Job Description

Requisition No: 848095 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: SENIOR CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR - 60071776

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60071776 

Salary: In accordance with the DCF salary policy 

Posting Closing Date: 03/17/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator 

SENIOR CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR

THIS INTERNAL REQUISITION WILL SERVE TO FILL A SENIOR CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR VACANCY IN MARTIN COUNTY

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).

The selected candidate will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.

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
• A bachelor’s degree – (bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work from a college or university social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education is preferred)
• Minimum of 1 year of child protective investigative experience
• Current/Active Florida Child Protective Investigator Certification

EXAMPLES OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Ability to conduct fact finding interviews and take statements to secure accurate information.

• Ability to conduct field investigations to gather evidence.

• Ability to interact with individuals appropriately.

• Ability to analyze problems and to affect an appropriate course of action.

• Combining, evaluating, and reasoning with information and data to make decisions and solve problems. These processes involve making decisions about the relative importance of information and choosing the best solution.

• Communicating with persons outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged face-to-face, in writing, or via telephone/electronic transfer.

• Making judgments about or assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in either written form or by electronic/magnetic recording.

Candidate Profile (application) must be completed in its entirety

• Include supervisor names and phone numbers for all periods of employment.
• Account for and explain any gaps in employment so that the hiring process is not delayed.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications. 
• If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.

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.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE. Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here . All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement. 

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