Foster Care Social/Case Worker

COMMONWEALTH CATHOLIC CHARITIES • Norton, VA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

This position arranges for placement of minors in foster care. The role involves providing case management, maintaining case files, coordinating with school personnel, supervising placements, developing individualized service plans, assisting with foster family training and certification, providing crisis intervention and on-call emergency services, participating in staff trainings, developing permanency plans, providing ongoing guidance and assessment of foster families, conducting Independent Living skills training and assessment, potentially managing cases for the Safe Passages Grant Program, assisting in developing community partnerships, completing reports for stakeholders, participating in procedure development, providing crisis on-call support, tracking policy changes, maintaining knowledge of foster families for child placement, and potentially serving children who are unaccompanied or undocumented. The role also requires representing the agency professionally, demonstrating sensitivity to cultural and socioeconomic characteristics, and utilizing strong interpersonal, decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills, along with basic Microsoft Office proficiency.

Requirements

• A doctorate or master's degree in social work from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or a field related to social work such as sociology, psychology, special education, or counseling, with a student placement in casework services to children and families or one year of experience in providing casework services to children and families; OR
• A baccalaureate degree in social work or a field related to social work including, but not limited to, sociology, psychology, special education, or counseling and one year of experience in providing casework services to children and families; or
• A baccalaureate degree in any field plus two years experience in providing casework services to children and families.
• For a case worker trainee: a baccalaureate degree in any field; the program director or a child-placing supervisor shall directly supervise the trainee and develop a written training program listing topics to be covered during the period of time the individual is a trainee; and placement decisions made by the trainee shall be approved by the supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management to minors in the foster care program.
• Prepares and maintains complete and accurate case files, records, and reports to the court, Department of Social Services, Department of Health and Human Services and other appropriate agencies as specified.
• Coordinates with school personnel to provide individualized services to minors.
• Supervises placement by visiting with minor and foster care families to monitor placement progress and provide appropriate intervention when indicated.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate individualized service plans for each minor.
• Assists in the orientation, training, certification, and supervision of foster families and minors.
• Provides crisis intervention services and on-call emergency beeper coverage.
• Participates in staff trainings. May facilitate training to staff and foster parents, as assigned.
• Participate in development of permanency planning including aftercare as appropriate.
• Provide on-going training, guidance and assessment of foster families.
• Conduct Independent Living skills training and Independent Living assessment.
• May be assigned cases specific to family reunification cases for the Safe Passages Grant Program.
• Assists in developing community partnerships and resources.
• Completes reports and updates to stakeholders/referral agencies and serving as liaison for community partner agencies.
• Participates in the development and update of procedures and forms.
• Provides crisis on-call support and coverage.
• Tracks policy and procedural changes from agency partners and educates staff.
• Maintains a working knowledge of all foster families in the program to assist in child placement.
• Staff member may be assigned cases and specific tasks if service location provides services to UAC and URM children.
• Represents the Agency in the community and workplace in a professional and ethical manner.
• Demonstrates sensitivity to the service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal, decision-making, problem-solving, oral, and written skills.
• Utilizes a basic knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Benefits

• Retirement savings – After one year of employment, the agency contributes 4% of your plan year earnings into a savings account for you and will match dollar-for-dollar up to 4% of salary if an employee makes contributions to the plan.
• PTO – earn 16 days off for vacation, sick, or personal time in your first year. This goes up to 22 days in your second year and keeps climbing every five years.
• Holidays – Enjoy eleven paid holidays
• Other paid leave at no cost to employees – bereavement, short-term disability, long-term disability, paid parental leave
• Virginia Credit Union memberships
• Employee Assistance program – Free services including five free confidential consultations with a mental health professional
• Medical Insurance – a choice of 4 PPO plans for employee, employee + spouse, employee + child(ren), or family coverage. A portion of premiums subsidized by the agency.
• Dental Insurance – a choice of two dental plans for employee, employee + spouse, employee + child(ren), or family coverage. A portion of premiums subsidized by the agency.
• Vision Insurance
• Life insurance – paid by agency with option to purchase additional coverage
• Other insurance benefits – flexible spending accounts including dependent care, health savings account (for qualified HDHP participants), legal resources

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level