DEPARTMENT OF CHILD SAFETY

The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) is a social and human services agency whose mission is to successfully partner with families, caregivers, and the community to strengthen families, ensure safety, and achieve permanency for all Arizona’s children through prevention, services, and support.

Program Services Evaluator 3

Job Location:

SERVICE APPROVAL UNIT
TUCSON, AZ 

Posting Details:

Salary: $18.5622 HRLY/$38,617.70 Salary 

Grade: 16

Closing Date: March 10, 2026

Job Summary:

Under the general supervision of the Department of Child Safety (DCS) Service Approval Program Manager, the Program Service Evaluator 3 processes service approvals for out-of-home placements for children in DCS care. This position works with Placement Administration, field staff and community providers for matching and ending service approvals in Guardian and is responsible for verifying and ensuring the accuracy of service approval request information and records.

Job Duties:

• Receives and processes Service Approvals for out of home placements, including, but not limited to, Kinship, Foster Home, Therapeutic Foster Home, Group Home, and Shelter. Manages and responds to email inquiries about Service Approvals and verifies the information has been correctly entered on a Service Request, ensuring the Service Approval can be processed and matched to a Caregiver and/or Contracted Provider.
  
• Researches end date prior to out of home Placement Service Approval, or Non Paid Placement Tracker, so that the Placement record is accurate. Create placement packet for each service approval. Gather demographic information and build Kinship Providers, set up portal access for Kinship Providers, and update Kinship Provider records when notified of changes.
  
• Review all expiring Service Approvals for out of home placement. Research in Guardian to determine if the child is still in that placement, including the case, case notes, documents, legal status, and removal details. Work with field staff to confirm placement if the reviewed documentation is unclear. Once confirmed, extend or end the service approval. Follow up with field staff to ensure a new service request is entered if the child has moved to a new placement.
  
• Maintain, enter, update and track Service Approvals, to ensure timely processing and follow up.
  
• Provide assistance either in person, by phone or email, to field staff or caregivers.
  
• Other duties as assigned as related to the position.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

Knowledge of:

• Federal and state laws, regulations and directives governing child protective services
  
• Conflict resolution techniques
  
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) - Guardian
  
• Knowledge of business processes as it relates to Services and Payments

Skills in:

• Eliciting and gathering information
  
• De-escalating situations
  
• Managing own time and arranging work
  
• Verbal and written communication
  
• Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships
  
• Performing general clerical functions such as, reception, filing, mailing, data entry
  

Ability to:

• Sit for long periods of time
  
• Maintain professional boundaries
  
• Work independently and collectively with colleagues and team members
  
• Maintain a tracking system to ensure follow up and timely resolution of tasks
  
• Accept responsibility for work product and outcomes

Selective Preference(s):

The preferred candidate will have DCS experience including customer service and service approval processes.

Pre-Employment Requirements:

This position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job, then the following requirements apply. Any employee operating a motor vehicle on State business must possess and retain a current, valid class-appropriate driver’s license, complete all required training, and successfully pass all necessary driver’