Position:Social Worker III – Foster Care
Position Status:Full-Time
Department:Social Services
Salary Range:$54,286.44 – $57,035.27
Opening Date:May 2, 2023
Closing Date:Until Filled
Position Description:
An employee in this class is responsible for seeking permanence for children placed in the foster care system. Work involves creating and maintaining a case file that captures and specifically documents the child’s life while in foster care. The employee will work with family/caretakers to develop a primary detailed plan that will allow the family to be reunified and an alternative plan if reunification fails. This employee must demonstrate a high level of knowledge and good judgment in carrying out the duties of this position. The employee should seek supervisory or attorney consultation as needed in determining the appropriate action. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Social Work Supervisor III.
Responsibilities:
Caseload Management:
• Aggressively seeks out permanence for child(ren).
• Seeing, working, and talking to the children at least ONCE every month.
• Attends all court hearings and preparing all necessary reports and documentation.
• Contacts and sees all appropriate family members and collaterals.
• Visits the home where the child resides, observes the environment and talks with the caretakers.
• Assesses the ongoing best interest of the child criteria.
• Coordinates and facilitates visits between child(ren) and removes family/caretakers.
• Advocates for and obtains all services the child(ren) needs which includes medical, emotional, educational, as well as placement.
• Conducts home visits (announced and unannounced) to removal home.
• Attends all necessary meetings (i.e. treatment team, IEP, PPAT, DJJDP, etc.) all of such as is required by NCDHHS-Division of Social Services Policy, North Carolina Juvenile Statute, and through local court direction.
Transportation/Accompaniment to Appointments:
• Takes child (and sometimes parent) to appointments to help achieve the well-being and permanency goals, visitation between child and caretaker(s), drug screenings of caretakers, and court attendance.
• When a child is placed out of the State of North Carolina, this could involve overnight travel to the designated area.
Documentation:
• Creates a case file that captures and specifically documents a child’s life while in foster care and away from family/caretakers.
• Prepares pictures, correspondence, medical records, educational records, running narratives that document and detail all DSS activities, copies of all court paperwork and orders, Permanency Planning Team paperwork, case plans developed with caretakers, risk assessments, strengths & needs assessments, visitation plans, referrals for child or parent, release of information forms, any mental health records, eligibility for funding forms, all identifying information (such as birth certificates and social security numbers), social histories, home studies, parental information – assessments, criminal histories, past CPS involvements, referred programs progress notes (i.e. DV Groups, Substance Abuse information, therapists notes, parenting group updates, etc.).
On-Call:
• After-Hours On-Call Coverage – serves as primary on-call social worker for two nights approximately every three months, as back-up on-call worker for a week approximately every three months (called on ONLY if primary is overloaded or unavailable), and they also cover one weekend per year (as primary).
Qualifications:
• Master’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work; or
• Bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only); or
• Bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year directly related experience; or
• Master’s degree in a human services field and one year of directly related experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years directly related experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience.
• One year of work experience can be credited for completion of the social work collaborative.
• Preservice training in the amount of 72 hours provided by the NC Division of Social Services must be completed.
Applications may be filed online at www.alexandercountync.gov or by mail to Alexander County Human Resources, 621 Liledoun Road, Taylorsville, NC 28681.