Benefits and Eligibility Specialist Social Services Support: Family Discovery Specialist 2026-01167
Salary
$22.63 Hourly
Location
Statewide, WY
Job Type
Permanent Full-time
Job Number
2026-01167
Department
Department Of Family Services
Division
Social Services Division
Opening Date
04/22/2026
Closing Date
Continuous
FLSA
Non-Exempt
Job Classification
BEBP06
Description and Functions
Open Until Filled
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
As a Family Discovery Specialist, you'll take on an exciting and challenging role as a dedicated "social services support specialist," focused on uncovering and strengthening family and supportive connections for youth in congregate care. While social services workers manage day-to-day needs, your mission is clear-lead the Discovery and Engagement process to find meaningful connections and open doors to permanency.
In this role, you'll use curiosity, persistence, and strong investigative skills to identify relatives and supportive individuals, break down barriers, and help ensure every child has the opportunity to return to their community and connect with people they know and trust.
You'll be part of a passionate team tackling one of the most important and complex challenges in child welfare: ensuring no child remains in a group setting without a path to family connection. This is a powerful opportunity to make a lasting impact-changing the trajectory of a child's life by helping them find belonging, stability, and support.
The Wyoming Department of Family Services' work centers around three values
Join the DFS family and support Wyoming families!
Working for the State of Wyoming offers more than a paycheck. Our total compensation package includes:
Click here for detailed information, or you can watch this short video to learn about our benefit package!
Want to see the full value of your compensation beyond salary?
Explore our Total Compensation Calculator: https://compensationcalculator.wyo.gov
Human Resource Contact: Michelle Johnson / michelle.johnson@wyo.gov
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: The listed functions are illustrative only and are not intended to describe every function that may be performed in the job level.
Conduct deep-dive reviews of physical and electronic historical records to identify kinship, maternity and paternity links, and past connections.
Utilize specialized tools (e.g., LexisNexis, Accurint, WhitePages) and social media platforms to locate current contact information and known associates for identified kin.
Create visual family trees and "Connectedness Maps" to identify a minimum of 40 potential kinship connections for each youth.
Maintain "Diligent Search" documentation to meet legal requirements and provide primary caseworkers with actionable contact lists.
Assist the Department of Family Services in efforts to keep youth in their homes or return them to community-based placements.
Qualifications
PREFERENCES:
Associates Degree and 1-2 years of progressive experience in Child and Family Services.
Training in Kinship Care Practice regarding the use of genograms and eco-maps.
KNOWLEDGE:
Customer Service and Communication:
Verbal communication and empathy skills, necessary for engagement with a wide variety of individuals.
Proficiency in professional, succinct written communication for drafting comprehensive "Diligent Search" documentation and presenting clear, actionable contact lists to primary caseworkers.
Judgement and Decision Making:
Sound judgment and discretion when discerning viable leads from complex, massive historical records and while utilizing specialized search tools and platforms.
Ethical decision-making capacity regarding the appropriate handling and sharing of confidential and legally sensitive case file information.
Cross Agency Collaboration:
Ability to coordinate and align specialized search efforts with the objectives of primary caseworkers and multi-disciplinary teams to support community-based placements and permanency goals.
Leadership:
Strong capacity for self-directed work and initiative to autonomously manage the full scope of discovery and engagement of family and connections finding for a caseload of youth in congregate care.
Accountability:
Demonstrated commitment to meticulous, accurate record-keeping required for maintaining legally compliant diligent search documentation.
Professionalism:
Steady and professional composure when navigating sensitive family histories, dealing with complex emotional dynamics, and facing setbacks in the search for connections.
Technical Proficiency:
Skill in using databases like WYOSAFE.
Skills in Google Suite and Microsoft.
Experience in creating Genograms, Eco-maps, and Connectedness maps for identifying family structures and connections.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:
Associates Degree
Experience:
0-2 years of progressive work experience (typically in Benefits and Eligibility)
OR
Education & Experience Substitution:
2-4 years of progressive work experience (typically in Benefits and Eligibility)
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:
None
Necessary Special Requirements
PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:
NOTES:
Supplemental Information
049-Department of Family Services-Social Services Division
Click here to view the State of Wyoming Classification and Pay Structure.
Click here to view the State of Wyoming Total Compensation Calculator.
URL: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/wyoming/default.cfm
The State of Wyoming is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively supports the ADA and reasonably accommodates qualified applicants with disabilities.
Class Specifications are subject to change, please refer to the A & I HRD Website to ensure that you have the most recent version.
Working for the State of Wyoming means more than a job - it's a stable, rewarding career that lets you make a difference while enjoying a great quality of life.
Employees enjoy:
Know your full value.
Your paycheck is only part of the picture. The State of Wyoming offers a Total Compensation Calculator that shows the full value of your salary plus benefits, so you can clearly see what your complete compensation package looks like.
Explore your total compensation: https://compensationcalculator.wyo.gov/
WORKING FOR THE GREATEST STATE IN THE NATION - Wyoming offers a lifestyle you can't find anywhere else - wide-open spaces, clean air, friendly communities, year-round recreation, and no state income tax.
Click here for detailed information or you can watch this short video to learn about our benefit package!.
01
(AA) Which of the following best describes your highest completed level of education to date or within the next three (3) months? (Transcripts may be required.)
02
(AA) Which of the following Quarter/Semester credit hours best describes your completed college education to date or within the next three (3) months? (Transcripts may be required.)
03
(BEBP06) How many years of relevant work experience or transferable skills do you have related to the job description?
04
(AA) Describe your relevant experience below.
05
Do you have an Associates Degree and 1-2 years of progressive experience in Child and Family Services?
06
Do you have?
07
(A1) Where did you hear about this opportunity?
08
(A1) If you selected "Current State Employee" please provide the employees first and last name, and include the department they work for, if known. Please limit this response to only one employee. This employee may be eligible for a Referral Bonus.
09
(A1) If you selected Other, please tell us where you heard about this opportunity.
10
(AA) VETERANS PREFERENCE DISCLOSURE: PER WYOMING STATUTE, current employees of the State of Wyoming are not eligible for veterans preference. If you are not a current employee of the State of Wyoming, to be eligible to receive veterans preference you MUST have been a resident of the State of Wyoming for a period of one (1) year or more at any time prior to submitting this application. I have read and understand the veterans preference disclosure.
11
(AA) VETERANS PREFERENCE: If you are a war veteran as defined in section 101, Title 38, United States Code or are the surviving spouse of a war veteran who receives survivor benefits from the federal government based on the veterans military service, and wish to claim veterans preference, please attach the appropriate documentation substantiating your claim. Indicate below your appropriate veterans preference status. By requesting veterans preference, you are certifying that you meet the statutory requirements as described in the above disclosure.
12
(A2) Please be advised that an incomplete application WILL NOT be considered for employment. An attached resume is not required and is not an acceptable substitution for a completed application. Some State of Wyoming agencies use E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities at https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify. I have read and understand the above statement.
Required Question
Employer State of Wyoming
Address Human Resource Contact Information located in the
General Description Section
Statewide, Wyoming, 82002
Phone 307-777-7188
Website http://agency.governmentjobs.com/wyoming/default.cfm