Social Worker IA&T-In Home

Craven County•New Bern, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is located in the Child and Family Services Division and reports to a supervisor on a Children's Services team. The primary purpose is to provide family-based social work services aimed at strengthening and empowering families while ensuring child safety in cases of alleged or confirmed abuse, neglect, and/or dependency. This involves conducting child protective services assessments and/or in-home services, participating in on-call rotations, and assessing relatives and kinship persons as potential caretakers if a child cannot remain safely at home.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited school of social work and one year of social work experience; OR
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited school of social work and two years of social work or counseling experience; OR
Master’s degree in a counseling field and two years of social work or counseling experience; OR
Four-year degree in a human services field or related curriculum and three years of social work or counseling experience; OR
Graduation from a four-year college or university and four years of experience in rehabilitation counseling, pastoral counseling or a related human service field providing experience in the techniques of casework, group work or community organization; OR
An equivalent combination of training and experience.
One year of work experience can be credited for completion of the social work collaborative.
Subject to SBI criminal history record check prior to hire.
Must possess a valid North Carolina driver's license; any restrictions on North Carolina’s driver's license must not prohibit the performance of the essential functions of the position.

Nice To Haves

MSW or BSW degrees are preferred.
Other appropriate combinations of education and experience will be considered for trainee / work-against status.
Directly related experience is defined as human services experience in the areas of case management, assessment and referral, supportive counseling, intervention, psycho-social therapy and treatment planning.

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive and on-going safety and risk assessments, including reviewing clinical assessments and other evaluations, and assessing children's safety and well-being needs during home visits, with specific guidelines for substance-affected infants, safe sleep, and domestic violence.
Complete DSS 5226 Family Risk Reassessments at key points in the case, such as during Family Service agreement development, significant family changes, prior to court actions, and before case closure.
Assess family strengths and needs informally throughout the case and formally using DSS-5229 prior to completing a Family Services Agreement and before case closure for In-Home Services Cases. For cases with children living out-of-home, perform Strength and Needs assessments within the same timeframes as Permanency Planning Meetings.
Conduct trauma screenings and refer for appropriate trauma assessment and treatment services at initiation of services and every 6 months thereafter.
Perform comprehensive Kinship assessments when assisting families with temporary safety placements or prior to court-sanctioned relative placements.
Initiate and complete CPS assessments regarding reports of abuse, neglect, and/or dependency by assessing risk of harm, gathering information, and staffing with team members to determine the need for mandated services.
Develop the Family Services Agreement (In-Home Case Planning) within 30 days of initiating services, in partnership with the family, addressing maltreatment issues and including measurable objectives, activities, and desired outcomes.
Develop a therapeutic relationship with clients and jointly develop a safety plan and/or in-home services agreement with concurrent planning, identifying agency intervention goals, desired outcomes, necessary behavior changes, time-oriented steps, responsibilities, and ensuring child safety.
Utilize state-mandated tools for ongoing assessment and service provision, including ongoing risk assessments to guide case planning.
Arrange for and provide direct services to help families change maltreating behaviors, including parenting skills, child development, and the importance of permanent homes.
Coordinate with involved professionals such as therapists, doctors, school personnel, attorneys, and judges, and review professional evaluations to include recommendations in the case plan.
Ensure recommendations of medical providers are followed as written.
Refer or monitor services needed to address maltreatment issues, including referrals to DSS-provided clinical treatment.
Arrange/participate in Child and Family Team meetings and the Shared Parenting process.
Conduct face-to-face visits with all children and interview them regarding safety and well-being issues as required by policy.
Prepare children, biological parents, and temporary safety providers for any changes in residence a child may experience.
Assist families in understanding psychological safety and the difficulties children may experience with life changes.
Prepare children and their families for court when in-home services are not successful and court action is sought.
Participate in Prehearing conferences and prepare court reports by due dates.
Provide reasonable efforts to ensure children can remain safely in the custody of their parents or legal guardians.
Submit all vouchers, pay agreements, time sheets, and mileage forms within policy guidelines.
Assist in maintaining the financial security of the agency by completing daysheets accurately and timely.
Assist families in identifying service providers within their financial means or that accept their insurance.
Attend case staffing, unit meetings, and Division Meetings.
Complete all mandatory preservice training and 24 hours of additional training per year of service.
Assist in disaster relief efforts, including shelter duty, which is an essential function of this position.
Perform other duties as assigned by supervisors.