SW/CW – Family & Children Services – Ongoing Child Protection

Application Deadline: 2026-08-23

About the role

The purpose of this classification is to provide professional level duties and manage social services to children and families, including child protection investigation, alternate care for children, and ongoing services to families according to applicable policies, regulations, and statutes. The work is performed under the supervision of the Family and Children’s Services Supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Exercise powers and perform intake duties under WI stats 48.067 and 938.067, including:
  • Provide intake services to screen children taken into custody and not released under s. 48.20 and 938.20.
  • Interview children taken into custody and other parties to determine if children continue to be held in custody under s. 48.205 and s. 938.205, in accordance with juvenile court policies.
  • Determine the location where a child will be held under ch. 48 and 938.
  • Take juveniles and children into custody under WI statute 48.19, 48.193, 48.195, 938.19, and 938.355(6d).
  • Provide intake duties after hours on a rotating basis in compliance with WI Statute 48.067 and 938.067.
• Conduct child protective service assessments in accordance with s. 48.981 to ensure the safety and well-being of children and families, determining the presence of maltreatment and taking required action to protect the child.
• Collaborate with assigned legal representatives, law enforcement, and medical personnel.
• Lead the development of family-based case management services and decision-making to maintain intact families or minimize out-of-home placement.
• Prepare timely reports for the court recommending plans of rehabilitation, treatment, care, and permanency in accordance with statutes, juvenile court policy, Department of Children and Family policy, and agency policies.
• Coordinate with staff, families, and providers to assess and develop goal-oriented, time-limited, family-based service plans to meet identified needs.
• Explain the consequences of non-compliance with court orders to families and youth.
• Identify individual needs through family assessment and case management, including psychological, parenting, discipline, family functioning, substance use, daily functioning, and child safety.
• Develop case plans including goals, objectives, and services, and maintain safety plans to ensure child safety.
• Monitor family utilization of services and inform the court of adherence to court orders.
• Maintain ongoing contact with parents and family members in the delivery of services, meeting with families in their homes and public locations to provide assessments, supervision, and ongoing services.
• Teach families about available community resources and how to independently access needed services.
• Provide leadership to achieve active involvement and participation of the child, family, schools, mental health providers, and other community resources in resolving problems.
• Coordinate families’ access to services, monitor service delivery to ensure timeliness and effectiveness, evaluate progress, and terminate services when goals are met.
• Assess and arrange needed safety services, out-of-home placements, and other services.
• Provide and monitor services to foster parents and assess out-of-home placements for safety.
• Provide ongoing face-to-face contact with out-of-home care providers and children.
• Supervise child and parents during family interactions when deemed necessary through safety evaluations and ongoing case management.
• Participate as a team member of a Coordinated Service Team providing services to children and families.
• Conduct Independent Living Skills assessments and arrange or provide appropriate services for eligible youth in out-of-home care.
• Advocate on behalf of clients and provide leadership in client and service staff meetings.
• Assist in writing grant applications and participate in developing and delivering programs and services for families.
• Recommend actions to assigned legal representatives, including petitions, sanctions, court order revisions, permanency plan hearings, termination of parental rights, and termination of orders.
• Attend court hearings, testify, and prepare for court.
• Develop and present public education information to the community and other organizations.
• Promote inter-agency cooperation between Trempealeau County Department of Human Services and area law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and collateral agencies.
• Maintain a working knowledge of social services program policies, laws, case management, and reporting requirements.
• Attend and participate in training, professional development, staff meetings, supervision, and other regularly scheduled meetings.
• Participate in collaborative efforts internally and outside the agency.
• Perform administrative tasks such as answering telephones, relaying messages, data entry, providing information to callers and visitors, faxing materials, and photocopying.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Human Services, or a related field.
• Two years of case management experience preferred, or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Valid motor vehicle operator’s license and/or available means of transportation.
• Social Workers are required to maintain their Wisconsin Social Work licensure or certification to remain in the Social Worker position. Case Workers may obtain licensure or certification to advance to a Social Worker position.

Skills

• Analyze data and information using established criteria to determine consequences and identify alternatives.
• Compare, count, differentiate, measure, copy, record, and transcribe data and information.
• Classify, compute, tabulate, and categorize data.
• Counsel, treat, mediate, and/or provide first-line supervision.
• Persuade, convince, and train others.
• Advise and interpret the application of policies, procedures, and standards to specific situations.
• Utilize advisory data and information such as police reports, mental health assessments, criminal histories, billing statements, vouchers, budgets, referrals, forms, court documents/records, investigation reports, contact logs, client assessment reports, court schedules, service plans, court petitions, computer software operating manuals, statutes, procedures, guidelines, and non-routine correspondence.
• Communicate orally and in writing with clients, juvenile offenders, family members, foster parents, law enforcement, social service agencies, attorneys, judges, probation and parole personnel, state agency personnel, medical care providers, service providers, and mental health professionals.
• Diffuse escalating conversations and provide self-protection through effective communication.
• Perform basic arithmetic operations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and calculation of percentages, fractions, and decimals.
• Interpret basic descriptive statistical reports.
• Use functional reasoning in performing influence functions such as supervising, managing, leading, teaching, directing, controlling, problem-solving, and reasoning.
• Exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in evaluating information against sensory and/or judgmental criteria.