Child Welfare Specialist I (Licensing & Placement Unit)

Mecklenburg County•Charlotte, NC

6d•Onsite

About The Position

This position within the Licensing and Placement Unit will provide community-based services to individuals and families by gathering information from clients, family and other available resources. This position is in Youth and Family Services and is responsible for determining individual's specific needs and assisting with developing an action plan and/or mutual responsibility agreement. The Child Welfare Specialist I seeks to identify placements for children in foster care, collaborating with community providers, facilitating orientations, meetings, and training, generating reports, recruiting foster and adoptive families, participation on committees, and large amounts of data tracking. This position will be located at 3205 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208. The hours for this position are Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed.

Requirements

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 major AND two years of social work experience OR master’s degree in related major AND one year of social work experience.
Combination of relevant education and relevant experience accepted: Yes
Requires a valid North Carolina or South Carolina Driver's License
Requires County Driving Privileges
Knowledge of General social work principles and available resources
Social services procedures, practices and methods
Social services related federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations relating to provision of public assistance, and social welfare
Case management methods and techniques
Services offered by the county and other local public and private community based service agencies
Skills Evaluating records to ensure accreditation standards are met.
Exercising judgment and discretion
Maintaining various confidential records
Managing and executing multiple tasks
Possessing strong communication skills
Prioritizing work
Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures
Building Customer Loyalty: Effectively meeting customer needs; building productive customer relationships; taking responsibility for customer satisfaction and loyalty
Building Partnerships: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
Building Trust: Interacting with others in a way that instills confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization
Care Management: Having the knowledge and skills to secure relevant patient care data and identify key issues and relationships in the management of patient care; understanding the relationships among assessments, interventions, and patient responses; skilled in documentation of assessments and adjusting physical and cognitive prescriptions as needed
Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the information provided
Customer Focus: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customers’ and own organization’s needs.
Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences
Inspiring Others: Using interpersonal styles and methods to inspire and guide individuals toward higher levels of performance
Managing Conflict: Dealing effectively with others in an antagonistic situation; using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension or conflict between two or more people
Work Standards: Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed
Computer Skills Proficient in various computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite

Nice To Haves

Child Welfare experience preferred
Foster care licensing and placement experience preferred

Responsibilities

Finding safe foster home placements that fits the specific physical and emotional needs of the child.
Provider outreach and coordination for appropriate placement and tracking placement capacity.
Assess needs of individuals and/or families and link them to appropriate resources to meet goals and expected outcomes.
Assess wellbeing and safety of children
Facilitate face to face, telephone and virtual contacts with children and families and internal and external community stakeholders to assess safety and risk
Attend child and family team meetings, along with stakeholder and provider team meetings
Provide supportive services to kin and resource caregivers
Assist clients in the completion of required paperwork for items that may determine program eligibility, referrals, or provide job assistance, such as job applications
Manage records and documentation of services provided and maintain history records and prepare reports
Provide, find, or arrange for support services
Serve as a liaison between department staff, community stakeholders, students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts, to help children who face problems such as disabilities, abuse, or poverty; communicate with other staff members regarding referrals and transitioning of clients
May be required to work varying shifts and weekends for community events
May be required to staff shelters in the event of a disaster