Social Worker (Permanency Planning)

New Hanover County•Wilmington, NC

19h•Hybrid

About The Position

New Hanover County is seeking dedicated individuals to join their Permanency Planning unit as Social Workers. This role focuses on keeping families together by assessing complex needs, partnering with families to strengthen them, and providing support and interventions to maintain or reunite children with their families. The position involves working cohesively with families, children, community partners, and other child welfare entities to ensure child safety, permanence, and the development of strong family units. The job requires determining the most appropriate plan for reunification, relative placement, or adoption, and developing case plans with parents, relatives, and foster parents. Responsibilities include testifying in court, documenting cases, preparing reports, and entering data into software systems, all while building positive relationships to promote permanency for children in the Department's custody. Approximately 90% of the work is conducted in the field (homes, court, community). This position offers the opportunity for partial telework, with occasional workdays starting from home, but requiring direct reporting to job sites and occasional office visits for meetings or training. The ideal candidate for telework is a self-starter with strong communication and technology skills.

Requirements

MSW from an accredited school; OR BSW from an accredited school of social work and 1 year of related social work experience; OR a four-year degree in a human services field with at least 15 semester hours in courses related to social work and 2 years of related social work experience; OR a four-year degree in a field outside of human services and 3 years of related social work experience; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Valid Driver's License and good driving record required at time of application.
Valid North Carolina Driver’s License required by first date of employment with good driving record.
Ability to prioritize workload and maintain administrative duties while balancing field work.
Thorough knowledge of agency procedures and resources, community systems and resources, manual material, state and federal regulations, permanency planning philosophy, and laws governing protective services for children.
Knowledge of basic criminal justice procedures, elements of medical and mental disorders, personality theory, family systems dynamics, interpersonal relations, and cultural differences, values and lifestyles.
Firmly adhere to codes of conduct and ethical principles.
Ability to navigate technology and quickly learn new and complex systems.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.
Applicants who only have economic services caseworker or Probation/Parole Officer experience to count as social work experience, must have a minimum of two years of experience in order to be considered as a trainee.
Experience counts as social work experience for one half the time up to one year maximum.
Applicants who meet the required minimum education but lack the required social work experience may be considered as trainees.
Priority consideration for trainee applicants will be given to those applicants who have completed the NC Child Welfare Education Collaborative Program and to those possessing a BSW or MSW.

Responsibilities

Determining the most appropriate plan of reunification, relative placement, or adoption.
Partnering with parents, relatives, kinship placements, and foster parents to develop case plans.
Ensuring all services are arranged and provided for children and families.
Testifying in court hearings.
Documenting cases.
Preparing reports.
Entering information into various software systems.
Working to develop a positive relationship with children and parents to help strengthen families and promote permanency for children in the custody of the Department.
Identifying and assessing risk.
Addressing safety issues.
Problem-solving with families to create solutions.
Making connections with families and supporting family-centered principles.
Making decisions without regard to personal prejudices, biases, and experiences.
Respecting the value of individual differences at all levels of the organization.
Thinking critically during conflict and high-stress situations.
Exercising sound judgment.
Building and maintaining positive, productive relationships with peers, colleagues, managers, providers, the community, and other professionals.