SENIOR HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM SPECIALIST - 60005395

Requisition No: 856728 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: SENIOR HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM SPECIALIST - 60005395

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60005395 

Salary:  $42,561.57 - $88,982.08 Annually 

Posting Closing Date: 07/23/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state of Florida’s social services agency. The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. The agency’s mission is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.

Within DCF, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program office is recognized as the single state authority for substance abuse and mental health services. The Office of SAMH is statutorily responsible for the planning, evaluation, and implementation of a comprehensive statewide system of care for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of children and adults with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders.

Northeast Florida State Hospital (NEFSH) is a 613-bed, licensed mental health treatment facility that provides person-centered services to adults suffering from severe and persistent mental illness. The hospital, located in Macclenny, was established in 1959 and is the largest state operated civil treatment facility. 

NORTHEAST FLORIDA STATE HOSPITAL IS A TOBACCO FREE FACILITY.

TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION RESPONSES TO THE QUALIFYING QUESTIONS ARE REQUIRED AND MUST BE VERIFIABLE BASED ON YOUR SUBMITTED APPLICATION.

THIS IS AN ANTICIPATED VACANCY.

This is a highly responsible and professional position that will serve as a Senior Human Services Program Specialist at the Northeast Florida State Hospital. This position will collaborate with each section within the state facilities and be required to use independent judgement, take initiative in carrying out duties and responsibilities and should be extraordinarily detail oriented. 

This is skilled professional systems level work to improve discharge planning of civil residents from the state mental health treatment facility to the community.   Serve as the primary representative from the civil state mental health treatment facility for the Headquarters Facilities’ Discharge Planning Unit. The special focus of this unit will be on identified residents with multiple barriers to discharge including: 1) individuals in need of nursing home placement; 2) undocumented individuals; 3) persons with previous legal involvement and 4) individuals requiring greater supervision who do not quality for nursing home settings. 

Specific Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Provide oversight and coordinate discharge planning to ensure that the state mental health treatment facility (SMHTF) works with the community-based Managing Entities (MEs) and other community partners to conduct the discharge planning of civil residents consistent with state laws, rules, and Department policies and procedures. 
• Assist in the development of a workplan to improve the discharge planning outcomes for those identified residents with multiple barriers to discharge.
• Provide consultation, technical assistance, and support to discharge staff to effectuate timely and successful discharges.
• Maintain a caseload of facility residents ready for discharge to the community.
• The residents on this limited caseload should reflect residents with multiple barriers to discharge, such as individuals in need of nursing home placement or individuals who have undocumented presence. 
• Use this individual resident discharge work to assist in the resolution of systemic discharge planning issues.
• Review and approve all civil summaries and addendums to verify that adequate discharge planning activities have been completed and documented. 
• Create and maintain case summaries for individuals needing significant support in gaining community placement and persons waiting over 60 days waiting for discharge from the facility. 
• Assist in developing a reporting format in conjunction with Facilities’ Headquarters supervisor and facility staff. 
• Work to improve the accuracy and timeliness of information of residents on the Seeking Placement List (SPL) for use by the SAMH Program and MEs to promote greater information about the resident’s level of care needs and the community resources available to meet those needs.
• Assist in the development and implementation of a statewide process to assist the SMHTF and the MEs to identify community resources available to meet the needs of individuals returning to the community.
• Create strategies and processes to support standard casework on behalf of persons needing specialized placement to include best practices for residents with immigration barriers and those requiring nursing home services as a liaison to community sites to increase acceptance of individuals with multiple barriers to discharge. 
• This will include travel to potential community placements. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for the position:

• Knowledge of social, economic, rehabilitation or health care service objectives.
• Knowledge of methods of compiling, organizing and analyzing data.
• Ability to develop manuals, policies, procedures, standards and rules.
• Ability to develop methods for monitoring and evaluating quality of service and compliance with rules, policies and statutes.
• Ability to review and evaluate plans and programs.
• Ability to identify improvements and adjustments needed to insure program effectiveness and efficiency.
• Ability to establish and maintain liaison with other agencies.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is preferred and four years of professional experience in health, social, economic or rehabilitative programs.
• A master's degree from an accredited college or university can substitute for one year of the required experience.
• Professional experience as required above can substitute on a year-for-year basis for the preferred college education.

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits.

For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

DCF EMPLOYMENT DISCLOSURES

US CITIZEN REQUIREMENT Only US citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers will be hired.

SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM REGISTRATION All selected male candidates born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion into an authorized position unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS).  Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire.  For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov.

RETIREE NOTICE If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.

BACKGROUND SCREENING 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.

#SAMH

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.