Program Manager-Child Protective Services

Chatham, County of•Pittsboro, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you passionate about supporting children and families through strong leadership and quality social work services? We’re seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead our Children’s Services team and help make a meaningful impact in the community. Join a team that values collaboration, professional growth, work-life balance, and employee wellness. The primary purpose of this position is to provide managerial support, leadership, and supervision to supervisors, social workers, and others within Children’s Services in the Family Services Division. This position supervises supervisors and Social Workers for the CPS and APS Intake unit, which also handles courtesy requests, on-call, and prevention services, the CPS Investigations and Assessments team, and an administrative support position. The Program Manager must assess all social work functions to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal mandates. The position oversees HR functions within the unit, including orientation and training of new social work employees, ongoing support and supervision, and annual performance evaluations. This position is also responsible for overseeing and managing quality assurance activities for program areas and a variety of monthly reports. This position serves on the agency management team.

Requirements

Master's degree from an accredited school of social work and three years of social work or counseling experience, two of which was in a supervisory capacity; or a Bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work and four years of social work or counseling experience, two of which were in a supervisory capacity; or a Master's degree in a counseling field and four years of social work or counseling experience, two of which were in a supervisory capacity; or a Bachelor’s degree in a human services field or related curriculum including at least 15 semester hours in courses related to social work or counseling and five years of social work or counseling experience, two of which were in a supervisory capacity; or a Bachelor’s degree and six years of experience in rehabilitation counseling, pastoral counseling, or a related human services field providing experience in techniques of casework, group work, or community organization, two of which were in a supervisory capacity; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Previous supervisory experience is required.
Ability to provide strong leadership to employees within assigned program areas and across the agency.
Skilled in the ability to supervise, orient, and train Social Workers, interns, and other staff.
Considerable knowledge and experience with child welfare practice and policy, including best practices, abuse, neglect, and dependency, intake policy for both adult and child protective services, and all child protective services investigative and assessment policy, including safety planning.
Considerable understanding of trauma and its impact on individuals served, as well as Secondary Traumatic Stress and how it impacts employees.
Skilled in the ability to manage conflict, remain neutral and fair, engage people and build trust, and promote collaboration and consensus toward positive outcomes.
Strong multi-tasking skills, the ability to prioritize work assignments, and to be flexible with schedule as needed.
Ability to quickly and competently assess the risks and safety of the home environment, employ negotiation skills in complex situations, and de-escalate emotional and tense situations.
Ability to work independently and manage day-to-day tasks.
Ability to plan and execute work effectively, including delegating fairly across team members.
Considerable knowledge of methods and principles of casework supervision and training.
Thorough knowledge of social work principles, North Carolina’s child welfare practice model, techniques, and practices, and their application to complex casework, groupwork, and community and system issues.
Knowledge of a wide range of medical, behavioral, and/or psychosocial problems that children and families may be experiencing.
Considerable knowledge of family and group dynamics, intervention techniques, and laws, regulations, and policies that govern the program.
Considerable knowledge of governmental and private organizations, and resources in the community.
Ability to prepare and edit written documentation such as letters, court reports, budget documents, and grant applications.
Ability to competently testify in court as needed and assist social work employees with preparing and testifying in court.
Ability to communicate effectively and express ideas clearly, with individuals from varying cultures and backgrounds via phone and through personal contact, and provide equitable treatment to all.
Ability to use best practices, strategies, professional judgment, and time management skills in complex situations.
Ability to plan and coordinate with both internal and external parties.
Ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
Ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills.
Ability to demonstrate excellent listening skills.
Ability to demonstrate good public relations and customer service skills.
Ability to perform work using local and state technology systems, including PATH NC, CWIS, Northwoods, iiReception, Microsoft Office, internet browsers, virtual meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and other commonly used electronic equipment and programs.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with County officials, department heads, court partners, peers, associates, and the general public.
Must be fingerprinted and successfully pass a Criminal History Record Check with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations (NCSBI).
Must possess a valid North Carolina driver's license.
Must complete all applicable required training, including Confidentiality, Civil Rights, FEMA and Red Cross Shelter Training, Bloodborne Pathogens, applicable adult services program training, new employee orientation, and Chatham County Department of Social Services Policy and Procedures.

Responsibilities

Participates in the recruitment, interviewing, and hiring process with supervisory employees and other positions as needed.
Provides orientation and training to new supervisors and Social Workers, develops annual training plan for assigned employees and assigned programs, and participates in the management of performance issues.
Provides regular case staffing, supervision, coaching, and support to all team members per agency and NC DHHS policy.
Prepares agendas, facilitates unit meetings for assigned program areas, and arranges for and provides training as needed to staff.
Establishes unit goals and sets priorities for program areas covered.
Provides input into division planning along with Deputy Director and Program Manager(s) and participates with the management team in agency planning.
Oversees submission and accuracy of all required reporting for covered programs, and reviews and submits daysheets and timesheets for employees supervised.
Oversees CPS record requests, consulting with agency attorney as needed to ensure compliance with all statutes and regulations.
Identifies needed areas of improvement, works with the Deputy Director and supervisory team to address patterns and develop strategies to address and monitor progress.
Participates in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities within the Family Services Division and performs Quality Assurance for assigned program areas.
Prepares for and participates in program monitoring, child fatality reviews, and financial audits as needed.
Creates a culture within program area(s) and across the agency that supports employees to provide quality services and customer service.
Ensures the facilitation of Child and Family Team meetings, Child Planning Conferences, and other required meetings as needed.
Reviews a wide array of reports and works to fix errors and address issues.
Tracks trends and needed data for teams and program areas and submits reports within required timelines.
Provides information for the budgeting process as needed.
Provides backup to supervisors and the Deputy Director as needed to ensure coverage of essential functions.
Works collaboratively with a wide array of partners, including individuals served, agency attorney, schools, law enforcement, attorneys and other court partners, MDT members, treatment providers, and others in case planning activities.
Prepares for and facilitates court staffing with agency attorney, reviews court reports as needed, ensures representation at all associated court proceedings, acts as agency liaison with agency attorney for CPS services matters, and ensures expert testimony in court is provided as needed.
Serves as a member of the agency management team, other internal committees, and represents the agency at a variety of other local and state meetings and committees.
Performs project management as needed for assigned program areas.
Ensures thorough and timely documentation of all case activities in the record per local and state policy and required timeframes for program areas.
Takes an active role in the planning of and actively participates in agency functions, outreach and awareness events, training, and team building activities.
Acts as a shelter manager in shelter operations or other weather-related incidents as needed.
Performs other duties as assigned.