Child Welfare Reform Creates New Openings

The Michigan Department of Human Services is committed to making a positive difference for the people in our state. Our intensive efforts to reform the child welfare system will help strengthen families and ensure children have stable, permanent homes. We need your help to reach these important goals. DHS continues to hire professional caseworkers to reduce caseloads. These employees will:

• Make foster placements, recruit foster families, and work toward reunification or permanent placements.
• Investigate complaints of abuse or neglect, provide services that maintain the family unit, and represent DHS in court when it is necessary to remove a child from an unsafe home.

Qualifications
A social services specialist functions as a professional social caseworker. In order to qualify, candidates must possess either a bachelor's or a master's degree with a major in one of the following areas: social work, sociology, psychology, family ecology, consumer/community services, family and child development, guidance and counseling or criminal justice.

Compensation and Benefits
Entry-level pay for services specialists with bachelor's degrees ranges from $37,000 to $40,000 annually and can go up to $51,000 after five years. Services specialists with master's degrees begin at $38,000 to $47,500 annually and can go up to $55,000 after five years. Benefits include health care, vision, dental, life insurance, 401K with state match, flexible work schedules, long-term disability, longterm care and flexible spending accounts.

Application Process
If you are interested in applying for these positions, please complete a DHS-1502 Pre-Employment Application which may be supplemented with a current resume and an availability statement. Please submit these documents, along with official college transcripts, to this address: 

If you are selected for an opening, paid training will be provided at various training centers located throughout the state. Where travel and overnight accommodations are required, travel expenses will be reimbursed at a rate set by state travel regulations.