SUPERVISING FAMILY SERVICE SPECIALIST 1
Career Family: SUPERVISING FAMILY SERVICE SPECIALIST
Supervising Family Service Specialist 1 sits in the competitive class of New Jersey's state civil service, so reaching it runs through testing and an eligible list instead of a straight hire.
This is the senior rung of the Supervising Family Service Specialist series, the level you reach after Supervising Family Service Specialist 2. It lists a master's degree as the baseline, with an experience-based path open to those who do not hold the degree. Pay on the FY2027 schedule runs $95,955 to $141,386, and state payroll currently lists about 231 people in the title, most of them at Children and Families.
How to apply
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Exam
This is an application to sit an exam and be placed on an eligible list for this title, not an application for a specific job. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. There may be no current vacancy behind it, and the list it produces may not be certified for months or years.
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Exam
Open to permanent employees in the competitive division who hold a qualifying lower title in the same unit. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. Like the open competitive exam, this places you on a list; it is not itself a job offer.
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Agency posting
Department of Children and Families posts its own vacancies directly, often before (or instead of) any civil service exam announcement. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
Pay ladder: Supervising Family Service Specialist series
- Supervising Family Service Specialist 2 — $87,507 – $128,719
- Supervising Family Service Specialist 1 — $95,955 – $141,386 (this title)
Its top salary lands around the 85th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.
Rungs are ordered by FY2027 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 231 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $130,339. The agencies employing the most are:
- Children and Families (231)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.
Definition
Under direction of a Local Office Manager or other supervisory official the Department of Children and Families, oversees the work of subordinate supervisory level staff involved in the delivery of social and protective services, assists in administering office activities according to agency policy in personnel, budget, systems, and training; coordinates service with other family and children's services providers and maintains positive relationships with other concerned community groups and individuals; participates in the development of policy, procedures, and standards; does other related duties.
Examples of work
Plans the work activities and supervises subordinate staff in the delivery of social services, protective services, foster home finding and placement, residential placement, volunteer coordination, staff training, and resource development. Schedules, plans, and conducts conferences with subordinate supervisory staff on a regular basis. Conducts surveys, studies, and investigations to evaluate the effectiveness of social service programs. Conducts staff meetings to keep staff apprised of community resources and new social welfare theory, and Department policies and procedures. May assist in the planning, development, preparation, and submission of the office budget. Designs, coordinates, and conducts training for professional staff in protective service, adoption, foster care, resource development, and other related areas; participates in orientation of new staff and supervisors. Performs staff needs assessment, recruits speakers, coordinates staff attendance at conferences, and acts as liaison to the Child Welfare Training Academy for dissemination of training material. Supervises work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees. Designs and maintains a social service delivery system meeting Department goals and objectives; establishes and maintains a case intake system. Provides guidance and instruction to casework staff. Identifies operational and personnel problems and other challenges; receives complaints; provides recommendations for resolution. Represents the Department at professional committees, conferences, and meetings, and prepares and delivers speeches and/or presentations to define the agency's role and services. Analyzes existing and proposed legislation to identify the impact on existing or proposed programs; provides recommendations for changes or modifications. Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with those interested or involved in the work of the unit. Maintains cooperative working relationships with mass media and organizations involved in agency adoption and foster care recruitment efforts to ensure that foster parent recruitment levels are adequately maintained. Analyzes the need for specialized social work activities within a local area based on client population; provides for needed services, which may include: protective services for children, and services to address domestic violence, sexual abuse, substance abuse, adolescent behavior, parenting skills and other issues. Engages in community outreach with school systems, hospitals, clinics, institutions, and professional and community groups to promote the prevention of abuse and neglect. Utilizes community resources for mental health, medical, vocational, educational, residential, and other assistance and provides recommendations on behalf of agency clients. Lifts and carries children and secures them in car seats. Provides recommendations and develops plans for needed community services. Participates in the review, development and implementation of policies, procedures, standards and rules. Prepares clear, sound, accurate and informative statistical and other reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Supervises and establishes maintenance of records and files. Will be required to drive varied types of State vehicles for field work and/or to transport clients. Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
License
Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge of the types of social service agencies likely to be of assistance in providing for the needs of those with social, emotional, psychological or behavioral problems. Knowledge of the economic, social, emotional, and other problems of abused and neglected family members and of possible emotional or other reactions to be anticipated. Knowledge of problems encountered in the investigation of child abuse referrals and other problematic family situations. Knowledge of counseling and interview techniques. Knowledge of the methods used to conduct investigations. Knowledge of methods used to collect and analyze data. Knowledge of the signs of child abuse and neglect. Knowledge of case evaluation methods. Knowledge of community services and resources. Knowledge of assessment methods used to match children to Resource Families. Ability to supervise the collection of basic social data and develop appropriate social and other plans for children with a variety of emotional, mental, physical and social difficulties. Ability to represent the Department and participate in meetings and conferences. Ability to lift, carry, position and secure children in car seats. Ability to perform heavy lifting of children and their belongings. Ability to safely drive a State vehicle. Ability to review and evaluate case plans. Ability to supervise the delivery of social and protective services. Ability to conduct studies and surveys. Ability to interpret and apply Child Protective Services and child welfare policies and procedures. Ability to interpret and apply laws, rules and regulations. Ability to assign and instruct office staff and supervise their work. Ability to develop plans of action to address problems. Ability to monitor the effectiveness and appropriateness of services provided to meet the needs of children and families. Ability to plan, schedule, and conduct staff conferences. Ability to remain calm and decisive in immediate emergency situations, make immediate and critical decisions based on agency policy, and perform judiciously under pressure. Ability to prepare and supervise the preparation of reports and correspondence. Ability to supervise the establishment and maintenance of records and files. Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed. Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience. Eight (8) years of professional experience in social work, direct support counseling, guidance, or case management involving high risk child abuse and neglect or other problematic situations involving counseling services to clients with social, emotional, psychological, or behavioral problems including gathering and analyzing information, determining needs, and planning and/or carrying out treatment plans, one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. OR Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and four (4) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. OR Possession of a Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Guidance and Counseling, Divinity, Marriage and Family Therapy, or other related behavioral science area; and three (3) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. A maximum of one year of non-caseload carrying experience may be credited toward the non-supervisory professional experience mentioned above. A supervised social work field placement of three hundred (300) hours serviced through an accredited college or university or performed in a social service agency may be credited for one (1) year of non-supervisory professional experience mentioned above. "Professional experience" refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one's own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.