Child Welfare Case Worker

Montech Inc.•Red Lake, MN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Montech Inc. is seeking a Child Welfare Case Worker to support the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Human Services, Red Lake Nation. The role provides comprehensive child welfare case management for children and families in the Red Lake Nation child welfare system, supporting child safety, permanency, and well-being. The worker manages cases from intake and placement through reunification, guardianship, adoption, or case closure, and collaborates with children, parents, caregivers, Tribal Court, service providers, and community partners. The position supports family preservation, cultural connections, compliance with tribal and federal child welfare requirements, and positive outcomes for children. The position is on-site at the BIA Red Lake Agency in Red Lake, Minnesota, with work also performed at satellite offices on the Red Lake Reservation and in the field throughout the Reservation. Travel to off-reservation placements, courts, and trainings is required as needed. Work is scheduled within the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for 40 hours per week. Each shift consists of eight paid hours and a 30-minute unpaid lunch. The worker manages assigned cases whether opened before or after reassumption of services. Duties include developing case plans, conducting monthly child visits, supporting placement selection and family connections, coordinating services, participating in court proceedings, pursuing permanency, coordinating interstate and out-of-area placements, assisting older youth with transition planning, and responding to critical events and placement disruptions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a related field.
At least 3 years of child welfare case management, foster care, or permanency casework experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience testifying in court.
Experience working with tribal communities.

Responsibilities

Develop a written case plan with the family within 30 days of placement or case opening, prepare it for federal approval, and support the 90-day supervisory review.
Complete at least one face-to-face visit with each child each month at the placement setting; assess safety, well-being, health, education, and placement stability; confirm household members; document visits in FASS-CMS Cloud; and reschedule missed visits within the same 30-day period.
Support placement selection in accordance with preferences for extended family and the tribal community, and confirm before placement that the home is licensed by the Nation and NACSA checks are complete for every adult in the home.
Arrange and document parent and sibling visitation, and support cultural connections through ceremonies, language, and community events consistent with family wishes and the case plan.
Refer parents and children to services, including substance use treatment, mental health care, parenting support, the Office of Justice Services-funded recidivism program, and IHS, and track progress.
Pursue a permanency plan within six months of placement and make reasonable and active efforts toward reunification, treating reunification as the primary plan unless the court finds otherwise.
Attend every hearing after a case opens and serve as the court's point of contact from the Admit/Deny hearing onward.
Prepare court reports, testify at hearings in Red Lake Nation Tribal Court, and submit the case plan for the judge's approval.
Coordinate Interstate Compact placements and residential placements.
Provide independent living and transition planning for youth age 16 and older.
Respond to placement disruptions, runaways, and critical incidents, including purchasing emergency placement items when a child is moved without essentials.
Immediately report any new allegation of abuse or neglect in placement to an Administrative Support / Intake Worker for cross-reporting to law enforcement and the licensing agency.