Social Worker III - Foster Care

About the role

This position is responsible for seeking permanence for children placed in foster care. Duties include conducting monthly visits, attending court hearings, and coordinating services for children.

Responsibilities

• Aggressively seeks out permanence for children in foster care.
• Conducts monthly personal visits with children in their caseload.
• Attends all court hearings and prepares necessary reports and documentation.
• Contacts and conducts visits with all appropriate family members and collateral contacts.
• Visits the home where the child resides, observes the environment, and talks with caretakers.
• Conducts ongoing assessments to ensure the best interests of the child are being met.
• Captures and documents a child's life while in foster care, including creating a case file with specific details.
• Coordinates and facilitates visits between children and removes family/caretakers as necessary.
• Advocates for and obtains all services the children need, including medical, emotional, educational, and placement needs.
• Takes children (and sometimes parents) to appointments to help achieve well-being and permanency goals.
• Provides back-up for on-call workers for a week approximately every three months.
• Staffs cases with immediate supervisor weekly, participates in meetings, attends training, and performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Master's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work.
• Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only).
• Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year directly related experience.
• Master's degree in a human services field and one year of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience.
• Possess a valid North Carolina driver's license.
• Possess a valid REAL ID, U.S. Passport, or another federally approved identification.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices.
• Training around grief and loss.
• Working knowledge of government, civic, and private organizations as well as community resources.
• Working knowledge of the organization, functions, and programs of County government.
• Ability to understand laws, regulations, and policies which govern social work programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all individuals orally and in writing.
• Considerable knowledge of computers for word processing, data retention and retrieval and the ability to utilize office equipment.

Skills

• Knowledge and ability to use correct grammar, vocabulary, and spelling skills.
• Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, and to plan and execute work effectively.
• Ability to accurately prepare and maintain accurate records and reports.

Benefits

Health Care Requirements:

• Medical Insurance – 100% paid provided wellness incentive requirements are met.
• Dental Insurance – 100% paid.
• Vision Insurance – 100% paid.

Additional Benefits:

• Health Clinic – Available to all County employees and dependents covered under the medical insurance plan.
• Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) – Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, hypnotherapy, massage therapy, yoga, and others are available with partial reimbursement.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – Counseling services are available to all employees and dependents in a private and confidential setting.
• YMCA – No joining or monthly membership fees for eligible employees.
• Genesis Fitness – Discounted member fees for eligible employees.

Work/Life Balance:

• Holidays – Twelve days of paid leave are provided throughout the year.
• Sick Leave – Eight hours per month; EMS employees earn 11 hours per month.
• Annual Leave – Prorated hours per month based upon years of service and hours worked.
• Bereavement Leave – Two days of paid leave to grieve the loss of an immediate family member.
• Parental Leave – Up to six weeks of paid leave per calendar year.
• Discount Tickets – Discounted tickets to various recreational venues including AMC Theaters, Carowinds, Tweetsie Railroad, Biltmore Estate, and others.

Financial Stability:

• NC Local Government Retirement System – Employees are automatically enrolled in the system after five years of contributory service.
• Life Insurance – $12,500 of Life and AD&D at no cost to the employee.
• Longevity – An annual lump sum payment of 1.5% of salary during the anniversary month after five years of continuous full-time County service.
• 401k and 457 Deferred Compensation – The County matches full-time and eligible part-time employee's voluntary 401(k) contribution, up to 2% of their salary.
• Tuition Reimbursement – Employees who have completed their initial probationary period are eligible to participate in the tuition reimbursement program of up to $1,000 per semester in qualified expenses.
• Supplemental Benefits – The County partners with Aflac, as an employee option, for additional supplemental benefits.