Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 18 - HUMAN SERVICES › Part 6 - Division of Family and Children's Services › Chapter 1 - DFCS Policy Manual › Section 18-6-1-A - Administration › Subpart I - ADMINISTRATION › Section 18-6-1-A-I-XV - HUMAN RESOURCES

Current through June 25, 2024
The SPB governs the Human Resource management of the
						MDHS, as it does for all state agencies. All personnel processes and procedures
						shall be made in accordance with the Mississippi State Employee Handbook. This
						publication can be found on the SPB website:
www.SPB.ms.gov
.
This employee handbook shall be distributed to all new
						employees of DFCS as a part of the "New Hire Packet", along with other
						essential employment information and paperwork. When revisions are made to the
						Employee Handbook, all DFCS employees will receive a copy through
an email link to access the handbook online for review
						and printing. Each employee is responsible for being aware of and adhering to
						the personnel policies and procedures. Directors/Supervisors shall be
						responsible for knowing and following the rules outlined in the SPB Policy and
						Procedures Manual. In addition to the Mississippi State Employees Handbook,
						MDHS has outlined some of the SPB policies within the MDHS Administrative
						Policies.
DFCS has a personnel office within the division which is
						responsible for ensuring all personnel action requests are accurate prior to
						forwarding to MDHS Office of Human Resources for processing. All Personnel
						Action requests should be routed to this unit. The employees in this branch
						office are under the supervision of the Director of the Office of Human
						Resources for human resource matters, and work cooperatively with the Office
						Directors in DFCS in a support capacity for other matters, (i.e. MACWIS Payroll
						Input and e-Leave coordination).
A.
Work Environment
Policies related to the work environment of DFCS are
						found in the Mississippi State Employee Handbook at
www.SPB.ms.gov
. These policies
						include:
* prohibition of any unlawful discrimination against any
						person or category of persons;
* prohibition of any personnel from engaging in any form
						of harassment, as defined by federal and state law; and
* prohibition of preferential treatment and nepotism with
						regard to hiring, supervision, and promotion.
Please refer to the Handbook for a detailed discussion of
						these policies. Training on these polices is provided through the Division of
						Human Resources and is offered at several different locations throughout the
						year as scheduled on the HR training calendar. This training calendar is
						distributed to all employees via email quarterly. Employees wishing to attend
						one of the training sessions must register as instructed in the quarterly
						email.
B.
Human
					 Resources Planning
As a part of the annual strategic planning process, the
						program areas, field staff and the Workload Management System, in collaboration
						with DFCS Financial Services, are responsible for planning human resource
						needs. With this information, recommendations are made to the MDHS
						administration about DFCS human resource budgetary needs.
C.
Recruitment and Selection
Job descriptions for all State positions are listed on
						the SPB website, and the selection criteria are outlined in the SPB Policies
						and Procedures Manual. Employees are notified of vacant positions within MDHS
						through In-House Promotional Opportunities memoranda which are e-mailed to all
						employees. At the request of the hiring supervisor, the available positions are
						posted on the State Personnel Board website as well as the MDHS website.
Much of the recruitment efforts outside the DFCS are
						aimed at the university schools of social work in the state. By working
						collaboratively with the schools, students are encouraged to consider field
						placements in DFCS county offices. Often these students in field placement
						choose to make application for employment. Other recruitment efforts include,
						but are not limited to, ads in local newspapers in critical needs areas, job
						fairs and presentations to college classes.
In order to fill a vacant position at the county level,
						the hiring manager must follow the procedures outlined in the Human Resource
						section on the DFCS Connection website:
http://dfcsmacweb/DFCSWEB/policy.htm
.
1.
Additional Information Required As A
					 Condition of Employment
a)
Background checks:
All DFCS employees must be
					 free from criminal or abuse history that could pose a safety risk to children.
					 Applicants recommended for new hire, promotion or transfer to a DFCS position
					 which involves contact with children will complete and sign a Permission For
					 Background Check Form, which gives permission for a criminal background check
					 as well as a Child Abuse Central Registry check and validation of driving
					 records.
Also employees who may transport clients will be required
						to complete and sign a Permission For Background Check Form.
DFCS Personnel Unit will coordinate with the Division of
						Program Integrity for a national criminal background check and DFCS Child Abuse
						Central Registry for a registry check.
See
MDHS AP-46, for
						more specific information on performing criminal background checks and the
						collection of fingerprint images.
b)
Driver's License, Automobile
					 Liability Insurance License Plate/Tag and Driving Records Validation:
As a condition of employment, applicants are required to
						review and sign the Transportation Statement. (See Appendix B) Perspective and
						current direct service workers and supervisors who transport clients must have
						and maintain reliable transportation, as well as the following:
1. A current driver's license
2. Current Auto License Plate and Tag
3. Current automobile liability
					 insurance
4. Car Seat Safety
					 Training
5. Current driving record
					 validation
The aforementioned items will be checked and validated
						annually during the employee's performance appraisal review. Failure to
						maintain either of these requirements will be cause for personnel action,
						including termination.
Upon receipt of the driving records, MDHS State Office
						staff will review them to ensure the applicant and/or the employee is not a
						high risk driver. If an applicant is determined to be a high risk driver,
						employment may not be offered. If employment is not offered as a result of
						driving records validation, the applicant will be notified pursuant to the Fair
						Credit Reporting Act.
If a current employee is determined to be a high risk
						driver, there will be cause for personnel action/recommendations.
DFCS defines a high risk driver as a person who has any
						of the following convictions, whether contested or not, within a 12 month
						period:
1. Three or more moving
					 violations
2. Operating a vehicle
					 while intoxicated
3. Hit and Run
					 driving
4. Vehicular negligent
					 injury
5. Reckless operation of a
					 vehicle
c)
References
All applicants are required to furnish 3 employment
						references which will be verified and their comments documented by the
						interviewer. These references, with comments will be submitted with the new
						hire paperwork and should be filed in the official personnel file with copies
						in the applicant's personnel file in the county.