Requisition No: 846838

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: ADULT PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR - 60055809

Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60055809

Salary: $37,000.08 annually /$1,423.07 bi-weekly

Posting Closing Date: 04/20/2025

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Adult Protective Investigator

Department of Children and Families

Lakeland, Florida

Open Competitive

This posting will be used to fill position vacancies in Career Service.

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.

What You Will Do

This professional position investigates allegations of abuse, neglect, self-neglect and financial exploitation against vulnerable adults and the mitigation of the risk factors involved. Clients served include those residing in the community and alternative care facilities. Vulnerable adults in crisis need quick action from strong, compassionate individuals dedicated to ensuring their safety. This demanding and challenging career could be your opportunity to speak for those adults who cannot protect themselves and fight to help ensure their safety and independence.

How You Will Make An Impact

Conduct investigations regarding allegations of abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or self-neglect of vulnerable adults
Work closely with law enforcement and partner agencies such as the Department of Elder Affairs, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and the Agency for Health Care Administration
Collect information through observation and interviews with the vulnerable adults, relatives, and other parties associated with the case, as well as analysis of criminal, past service history and other records
Identify the service needs of the vulnerable adult and determines the level of intervention needed to include voluntary services or court ordered protective services
Assess the mental capacity of the vulnerable adult, danger threats, vulnerabilities, and caregiver capacities in order to determine whether a vulnerable adult is safe or not safe
Assist victims with temporary emergency shelter placement and other emergency services
Notify state attorney, law enforcement, state agencies and other required individuals as appropriate
Provide vulnerable adults with service linkages to agency and community resources
Establish and maintains working relationships with organizations involved with adult protective investigations such as community services, advocacy groups, law enforcement, medical personnel, schools, and other community resources.

Qualifications

A high school diploma or GED equivalent and four years of law enforcement experience or active military service (honorably discharged or status that current service reflects serving honorably); or
An associate degree or 60+ credit hours from an accredited college or university and two years of professional work experience (see examples below) or two years of law enforcement experience or active military service (honorably discharged or status that current service reflects serving honorably); or

Examples of professional work experience could be, although not limited to :

Guardian Ad Litem or similar child advocate role

Family Support Worker

Group Home Worker

Teacher's Assistant/Aide

Daycare Provider/Worker

Therapeutic Assistant

Behavioral Health Technician

Family Intervention Specialist

Home Health Aide

Nurse (LPN or RN) or similar profession

Nursing Facility Assistant

EMT

Other welfare, education or medical professional jobs that occur in high-paced, high-stress environments that require critical decision-making to occur.

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

An official letter from the college/university registrar or unofficial transcriptions with anticipated graduation dates and credits earned must be provided for all diploma/degree requirements.

Proof of conferred degree such as official transcripts or copy of diploma/degree must be provided within 30 days of hire as a condition of employment.

Valid Driver License; and
Must possess operational private vehicle for use in the performance of daily work activities. Selected candidates are required to provide proof of vehicle registration and documentation of the appropriate insurance coverage within 30 days of employment as a condition of employment. The Department provides a Vehicle Insurance Allowance to assist with the cost of insurance coverage due to the use of private vehicle for work purposes.
Ability to attend a 4 - 8-week mandatory training course that could be scheduled during day, weekend, and evening hours.

Special Notes

Language proficiency may be considered in the selection process as determined by Agency needs at the time of selection.
May require successful completion of pre-interview assessment or work sample to be eligible for interview.

Skills

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Following policy and procedures, managing time, assessing, planning, intervening, evaluating, documenting, engaging, teaming, taking appropriate actions related to domestic violence, mental health, and/or substance abuse, establishing effective relationships with colleagues, professional competencies.

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.
It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of entering work history.
If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.

Additional Information/Requirements

This position will require night, weekend, and holiday work. It has also been designated as an essential position.
Incumbents are expected to work during emergency situations or natural disasters and may be required to work before, during and beyond normal work hours/days.
Incumbents may be exposed to possible hazardous conditions in the field.

Benefits

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 .

Growth Opportunities

With 12,000 employees across the state DCF promotes opportunities and training for all. Our jobs are among the most challenging, complex, and difficult in State government. They are also among the most rewarding. All employees are encouraged to take advantage of available Department opportunities for advancement and professional development.

Where You Will Work

Florida is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, no matter where you land in Florida, you’re never more than 60 miles from a body of saltwater. And if the beach isn’t your scene, there are 175 state parks to explore! Meanwhile, Floridians hail from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and walks of life, making it an incredibly diverse melting pot that many residents and visitors to Florida love. The Sunshine State is a great place to live and work – Come join our team!

About Department Of Children And Families

Mission: The mission of the Department of Children and Families 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.

Vision: We are a highly skilled workforce committed to empowering people with complex and varied needs to achieve the best outcomes for themselves and their families. In collaboration with community stakeholders, we will deliver world class and continuously improving service focused on providing the people we serve with the level and quality that we would demand and expect for our own families.

Values: A workforce that operates with integrity maintains loyalty to a code of ethics that requires the courage to take responsibility for providing the highest quality of service to the vulnerable. We are a solutions-focused learning organization built on a foundation of transparency in action and accountability of results. Both within the organization and among our stakeholders, we thrive in a culture of respect for diversity of opinion that is nurtured through open communication. High performing and committed, we are unified in our goal of excellence in achieving quality outcomes for those we serve.

To learn more please visit https://www.myflfamilies.com/ .

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 will be required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.
The position will perform all job tasks in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and requirements applicable to state and federal laws or procedures.
We hire only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers.
Participation in the State of Florida Direct Deposit Program is required as a condition of employment per F.S. 110.113, and enrollment must be completed within the first 30 calendar days of your appointment.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: 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) before their 26th birthday or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire. For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov .

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT: 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 also be screened in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, F.S., and, if applicable, 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.

State of Florida

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