Child Welfare Specialist II (Investigations, In-Home Services, & Permanency Planning)

Mecklenburg County•Charlotte, NC

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The Youth and Family Services (YFS) Division of the Department of Child, Family and Adult Services (CFAS) provides services to safeguard children by strengthening families whose children's health, safety, and well-being are at risk. The mission of DSS is to strengthen families and communities through a safety-net of services, collaborations, and hope. The department's vision is to define and cultivate an organizational culture that is more compassionate and understanding toward each other and our clients. YFS believes that the people who do this work are its most important resource, and children and families deserve trained, skillful professionals to engage and effectively assist them. This position provides community-based services to individuals, groups, families, or communities regarding issues including child abuse, neglect, dependency, delinquency, and adoption. Children and family needs may include mental health, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, rehabilitation, social adjustment, housing, child care, or medical care. Under general supervision, this position is responsible for providing evaluation, case management, counseling, formal and informal comprehensive assessments, and referral services to assist in meeting the needs of children and families. We are currently recruiting for three crucial areas: Investigations, Family-in-Home, and Permanency Planning.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in social work AND one of the following: two years 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 two years of social work experience.
Bachelor's degree in Social Work or related major.
Requires a valid North Carolina or South Carolina Driver's License.
Requires County Driving Privileges.
Annual Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) check required.
Intermediate knowledge of social services procedures, practices and methods.
Knowledge of 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.
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.
Intermediate in various computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Bilingual applicants with (Spanish and English) proficiency preferred.
Will be required to pass the County’s Bilingual Assessment in order to receive a paid Bilingual Premium.
Human Services degrees such as: Clinical Social Work, Counseling, Criminology/ Criminal Justice, Gerontology, Human Development Learning, Human Services, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology, Substance Abuse Rehabilitation.

Responsibilities

Investigate and assess the needs of children involved in reports of alleged abuse, neglect and/or dependency.
Engage the family to formulate a plan to alleviate any identified risk factors.
Provide in home intervention to families where abuse, neglect, and/or dependency was substantiated, or the family was determined to need services to prevent children from being taken into custody, reduce risk, and alleviate wellbeing concerns.
Provide a safe and nurturing home to children who have been placed into the custody of the Department of Social Services.
Assess, evaluate, identify risks to children and develop a plan for service allowing children to have permanency within one year.
Assess needs of individuals and/or families; and provide counseling and services in both individual and group settings and discuss goals, expected outcomes and means with which to meet goals and expected outcomes to include the development of Family Service Agreement.
Assist clients in the completion of required paperwork for items that may determine program eligibility, referrals, or provide job assistance, such as job application.
Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems, to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
Refer clients to community resources for services such as job placement, debt counseling, legal aid, housing, medical treatment, or financial assistance, and provide concrete information, such as where to go and how to apply.
Provide, find, or arrange for support services, such as child care, homemaker service, prenatal care, substance abuse treatment, job training, counseling, or parenting classes, to prevent more serious problems from developing.
Determine clients' eligibility for sponsored programs and financial assistance; and ensure timely benefits and referrals to other agencies, whether internal or community based.
Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
Monitor residential facilities for compliance with licensure standards, provide technical assistance, investigate complaints against licensed facilities.
Arrange for medical, psychiatric, and other tests that may disclose causes of difficulties and indicate remedial measures.
Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports.
Transport clients (adults and children) to appointments such as medical, job related or others, if appropriate.
Manage records and documentation of services provided and maintain history records.
Complete court reports and testify in juvenile and adult court hearings.
Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients, and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided and ensure services were effective and situations have improved.
Serve as liaisons between students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, medical and behavioral health providers, and other contacts, to help children and adults who face problems such as disabilities, abuse, inability to meet daily functional needs or poverty.
May be required to work varying shifts to include evening and weekends.
May be required to staff shelters in the event of a disaster.