Caseworker CYA

County of Lancaster•Lancaster, PA

About The Position

This is a casework position with the Permanency department of the Lancaster County Children & Youth Agency. The caseworker supervises, coordinates, and provides services to families of children who are placed in kinship homes, resource homes, group homes and residential facilities. Many of the youth have had various acting out behaviors ranging from truancy, sexual abuse, and neglect to violence against other people. Many of the parents exhibit multiple challenges in functioning as parents or in managing their own lives. With the assistance of the supervisor, the caseworker is required to prioritize activities to fulfill the demands of the job and maintain quality services to all clients. For all cases, the caseworker is responsible for creating and implementing written, court-approved case plans for children and their families. The caseworker is responsible for making referrals for services to complete the tasks on the plans to achieve permanency. The caseworker supervises clients’ progress on their plans, develops written reviews of progress and presents those reviews to the Court.

Requirements

Six months of experience as a Caseworker Trainee; or
Successful completion of the County Social Caseworker Intern Program; or,
A bachelor’s degree with a social welfare major; or,
A bachelor’s degree which includes or is supplemented by 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, human services or other related social sciences and one year of professional social casework experience in a public or private social services agency; or,
Any equivalent combination of experiences and training which includes 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, human services or other related social sciences.
Have an excellent understanding of the PA Juvenile Act, the Child Protective Services Law, and DPW Regulations.
Have an understanding of the corollaries of child abuse and neglect; ability to identify these factors in families and to interpret them for case disposition and planning.
The ability to gather and analyze information in such a way that consequent judgments maximize the safety of children and minimize unwarranted intrusion into family privacy.
Knowledge and ability to use crisis intervention modality to initiate and deliver short-term services.
Thorough knowledge of child development and family dynamics.
Ability to establish relationships with clients that facilitate meaningful and efficient investigation, and the ability to relinquish the relationship at case transfer or closing.
Ability to complete clear, concise written and verbal communication as related to record keeping, court testimony, service planning, dealing with community professionals, etc.
Organization and time management skills to meet competing demands for client contacts, record keeping and related duties.
Flexibility and energy to meet the unpredictable and emergency nature of caseload demands.
Attitude of cooperation to enhance team functioning within the unit and to contribute to overall Agency goals.
Must pass pre-employment drug screening test.
Must have acceptable background check that includes FBI clearance, PA State Police Criminal history and ChildLine clearances.
A valid driver’s license and acceptable driving history in accordance with County policy.
Must have the ability to work independently.
Must have the ability to transport self to various locations for meetings, visits and other appointments.
This position will require the ability to conduct home visits and other appointments and to access those locations with reasonable accommodations.

Responsibilities

Continually assesses the safety of children on their caseload.
Develops and implements safety plans to protect children.
Evaluates the quality of care provided to children in agency custody through visits to resource parents & provider agencies.
Determines whether appropriate services are being provided and negotiates for corrective actions as needed.
Assesses the skills of caregivers and conveys pertinent information to the resource unit or other relevant party.
Facilitates and, when necessary, supervises family/sibling visits.
Assesses parental interaction, models appropriate behavior and guides parents toward more effective interaction.
Makes referrals to appropriate services to assist parents and children in achieving the goals of the plan.
Consults with other professionals and cooperates with them to further the case plan and quality of care of the child.
Utilizes the case plan, assists parents to complete tasks, occasionally performs tasks jointly with parents and children and identifies the family's strengths and needs.
Makes field visits to homes to interview parents and observes conditions in the home in order to assess the care of their children and identify the family's strengths and needs.
Assists resource parents in identifying and obtaining needed services and works with foster parents to ensure quality substitute care for children.
Develops with the family differential case plans using a variety of treatment modalities.
Utilizes the Agency’s risk and safety assessment tools and follows the appropriate intervals.
Describes and interprets policies and procedures for resource parents, biological parents, children, and other agencies and professionals.
Reviews casework activities and associates them to the case plan during routine conferences.
Maintains an Outlook Calendar to reflect appointments and daily tasks
Maintains accurate case records and performs routine paperwork per Agency policy.
Routinely prepares petitions and testifies at court hearings for all children in placement.
Prepares testimony and testifies at hearings to terminate parental rights when reunification is not timely or feasible.
Participates in unit and staff meetings where information is disseminated and policy is reviewed, proposed, and discussed.
Routinely provide own transportation to and from client homes, meetings, outreach visits and other job-related appointments in a timely manner with reasonable accommodations.