Probation Counselor II

Probation Counselor II

Salary

$68,774.37 - $114,625.06 Annually

Location

SOUTH COUNTY CENTER, 8350 RICHMOND HIGHWAY, ALEXANDRIA (LN29), VA

Job Type

FT Hourly W BN

Job Number

26-00986

Department

Juv & Domestic Relations Court

Opening Date

07/04/2026

Closing Date

7/17/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S24

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Announcement

This position works within the Probation Division and provides case management services and supervision of youth ordered on probation by the court. Monitors compliance with court-ordered conditions and requirements. Completes court-ordered investigations and writes reports. Attends court hearings and makes recommendations for disposition. Administers validated assessment tools, such as the Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI), and uses information to develop case service plans with the participation of the youth and family to address areas of risk and needs. Employs a variety of counseling techniques and evidenced based interventions during probation contacts, including motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral interventions to facilitate behavior change. Works under the general supervision of the unit director.

Makes referrals for appropriate treatment or services when necessary, utilizing least restrictive interventions while building upon the youth and family's natural supports. Works collaboratively with other agencies and service providers. Uses graduated sanctions when appropriate to address non-compliant behavior in lieu of formal court action, and incentives when desired behavior is demonstrated. Files probation and/or court order violations and returns cases to court for non-compliance when appropriate. Supervises and visits youth at home, school, juvenile detention centers, treatment programs, and residential facilities. Follows policies and procedural guidelines set by the agency and the state Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). May require frequent travel to various locations throughout Fairfax County and the Commonwealth of Virginia. May be required to provide short-term case management and supervision of cases diverted from Juvenile Intake, and other duties as assigned by the Unit Director.

Note: This job announcement may be used to fill multiple full-time Probation Counselor II positions located at the various Department of JDRDC facilities - South County or North County - depending on the needs of the hiring department.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position description.)

Counseling and Treatment Services

Conducts intake interviews and supervises offenders/defendants through office and home visits to verify compliance with court-orders;

Formulates treatment or rehabilitation plans for and presents written or oral recommendations for adjustment of behavior;

Supervises and monitors community service requirements; schedules payments, collects court costs and restitution; monitors urine tests;

Supervises visits or exchanges according to court orders or other relevant agreements;

Provides intensive supervision/monitoring, counseling and treatment of juvenile and adult offenders;

Interviews juvenile or adult offenders, their families and related persons to determine the nature of the adjustment difficulty;

Refers offenders/defendants to other agencies or facilities as needed and maintains liaison with service providers to coordinate evaluations;

Conducts field investigations;

Testifies in court and provides required written reports on adjustment and compliance to courts;

Documents and maintains prescribed records of casework services and periodically compiles related statistics:

Aids clients in obtaining employment;

Arranges for the court appearance of the client and family;

Informs clients of available community resources;

Arranges appointments for medical examinations and psychological testing;

Cooperates with representatives from State and local social service and law enforcement agencies in cases of mutual interest;

Composes and dictates case records, petitions and correspondence;

Intake Officer

Provides intake services, determines probable cause, issues related to jurisdiction, venue and appropriateness of filing petitions and/or issuance of detention or shelter care orders; Reviews complaints filed by law enforcement and citizens, conducts assessments to determine appropriateness for diversion;

Case manages diversion clients;

Decisions are made in compliance with the Code of Virginia, and Department of Juvenile Justice and/or Court Services Unit policies and procedures;

Residential Services:

Positions located in a residential facility supervise and direct house routines and therapeutic programs;

Ensures that residents maintain behavioral norms;

Coordinates and implements a residential program area such as recreational, educational or employment activities;

May drive a passenger van for educational and recreational trips;

Maintains on-going contact/communication with victims and witnesses during investigation and judicial proceedings;

Works with and assists the officers and detectives within a district station assignment with the victim services and referrals;

Provides court accompaniment to crime victim and witnesses for all court proceedings in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations, General District and Circuit Courts;

Responds to call-outs to crime scenes and other locations to provide immediate crisis intervention and support;

Provides training to departmental staff, commonwealth attorneys, judicial staff, and other relevant community organizations;

Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) Case Management Services

Works with court referred clients who have been charged/convicted of impaired driving offenses and first time drug offenders;

Maintains a caseload of court referred and volunteer clients;

Interviews clients during intake process and assigns appropriate program classification;

Writes intake summary on each client interviewed;

Conducts case management duties to include monitoring of ignition interlock and administration of alcohol breath tests;

Monitors clients progress and make referral as needed;

Writes and prepares reports to the courts, clients and treatment providers;

Testifies in court on non-compliant cases, make appropriate recommendations when requested by the judge;

Victims Services

Provides supportive services to victims and witnesses of crime involved in the criminal justice system including emotional support, financial assistance, counseling, and victim agency referrals;

Maintains on-going contact/communication with victims and witnesses during investigation and judicial proceedings, and provides notifications of investigative activity or case developments as needed;

Provides court accompaniment to crime victim and witnesses for all court proceedings in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations, General District and Circuit Courts;

Reduces delays in bringing cases to court by assisting in determining availability of victims and witnesses;

Responds to call-outs to crime scenes and other locations to provide immediate crisis intervention and support, refers clients to related supportive services and agencies;

Operates a county vehicle to provide the effective delivery of services to victims and witnesses including transporting victims and witnesses to court hearings, commonwealths attorneys meetings and other court related appointments;

Provides assistance by administering and providing services designed to enhance coordination among agencies operating within the criminal justice system;

Works with and assists the officers and detectives within their district station assignment or the criminal investigations bureau with the proper victim services and referrals;

