SW I/A&T- LINKS Coordinator

The primary purpose of this position is to manage the agency's LINKS plan in accordance with Chafee Foster Care Independence Act.  The LINKS program involves working with adolescents, teens, and young adult ages 13 to 21 to improve outcomes regarding pre-martial pregnancies, school dropout, criminal records, incarceration, and involvement in other high-risk behaviors, once they leave foster care.  

An essential function of this position requires operating a county vehicle in the performance of work. 

This employee will coordinate, facilitate and monitor program activities to ensure that the participants develop and maintain self-sufficiency skills.  The social worker will (a) conduct annual written assessments of each participant age 13 and older in agency custody regarding their strengths and needs related to self-sufficiency, (b) develop a transitional living plan with each participant that reflects the goals of the self-assessment, (c) incorporate the transitional living plan into the agency service plan (case plan), (d) perform other required activities according to policy, and (e) collect data on current and former LINKS participants and submit reports to the State LINKS Coordinator.  In addition, the social worker will provide training to existing child welfare social workers, new hires, and foster parents.

70% LINKS Transition and Services to Youth in Foster Care, ages 13 to 21:  LINKS Transitional Services are provided on behalf of young adults 18 to 21 who were in the agency's custody on their 18th birthday and have been discharged or are to be discharged within 60 days from the agency planning responsibility.   Activities include:  (1) work with individuals and businesses that will rent apartments, rooms, homes to young persons aging out of foster care to locate safe housing options for young adults, (2) provide skills such as money management, simple home repairs, conflict management, legal rights and responsibilities in housing issues, and (3) act as a mediator between the young adult and landlord when necessary and/or teaching mediation skills to the young adult.  The social worker will determine eligibility for Transitional Housing Funds and arrange for state reimbursed financial assistance through LINKS Coordinator to secure housing and/or utilities for eligible young adults.    

LINKS Services provided to youth/young adults in foster care (ages 13 to 21) include:  (1) arrangement of life skills assessments at least biannually (13 to 15) and every six months (16 to 21) and involve at a minimum a self-assessment by the youth and an assessment of the youth/young adult by his or her caregiver, (2) work with youth/young adult to develop written individual contracts spelling out the responsibility of the agency and each youth/young adult to accomplish such goals as transitional goals, life skill training based on assessed needs, agency or contracted services that will be provided to assist youth with other needs that are interfering with achievement of educational or vocational goals, self-sufficiency, relationships with family, mentors, and significant others, etc., and plans for development or strengthening of the youth's personal support system, (3) provision of opportunities for youth to learn about available resources in the community and activities designed to provide real-life learning experiences, (4) documentation of services (5) plan and arrangement of inter-county events and group that benefit eligible youth/young adults and (6) at times hold a small foster care caseload of youth who are 15-18 years of age.  In addition, the worker will serve as a communication link between the county agency and the LINKS State Coordinator and coordinate services with LINKS program liaisons in other counties.   

10%   Data Collection and Analysis:  The social worker will (1) collect and report data on specified outcomes for youths and young adults who have been discharged from DSS custody/placement authority, (2) collect and report data on outcomes regarding the effectiveness of the services to help participants become self-sufficient, (3) maintain cumulative data regarding participation in the program services, services provided and outcomes for participants as required by State LINKS Coordinator regarding youth/young adults, ages 13 to 21 and (4) prepare required surveys, annual reports and applications for LINKS' funding for county programs regarding youth/young adults 13 to 21.    

15%    Outreach Services  Social worker will locate and offer LINKS services to youth and young adults ages 16 to 21 who have been discharged from DSS custody/placement authority and are at risk of self-destructive or criminal behavior or homelessness.  The social worker will (1) network with organizations in the community that are frequented by at risk youth or young adults, (2) visit areas and programs frequented by youth and young adults to contact youth that would benefit from the services, (3) contract youth/young adults to serve as agency liaisons with eligible at-risk youth and young adults and (4) produce and/or distribute information to targeted youth/young adults regarding the availability of resources and services as well as eligibility information.    

5%      Training and Education The social worker will provide training to current Child Welfare social workers and supervisors, new hires and foster parents.   The venue for such training may be unit meetings, Child Welfare staff meetings, and the MAPP training attended by prospective foster parents.  The worker will participate in local, stat, and/or national trainings and conferences relevant to LINKS services to youth and young adults.     This position will perform other duties when necessary.

• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions. 
• Accuracy - Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly. 
• Autonomy – Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word. 
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely. 
• Customer Oriented - Ability to take care of the customers' needs while following company procedures. 
• Decisive - Ability to decide thoughtfully and quickly given the information available.
• Ethical - Ability to demonstrate conduct conforming to a set of values and accepted standards. 
• Honesty / Integrity - Ability to be truthful, maintain high level of confidentiality and be seen as credible in the workplace.
• Influence - Ability to gain support and buy-in by way of persuading, convincing or influencing to others to overcome barriers allowing them to support a particular vision. 
• Judgment – Ability to use good judgment and discretion as it relates to interpreting policies and procedures.
• Multitasking – Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Problem Solving - Ability to find a solution for or to deal proactively with work-related problems. 
• Relationship Building - Ability to effectively build relationships with customers and co-workers.
• Safety-Minded – Creating a safe work environment; managing risks; reducing exposure liabilities.   
• Time Management - Ability to utilize the available time to organize and complete work within given deadlines. 

This social worker needs a thorough knowledge of basic social work principles, techniques, and practices and their application to complex casework, group work, and community problems; knowledge of governmental and private organizations and resources in the community; some knowledge of behavioral and socioeconomic problems and their treatment; knowledge of NC Statutes related to child abuse/neglect reporting law; manual material pertaining to the provision of social services, protective services, foster care services and child care services    This employee needs the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with administrative supervisors, members of the caseload and their families, care providers, and various community organizations; the ability to express ideas clearly and concisely; to plan and execute work and to deal with hostile clients.

 

SELECTION PROCESS:  Selection will be by structured interview.  Applications will be reviewed to select the best-qualified applicants for admission to interview.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

N (Not Applicable) Activity is not applicable to this position.
O (Occasionally) Position requires this activity up to 33% of the time (0 - 2.5 hrs./day)
F (Frequently) Position requires this activity from 33% - 66% of the time (2.5 - 5.5 hrs./day)
C (Constantly) Position requires this activity more than 66% of the time (5.5 hrs./day)

Physical Demands 
Stand    F
Walk     F
Sit         F
Manually Manipulate     O
Reach Outward     O
Reach Above Shoulder     O
Climb     O
Crawl     O
Squat or Kneel    O
Bend      O

Lift/Carry
10 lbs. or less   O
11-20 lbs.    O
21-50 lbs.    O
51-100 lbs.   O
Over 100 lbs.   O

Push/Pull 
12 lbs. or less   O
13-25 lbs.    O
26-40 lbs.   O
41-100 lbs.   O

Other Physical Requirements
•Vision (Near, Distance, Peripheral)
 
WORK ENVIRONMENT 
Standard office environment

Salary : $54,338