START Social Worker III/ or Trainee

Buncombe County Government•Asheville, NC

5d•$26 - $36•Hybrid

About The Position

Buncombe County is hiring a START Social Worker III or Social Worker III Trainee in its Social Services – Child Welfare department. The position reports to a START Social Work Supervisor III and partners with a START Family Mentor to co-work mandated Child Protective Services cases, including Foster Care cases. START is an intensive intervention model for families affected by parental substance use, integrating addiction and recovery services, family preservation, community partnerships, and child welfare and substance use disorder treatment practices. The position provides mandated services to children and families affected by parental substance use, supporting children’s safety, permanency, and well-being. The position starts in person, with a hybrid schedule allowed over time. The selected candidate must relocate or reside within a two-hour drive of 200 College Street, Asheville, NC 28801, within six months of hire. The typical schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with some evenings and weekends. Time-and-a-half leave accrues for hours worked over 40. Candidates may be hired at the fully qualified Social Worker III level or as a Social Worker III Trainee, depending on qualifications. Trainees are expected to advance to Social Worker III once fully qualified, at which point they will be promoted and compensated as a qualified Social Worker. Salary is based on education and experience above minimum qualifications.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work; or a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and one year of directly related experience; or a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, or Human Services and two years of directly related experience; or a bachelor’s degree in another field and three years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Current, valid North Carolina driver’s license.
Ability to prioritize, identify, and assess risks, problems, and needs in stressful situations, including with hostile, emotionally confused, or resistant clients, and to de-escalate individuals effectively.
Knowledge of medical, behavioral, and socioeconomic problems and their treatment; funding sources and their use; basic criminal justice procedures; medical and mental disorders; personality theory; family systems dynamics; interpersonal relations; and cultural differences, values, and lifestyles.
Ability to establish constructive relationships with resistant clients and use family-centered social work practice.
Interviewing and counseling skills; ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, plan and execute work effectively, and create resources when none are readily available.
Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices and their application to casework and community problems.
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.

Nice To Haves

Specialized training or experience working with families with young children impacted by Substance Use Disorder.
BSW and Social Work Collaborative students preferred.
English/Spanish bilingual speakers preferred.
Certificate of completion of the NCDHHS Pre-Service Training: Child Welfare in North Carolina preferred.

Responsibilities

Ensure children who cannot safely return to their birth families achieve safe and legally secure placement through adoption or guardianship.
Evaluate, arrange, maintain, and supervise appropriate temporary substitute care in court-sanctioned placements or licensed facilities when safety or risk factors prevent a child’s family from providing adequate care.
Provide direct services to children and their pre-adoptive caregivers to support children’s protection, safety, and permanency.
Assess, prepare, place, and monitor children cleared for adoption.
Provide state-mandated case management services for children in DSS legal custody.
Develop and monitor family service plans and provide or refer services as needed.
Make recommendations to the court about needed services, progress, and barriers to a permanent plan.
Build rapport with children, families, and community professionals and non-professionals, using a strengths-based, family-centered approach throughout child welfare involvement.
Perform other related duties as assigned.