Social Worker III, Child Welfare - Foster Care

SOCIAL WORKER III

FOSTER CARE

SOCIAL SERVICES

Caldwell County Department of Social Services envisions a community where every person feels included, supported, and valued and every action we take intentionally contributes to the ongoing improvement and strengthening of our community. We strive to create a positive impact and are committed to ensuring the safety and improving the welfare of every citizen we serve.

If you are committed to supporting our mission and want to be a part of our dynamic workforce driven by teamwork and support to improve the lives of every person we encounter, we would love for you to come join our team!

Caldwell County offers competitive salary along with a benefit package that can be tailored to suit your family’s needs.

General Statement of Duties

A Foster Care worker in Child Protective Services provides direct services to children and their families in an effort to reunify children with their families after removal from the family home as a result of abuse, neglect or dependency. As Caldwell County is committed to the Multiple Response System, a person in this position will use Family Centered Practice Principals to assess the risk and safety of children and conduct Shared Parenting meetings between birth families and foster families. A person in this position will be responsible for evaluating a family’s progress toward the goals of their Family Services Case Plan and evaluating the risk level in the home.

Examples of Duties Performed

• Make monthly visits to the birth family’s home to evaluate progress toward the case plan goals.
• Make monthly visits to the foster home to ensure all needs are being met.
• Make telephone contacts with collateral sources, such as GAL, doctor, School etc.
• Prepare for and attend Permanency Planning meetings.
• Prepare for court reviews, including writing court reports, preparing to testify and attending all necessary court proceedings.
• Staff cases with supervisor and team on a regular basis to make case decisions.
• Attend all training appropriate to the position.
• Attend agency and community meetings.
• Complete general administrative duties, such as day sheets, timesheets and travel reports.
• Complete case plans, risk assessments, and dictation for all cases.
• Make referrals to community resources.

Recruitment Standards

Knowledge, skills and abilities.

• A person in this position will need to be comfortable using a computer for several different applications.
• A person in this position will need to be able to communicate with a variety of people, in a variety of settings, and must have some skills around de-escalation and problem solving.
• Organization of work is also a necessary skill for anyone interested in this position.
• A person should be able to have effective time management skills to handle a variety of job duties.
• A person in this position should have skills to manage crisis situations.
• A person in this position should be able to work effectively with co-workers.
• A person in this position should have knowledge of all areas of child welfare and be able to fill in for case management or an assessor if needed.
• Knowledge of Family Centered Practice and Child Welfare is helpful.
• Some lifting and carrying will be involved in this position.

Minimum education and experience

A Master’s degree in Social Work or related field is preferred, but at least a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or other Human Services field is required. Two years of experience in a Social Services setting is preferred; however, a combination of education and experience will be considered.