Child Watch Supervisor I

The Master Conservatorship Supervisor for Youth Supervision performs advanced (senior-level) consultative services, technical assistance, and supervisory work within Child Protective Services (CPS). Work involves planning, developing, and implementing an agency temporary emergency site and providing consultative services and technical assistance to staff, governmental agencies, community organizations, or the general public. Supervises the work of others. Works under minimal supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. The Master CVS Supervisor is responsible for managing Master CVS Caseworkers responsible for child and youth supervision in temporary housing locations across the state and work in areas of the state with the greatest need.
The Master CVS Supervisor for Youth Supervision will be responsible for managing and approving all work completed by the Master CVS Caseworkers assigned to child and youth supervision in temporary emergency sites. The Master CVS Supervisor will be responsible for hiring and developing staff, holding regular conferences and team meetings, approving time, leave and travel, providing feedback on performance, and staffing issues related to child and youth supervision. The Master CVS Supervisor will be responsible for helping identify and resolve areas of improvement in temporary emergency sites and addressing any personnel issues.
The Master CVS Supervisor provides leadership that promotes a positive culture and healthy environment for both youth and staff. This position will travel up to 75% of the time to manage their staff across the state and may serve as a site lead for temporary housing locations.

Essential Job Functions:
Oversees the work of assigned staff and confers with staff on site issues and problems in order to identify solutions.

Oversees the day-to-day operations for a unit of Master Conservatorship (CVS) Specialist that work across the state assisting with staffing shortages and episodes of children and youth without placement in DFPS legacy areas and areas transitioning to Community Based Care. Will be responsible for managing their daily work duties in these locations.

Coordinates and oversees simultaneous deployments assigned to the unit to ensure supervision and daily care of children and youth in temporary housing locations, managing the behavioral needs of children and youth to minimize disruption an ensure safety of all children, youth and other staff.

Identifies resources and creative solutions to meet individualized needs and preferences as well as provide consistent care and supervision to child and youth at designated temporary housing locations.

Manages and develops staff to ensure that services to youth are in place; each youth has appropriate services; and youth is benefiting from services.

Visits with children in temporary housing locations to ensure supervision, daily care, and support.

Evaluates unit performance through case readings, reports, and observations of unit operations to ensure unit compliance with policies, procedures, and service control requirements.

Reviews and approves IMPACT documentation, and court reports to evaluate performance of unit to ensure compliance with policies procedures and service control requirements related to ensuring safety and well-being of youth awaiting placement.

Serves as a site lead at temporary housing locations where staff is deployed and responds to crisis situations, intervening, as needed.

Ensures staff are following temporary emergency location guidelines and policies and procedures associated with assigned temporary housing location.

Reviews serious incident reports, repair and maintenance requests, inventory requests, and ensures staff and youth have resources required to ensure safety and wellbeing.

Monitors staff performance related to interactions with children and youth, addresses issues that arise, and intervenes as appropriate.

Enters contact, case information and narratives into the Information Management Protecting Adults and Children System (IMPACT) within required agency time frames.

Prepares management reports, analyses, and correspondence on the effectiveness of site activities.

Prepares management reports, analysis, and correspondence for CPS leadership to summarize and provide updates on the effectiveness of the unit’s supervision and daily care of children in temporary placement and managing behavioral needs of children to ensure and promote safety and well-being of children or youth without placement.

Identifies inefficiencies and develops solutions.

Develops recommendations that will further the goal of addressing barriers to placement, support smooth transitions, and avoid future placement disruption.

Prepares budget requests.

Prepares and collaborates with CPS leadership on budget requests focused on providing consistent care and supervision to youth without placement.

Prepares and collaborates with CPS leadership on identified budgetary needs and requests in order to ensure appropriate services and resources for temporary housing locations.

Implements guidelines, procedures, policies, rules, and regulations, and monitors compliance with policies and procedures.

Determines and implements decisions regarding the admission of children in temporary housing locations and works with CPS regional staff for child protective services cases.

Develops and implements guidelines and procedures for ensuring adequate staff supervision of children and youth in temporary housing locations.

