SOCIAL WORKER (INVESTIGATIONS & ASSESSMENTS)

About the role

This role involves investigating and assessing the needs of children involved in reports of alleged abuse, neglect and/or dependency. Responsibilities include engaging the family to formulate a plan to alleviate any identified risk factors. This position may require after hours and weekend work as needed.

Responsibilities

• Provide social work services including intervention and immediate response to crisis situations for at-risk children in the most complex cases in the department.
• Investigate and substantiate the alleged neglect and abuse, providing expert testimony in court hearings, assessing and evaluating child(ren)'s needs, making case decisions and judgments that impact the life and safety of children.
• Develop service plans and goals and follow-up with case management, treatment referrals and preventive services.
• Manage an investigations or in-home services caseload.
• Prepare detailed and complex court summaries and reports.
• Maintain records, files and confidentiality.
• Analyze situations and determine appropriate courses of action immediately or in short time spans and often under very stressful conditions.
• May provide group, family or individual counseling and education to clients of any age and any developmental, mental, medical, substance abuse, financial or family problem.
• Assess individuals and family dynamics, crisis intervention, referrals for treatment and placement in foster care or residential facilities.
• Exercise considerable judgment in determining whether abuse or neglect has occurred, to what extent and how it occurred, assessing initial safety and devising on-going Safety Plans with families as prescribed by federal and state guidelines.
• Interview the child, family, and collateral contacts. Collect background information. Gather and share information to determine the extent of abuse or neglect, to provide counseling, to arrange for services and to provide expert opinions to legal counsel.
• Implement the Initial Services Plan or In-Home Services plan including education and counseling with client, providing direct services according to the service plan, assessing changes and time limits, and making necessary referrals.
• Decide modality of counseling in conjunction with mental health experts and use both individual and family counseling.
• Provide some behavior modification counseling.
• Monitor client's use of services and progress of the family at least monthly if not more often and write a case plan with families each time changes in placement or goals occur.
• Engage families, family support systems and community partners in Child and Family Team meetings to engage all parties in providing information regarding the family's progress or lack of progress, identification of on-going safety needs and obtain input regarding further case planning efforts and goals.
• Offer consultation to foster parents and group home staff.
• Travel to homes, schools, health and mental health facilities, and other service agencies.
• Attend case conferences and staffing with legal, court personnel, and other Department of Social Services staff.
• Attend other agency and community meetings as required.
• Assist peers with case work required in the evening, weekends or holidays.
• Assist supervisors with case reviews/closures.

Requirements

Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their applications to complex casework, treatment, and investigation of abuse or neglect of children; of federal and state laws, policies and procedures, program rules, directives, professional ethics and quality assurance standards; and of individual and group behavior, family dynamics, and medical, behavioral and/or psychosocial problems and their treatment theory.

Working knowledge of office equipment and computers and applicable software applications.

Ability to write clear, concise, and grammatically correct reports, documentation, case records and service plans; to testify as an expert witness; to employ advanced case management interview techniques to establish a supportive relationship and involve families in the initial assessment for the need of services; to quickly assess the risks and safety of the client environment during daylight hours, after dark and in high crime areas; to analyze and assess child development safety issues in relation to risk factors; to analyze tense family situations and make decisions about removing children when the decision has to be made with limited direct information and limited access to consultation; to interact and motivate a resistant involuntary client; to work with multidisciplinary teams; to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and their families, a variety of medical and psychological professionals, law enforcement, court officials, attorneys, community agencies and the general public; and to attend work regularly.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Social Work AND one of the following: one year of social work experience; qualifying internship; successful completion of the NC Child Welfare Collaborative program or; Master’s in Social Work or; Bachelor’s Degree in related Human Services major AND 2 years of social work experience or; Master’s Degree in related Human Services major AND 1 year of social work experience or; Bachelor’s Degree AND 3 years of social work experience OR Master Degree AND 2 years of social work experience.
• One year of experience may be substituted for the NC Child Welfare Pre-service/Collaborative training.
• One year of credit may be substituted for Income Maintenance Casework experience.
• Some county job postings indicate that you can qualify with an "equivalent combination of education and experience."

Skills

• Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their applications to complex casework, treatment, and investigation of abuse or neglect of children;
• Knowledge of federal and state laws, policies and procedures, program rules, directives, professional ethics and quality assurance standards;
• Knowledge of individual and group behavior, family dynamics, and medical, behavioral and/or psychosocial problems and their treatment theory;
• Working knowledge of office equipment and computers and applicable software applications;
• Ability to write clear, concise, and grammatically correct reports, documentation, case records and service plans;
• To testify as an expert witness;
• To employ advanced case management interview techniques to establish a supportive relationship and involve families in the initial assessment for the need of services;
• To quickly assess the risks and safety of the client environment during daylight hours, after dark and in high crime areas;
• To analyze and assess child development safety issues in relation to risk factors;
• To analyze tense family situations and make decisions about removing children when the decision has to be made with limited direct information and limited access to consultation;
• To interact and motivate a resistant involuntary client;
• To work with multidisciplinary teams;
• To establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and their families, a variety of medical and psychological professionals, law enforcement, court officials, attorneys, community agencies and the general public;
• To attend work regularly.

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

Hiring range for this position is $58,240.00 - $69,659.20. Initial placement for new employees is customarily at entry level through 35% percentile. Pay grade for this position is 21.

Schedule

Not specified.