Child Welfare Case Manager

Purpose & Impact

The purpose of the Child Welfare Case Manager, in partnership with various individuals and groups within the child welfare system and community, is to ensure and promote the social, physical, psychological and emotional well-being and safety of the children and families they serve. The Case Manager maintains case ownership responsibility as the integrator of all services and supports identified for each child, including therapy, mental health services, health and dentistry, developmental services, educational support, permanency and safety. The Case Manager manages cases toward goals recorded in case plans while adhering to Florida Statutes, Administrative Code, written policies and orders of the Dependency Court.

Essential Functions

• Accept all cases assigned by unit supervisor and meet with children in their primary residence within 2 working days of ITR staffing and with identified parents in sufficient time to complete a Family Assessment within 15 working days of ITR staffing.
• Negotiate and develop a case plan based on identified strengths and needs of the family, the circumstances bringing the family into care, recommendations provided by the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Assessment and other relevant data.
• Visits the child in their primary residence according to required frequency, but no less than once every 25 days. At least one visit each quarter is to be unannounced.
• Accurately document all case activities in the Florida Safe Families Network database within 48 hours.
• Maintain the physical case file in chronological order, by subject, in accordance with the standardized case file format.
• Submit service requests to the lead agency Utilization Management Department, and provide clients with timely referrals to services.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of community resources, program eligibility requirements, key contact persons, emergency procedures, and waiting lists of available resources.
• Maintain regular contact with service providers and document service progress in FSFN.
• Complete and submit court documentation within in required time frames.
• Prepare for, attend, and participate in all court activities as necessary.
• Arrange for, attend, and participate in individual case staffings as necessary.
• Complete all required staffing and application packets.
• Conduct initial and/or ongoing child safety assessments as required.
• Prepare initial and on-going safety plans as necessary.
• Arrange for emergency placement, emergency medical treatment, and emergency services for children at risk.
• Conduct diligent searches for parents and family members when deemed necessary and thoroughly document that the effort has been made to find the parents and family members.
• Conduct home studies as required for prospective placements.
• Provide relevant medical, psychological, behavioral and educational background information about the child or children to prospective care-givers as needed.
• Plan and facilitate parental and sibling visits as needed and appropriate.
• Transport children as needed.
• Ensure that all Independent Living functions are completed as required.
• Attend all appointments, staff meetings, trainings, seminars, workshops, etc., as necessary and as required by the supervisor.
• Function as agency on-call Case Manager as scheduled.
• Organize, prioritize and complete all work assignments by the established deadlines.

Training

• Must possess a Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services field. Degree in Social Work preferred.
• Must have a minimum of one year of relevant experience and certified or certified within one year.
• Attend and successfully complete all mandated training courses such as the PDC Assessment and successfully passes the PDC examination, Pre-service Training. MAPP Training, In-service, etc., within the probationary period and as scheduled thereafter.
• The successful completion of the Field-Based Performance Assessment is an essential performance standard required for continued employment in the class of Case Manager.

Physical Requirements

• Must have a high level of energy, be adaptable to irregular hours, be flexible to rotate on-call as needed, be able to travel as needed.
• Requires extensive driving and unexpected travel.
• Requires extended hours, works nights and weekends.

Education

• Must possess a Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services field. Degree in Social Work preferred.

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with and ability to use Microsoft Office programs Word and Excel.
• Ability to type 45 words per minute.

Other Functions

• Perform other related duties and special assignments as required.

Principal Accountabilities

• Reports directly to and follows directives of Case Management Supervisor.
• Works cooperatively with Program Directors, with other Case Managers, with placement staff, with Protective Investigators, with Child Welfare Legal staff and with agency support staff.
• Effectively manages time to ensure that all home visits are completed as required, all documentation is entered into FSFN within 48 hours, court documentation is prepared according to specified time frames and court appearances are attended as necessary.
• Follows Florida Statutes, Administrative Code, written policies and orders of the Dependency Court in managing cases toward goals recorded in case plans.