Ensures consistent implementation of structures, schedules, routines and other site practices and procedures by staff, contractors and providers as applicable.

Interprets policy and procedures to staff, primary caseworkers, and external stakeholders.

Monitors staff and youth compliance with outlined guidelines, policies and procedures for temporary emergency sites and supervision of children without placement.

Provides training or technical assistance.

Maintains experience, skills and education to serve as an effective coach and role model.

Provides regular consultation with to staff to ensure services are in place to achieve child safety, permanency and well-being and to proactively address youth-specific preferences and needs as well as other issues as they arise.

Develops and maintains effective working relationships between CPS staff, parents, children, youth, caregivers, the general public, legal, medical, educational, and other community stakeholders and partners

Interprets current CPS policy and procedures to DFPS staff, courts, CASA, agency partners and community stakeholders.

Provides recommendations on service delivery, addressing barriers to placement, and permanency planning for children and youth in temporary housing locations, as needed.

May prepare and conduct presentations for citizens, clients, staff, management or elected officials.

Serves on behalf of DFPS in staffings and workgroups related to temporary emergency locations, as requested.

Supervises the work of others.

Provides opportunities for individual staff development and team building through agency sponsored trainings, field visits with staff, monthly conferences, team meetings and performance evaluations

Provides team members staff work assignments, direction and information on responsibilities and work performance standards.

Manages and develops staff to care for children with complex behavioral needs through training, site-visits with staff, individual conferences, unit meetings, and review of documentation, addressing concerns as they arise.

Works to develop staff who display excellence in rapport-building, developing healthy routines, deploying motivational approaches for youth with complex needs and active efforts to transition youth to appropriate placement.

Develops work performance plans and providing information to support work performance of each team member based on the identified essential job function.

Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among children, youth, staff and all work-related contacts.

Performs related work as assigned.

Knowledge Skills Abilities:
Knowledge of planning and implementation.
Knowledge of the laws and regulations related to childcare, abuse, and neglect; child development principles and theories.
Knowledge of community social services resources.
Knowledge of the laws and regulations related to child and adult protective services.
Knowledge of gerontology and the dynamics of the aging process.
Knowledge of crisis intervention techniques and skills.
Knowledge of current Child Protective Services policy and procedures.
Knowledge of Texas Family Code.
Knowledge in trauma-informed care
Skill in interviewing and in conducting individual needs assessments.
Skill in managing and developing a high performing mobile team.
Skill in effective verbal and written communication.
Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.
Skill in developing effective working relationships with children, families, CPS staff, legal parties and community members.
Skill in de-escalation techniques with children and youth with complex mental and behavioral health needs.
Ability to negotiate available services.
Ability to communicate effectively.
Ability to supervise the work of others.
Ability to operate and efficiently use computer and other agency provided technology
Ability to multitask and meet deadlines
Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision and make decisions
Ability to travel statewide for extended periods of time.
Ability to manage, maintain, retain and enable the growth of the workforce.
Ability to interpret policy and procedures to staff, other agency staff, and the general public; to work effectively with staff, community groups, other agencies, media and local government officials; and to address and attempt to resolve concerns and issues regarding cases and operating procedures.
Ability to provide trauma-infomred care to children in DFPS conservatorship
Ability to manage behavioral needs of children and youth with complex mental and behavioral health needs
Ability to effectively and appropriately intervene during times of crisis and in emergency situations

Initial Selection Criteria:
Experience in social work, including supervisory experience. Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in social work, counseling, psychology, criminal justice, early childhood education, criminal justice, elementary or secondary education, or a related field is generally preferred. Experience and education may be substituted for one another.

Additional Information:
Applicants selected will work a variety of shifts on an as-needed basis, including nights and weekends.

MOS Code:
Note: There may be no military occupation(s) that relate to the initial selection criteria and registration or licensure requirements for this position. All active duty military, reservists, guardsmen, and veterans are encouraged to apply if qualified to fill this position. For more information, see the Texas State Auditor's Military Crosswalk.