growth opportunities and a nurturing work environment that supports our development. As a forward-thinking organization, we value innovation and excellence, striving to make a lasting impact in everything we do.

• Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule.

Selection Plan

• In order to be considered for this job opening you must be a current State of CT employee of the agency listed above for at least six (6) months of full-time service or full-time equivalent service, absent any applicable collective bargaining language, and meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening.  You must specify your qualifications on your application. 
• Please visit our 'Applicant Tips on How to Apply' page or view our tutorial.
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  The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.
  
  
• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.  
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. 
• Note:  At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position.  These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.  Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. 
• Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Liz Pinette at elizabeth.pinette@ct.gov.
• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period.  It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
• For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.
• Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Children and Families this class is accountable for managing administrative child welfare/protective services programs.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Manages a component of a program within the agency including oversight of the development and evaluation of specific clinical or behavioral programs; 
• Ensures specialized services/programs are in compliance with federal, state and department mandates; 
• Identifies and develops new programs and funding sources; 
• Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews work of staff; 
• Provides training and assistance to staff and/or outside providers; 
• Conducts performance evaluations; 
• Determines priorities and plans office work; 
• Establishes and maintains office procedures; 
• Develops or makes recommendations on development of policies and standards; 
• Acts as liaison with other operating units, agencies, outside officials and community regarding policies and procedures, available services and coordination of resources; 
• Prepares reports and correspondence; 
• Consults with staff on difficult cases; 
• Oversees maintenance of records; 
• Collects and analyzes program data; 
• May interact with clients and caretakers; 
• May interact or hear cases concerning retention of a child in community vs. institutionalization; 
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
  • relevant agency policies and procedures; 
  • and understanding of case work principles, methods, and techniques; 
  • factors which influence attitudes and behavior of individuals and families; 
  • community resources and available services; 
• Knowledge of
  • legal basis for departmental programs and requirements; 
  • child development; 
  • mental health and behavioral challenges facing children and youth; 
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills; 
  • oral and written communication skills; 
• Supervisory ability.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Eight (8) years of professional experience in the field of child welfare, children's protective services, foster services, adoption or social and human services.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been in a supervisory capacity over professional staff responsible for planning, developing or implementing administrative or program services in child welfare, children's protective services, children's mental health or juvenile justice.  

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Social Work Supervisor.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
• A Master's degree or other advanced degree in behavioral science, public administration, education, social work or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience. 
• For state employees, two (2) years of experience as a Children Services Consultant may be substituted for the General and Special Experience.

NOTE: Closely related fields are: child welfare, applied sociology, social and/or human services, clinical psychology, child development, criminal justice, counseling, human development and family relations, human service, marriage and family therapy.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience providing training and assisting staff
• Experience supervising Intake and Permanency functions
• Experiences utilizing Microsoft Office tools such as Excel, SharePoint and Teams
• Experience with performance and data management, generating and analyzing data and producing reports
• Experience establishing, maintaining, and representing the agency with internal (across divisions) and external stakeholders (providers, other state agencies, etc.).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.