Pupil Services Specialist(Office/On-site)

Introduction

Are you interested in a career that you are passionate about and receive personal fulfillment while making a difference, then we invite you to take this opportunity to be a part of our team! 

A the State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF) we are seeking qualified candidates for multiple openings as a Pupil Services Specialist, located in Hartford. 

This role will be a part of our newly created Juvenile Justice Educational Oversight Unit (JJEOU). The JJEOU was established to assure youth and young adults in juvenile justice facilities are receiving educational services and supports consistent with the standards of the Connecticut State Department of Education and meets the performance expectation of the Commissioner of the DCF.

What We Can Offer You:

• Visit our newState Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Work at a Forbes-recognized company! Connecticut is proud to be featured on both America's Best Employers by State and Best Employers for New Grads in 2024. With our dynamic job market and commitment to fostering a thriving workforce, Connecticut stands out as a top destination for both seasoned professionals and fresh graduates seeking to launch their careers.
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees

Your role as a Pupil Services Specialist: 
In this role, we would entrust you to perform services for students in one of the following areas; educational diagnosis, counseling, social work, specialized instruction, or psychological services and assessments. Additionally, we would have you:

• Serve in a resource capacity to educational staff and other appropriate individuals
• Confer with parents, guardians, and teachers concerning individual students and assist in planning educational programs
• Keep records and make necessary reports, including but not limited to, IEP's state assessments and educational histories
• Serve as a liaison with school systems and community services
• Collaborate with facility clinicians by participating in Care Plan and Discharge meetings
• Update transcripts and determine courses needed to meet graduation requirements.  

Schedule

• This is a full-time, first shift, 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday position
• Although this position is located at our Central Office in Hartford, CT, this position will require statewide travel

Our Ideal Candidate Will:

• Be organized, resourceful, and have strong time management skills
• Possess strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Have the ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet deadlines
• Be detail-oriented and be adaptable
• Have experience working with confidential and time-sensitive information

Who We Are

At DCF, we are partnering with communities and empowering families to raise resilient children who thrive. We are proud of our diverse and dedicated workforce who strive every day to meet the needs of those we encounter.  We are composed of a Central Office, 14 area offices, and 2 residential facilities, and the Wilderness School.

We hope you take this opportunity to join our team and make a difference!

Selection Plan

For Assistance in Applying:

Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

Application Process:

This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from branch to branch but it does not impact your state service credit.

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the minimum qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date, unless otherwise specified.

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.

Please ensure that your application is complete. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the state of Connecticut.

Selection Process:

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs) which will be sent to you via email after the closing date. The email notification will include an expiration date by which you must submit (Finish) your responses. Please regularly check your email for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders, as emails could end up there in error.

During the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation supporting their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include performance reviews, supervisory references, college transcripts, licensure, etc. at the discretion of the agency.

Read through this helpful link toprepare for your interview.

Contact Information:

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.

Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Ethan Ives at Ethan.Ives@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state institution, facility or region within a state unified school district performs professional services within the area of pupil personnel and special education services in a school setting and serves in a resource capacity and consultant to teachers.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Performs services for students in the area of special training such as educational diagnosis, counseling, speech and hearing, social work, or psychological services; 
• Serves in a resource capacity to educational staff and other appropriate individuals; 
• Confers with parents and teachers concerning individual students and assists in planning educational programs; 
• Keeps records and makes necessary reports; 
• May serve as liaison with school systems and community services; 
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Knowledge of
  • the philosophy and methods of service delivery to the assigned disciplines; 
  • the principles and practices of education and or services for special needs population; 
• Ability to
  • motivate students; 
  • communicate at the appropriate level; 
  • establish cooperative relationships with those contacted in planning educational programs; 
  • prepare written reports; 
  • perform educational testing.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

A Master's degree which includes a planned program of preparation for the field in which the special services are performed.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience acting as a liaison between students, former education placements, outside agencies, local school programs, and other interested parties
• Experience with individual and group counseling of students
• Experience participating and contributing student information as a member of the Student Study Teams (SST) and Planning and Placement Team (PPT) process
• Experience monitoring the achievement of Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Individual Transition Plan (ITP) objectives
• State of Connecticut certification in at least one of the following: School Counselor (068), School Psychologist (070), School Social Worker (071) or Special Education (065)

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class must possess an appropriate certificate issued by the Connecticut State Board of Education in special education or special services areas such as school counselor (elementary or secondary), speech and hearing consultant, school psychologist, psychological examiner or school social worker.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a current Connecticut Motor Vehicle operator's license.

CHARACTER REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the checking of references and of facts stated in the application, a thorough background investigation of each candidate may be made prior to appointment.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

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.