Encourage citizen awareness and participation through public information and education.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

Knowledge of casework supervision practices and procedures;

Knowledge of the principles of psychology and sociology;

Knowledge of current social and economic conditions;

Ability to use technology to enter and retrieve information;

Ability to interpret laws, rules, and regulations related to probation work and victim services;

Ability to interview and counsel clients;

Ability to prepare complete case records and reports;

Ability to develop effective working relationships with a variety of individuals.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following: (Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelors degree in social/behavioral sciences, criminal justice, or education plus two years of professional experience in probation work, social work, criminal justice, juvenile justice, education, or counseling. A masters degree in the disciplines above may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

• Valid Drivers License (Required at the time of application)
• Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) (within 6 months)
• Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) (within 1 year)

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• The appointee to the position will be required to complete the following to the satisfaction of the employer:
• Criminal Background Investigation
• Child Protective Services Registry Check
• Sanction Screenings
• Driving Record Check

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in the use of evidence-based tools to assess needs of clients and their families.
• Experience in interviewing families and collecting collateral information in order to write pre-dispositional reports and to make recommendations to a Judge in a courtroom setting.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, and the ability to work with a diverse clientele of different ethnicities and socio-economic statuses.
• Ability to work and make decisions independently with minimal supervision.
• Experience with cross-agency collaboration and working with other service providers.
• Knowledge of local community-based resources for youth and families, and experience accessing services through the Comprehensive Services Act.
• Knowledge of the Code of Virginia, Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) standards, and local court service unit policy and procedures.
• Fully proficient in the use of DJJs Balance Approach Data Gathering Environment (BADGE) or experience using other case management software.
• Prior experience as a Juvenile Probation Officer is preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Duties require the ability to access clients home and other locations (i.e. work sites) as necessary to conduct background interviews and supervision meetings.
• Visual and auditory acuity is required to read computer monitor; incumbent must be able to operate keyboard driven equipment.
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle.
• Duties may require the ability to transport youth/adults to placement interviews, occasional medical appointments, or other necessary appointments.
• All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview and may include practical exercise.

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov. EEO/AA/TTY.

#LI-AL1

Requisition 26-00986

Merit Positions

Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more!)
• Paid Holidays
• Contributory Retirement Plan
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities

Please click here for a summary of our benefits.

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program: Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid

For additional details please visit the Countys benefits webpage.

Non-Merit Positions

• Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage

• Flexible Spending Program

• Deferred Compensation

• Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.

• No benefits

01

What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorate degree

02

If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

03

Please indicate your area(s) of study or major(s)/minor(s) towards a degree. Check all that apply.

• Criminal justice
• Social work
• Psychology
• Counseling
• Education
• Sociology
• Other (related field)
• Other (non-related field)
• Not applicable

04

If you answered "Other (related field)" or "Other (non-related field)" for the previous question, please list all of your majors and minors. If this question does not pertain to you, or you do not have a degree, enter "Not applicable".

05

Do you currently possess a valid drivers license?

• Yes
• No

06

How many years of full-time equivalent professional experience in probation work, social work, criminal justice, juvenile justice, education, or counseling do you possess?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

07

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working in probation?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

08

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working in youth counseling?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

09

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working in home-based counseling?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

10

How many years of full-time equivalent professional experience do you have in social work?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

11

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working in law enforcement?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

12

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working in education?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

13

How many years of full-time equivalent professional experience do you have providing juvenile probation case management services in a Juvenile Court setting?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

14

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have completing validated risk assessments?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

15

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have developing service plans with adolescents and families?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

16

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have presenting cases in Court?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

17

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working with and interpreting the Code of Virginia?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

18

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have with administering the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI)?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

19

Do you have experience with any of the following principles or practices? Check all that apply.

• Systems of care
• Trauma informed care
• Motivational interviewing
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• None of the above

20

Do you have two or more years of full-time equivalent experience working in any of the following areas? Check all that apply.

• Working collaboratively with other agencies and service providers
• Making referrals for treatment and services
• Accessing services and funding through the Child Services Act
• None of the above

21

Do you have any experience working with the following computer programs? Check all that apply.

• DJJ Balanced Approach to Data Gathering Environment (BADGE)
• Supreme Court of Virginia Case Management System (CMS)
• Electronic case management software
• None of the above

22

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Word.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating, editing, formatting, and saving simple documents; inserting simple tables; and proofreading documents for accuracy)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of common commands such as creating a title; using, modifying, and creating styles; setting up the ruler; indenting paragraphs, using tabs and tables; inserting captions, footnotes, endnotes, special characters, or hard page breaks; using page numbering; creating headers and footers; inserting graphics; inserting an equation, adding comments and tracking changes.)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all function of program including mail merge, macros, creating a table of contents, creating bookmarks and cross-referencing.)
• No experience

23

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Outlook.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of identifying the components of the Outlook environment; composing email messages; sending and receiving email messages; organizing email messages into folders; managing contacts; scheduling appointments; scheduling meetings, managing tasks, notes and journal entries)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of customizing message settings; organizing and locating Outlook messages; setting calendar options; tracking activities using the Journal; assigning and tracking tasks; sharing folder information; customizing the Outlook environment)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all functions of program including personalizing your email; organizing Outlook items; managing data files; managing contacts and contact information; saving and archiving email; creating a custom Outlook form; working offline and remotely)
• No experience

Required Question

Employer Fairfax County

Address 12000 Government Center Pkwy. Suite 270

Fairfax, Virginia, 22035

Phone 703-324-3311

Website http://agency.governmentjobs.com/fairfaxcounty/default.cfm