Adoptions Social Worker III

Salary : $53,366.44 AnnuallyLocation : Social Services Main Hickory, NCJob Type : Full-TimeJob Number : 02083Department : Social ServicesOpening Date : 01 / 17 / 2025Closing Date : 1 / 31 / 2025 11 : 59 PM EasternPosition DescriptionCatawba County Social Services is committed to making living better through serving children and families with multiple and complex needs. We are recruiting for an individual who shares our common core values to fill an Adoptions Social Worker III role : Doing what's right : Provide adoption services including foster care case management, adoption competency skill building for families, child specific adoption recruitment services, and completion of legal and financial aspects / adoption assistance. Doing what matters most : Advocate for children awaiting adoption through recruiting, educating and supporting adoptive families to provide permanency. Doing it together : Partnering with families, children, community partners, and other child welfare professionals to support and strengthen families through achieving permanency.Doing it well : Striving for excellence in meeting all mandated standards in a fast-paced rewarding environment that ultimately seeks to provide permanency for children. This position may be cross trained to provide recruitment and kinship services. This environment is fast paced, rewarding and requires individuals with high energy and dedication. Responsibilities Prepare, assess, and train prospective foster care / adopt / kinship familiesUse extensive social work knowledge to complete emergency (within 24-hour timeframe) and in-depth assessments of parenting abilities of individuals and couples seeking to parent a relative child in the child welfare systemSupport family through the adoption legal processProvide coaching / supervision to resource (kinship / foster / adopt / ) familiesLink families with post adoption support servicesParticipate in weekly clinical staffingsAssess, prepare and place children for adoptionActively participate on adoption selection committee, treatment meeting, and permanency planning meetingsProvide state mandated case management services for children in DSS Legal CustodyKeep statistics, records, and case management notesWeekend on call rotation with other Permanency Planning workers to include holidays (approx. 2-3 times a year) Qualifications Masters degree from an accredited school of social work; orBachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work and 1 year of social work experience; orBachelor's degree in human services and 2 years of social work experienceAdditional Requirements : Valid NC driver's license with a safe driving recordKnowledge of social work principals, techniques / practices, and ability to apply these to complex problems including assessing families, preparing and transitioning children into adoptive placementsStrong written and oral communication skills, including active listening interviewing, and group facilitation skillsAbility to organize, prioritize, and multi-task on a daily basisThis is considered light to medium work; lifting up to 40 pounds to carry children and belongings. Additional InformationPreferences : Strong preference for applicants with Masters or Bachelors degree in Social WorkPreference for applicant to have completed Training in Adoption CompetencyCatawba County BenefitsAs of 7 / 1 / 2024 : You will find that Catawba County has one of the best benefits packages around. Our Human Resources staff are dedicated to keeping in touch with trends in benefits on both a local and national level, listening to employees' suggestions regarding benefits, and continually reviewing to ensure our benefits package is of good quality and meets the needs of both our employees and our organization. Available benefits include : Health Care Health : For a small bi-weekly premium, employees may choose between a traditional (co-pay) health plan and a high deductible health plan coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Coverage may also be purchased for spouse, child(ren), or family. Dental Insurance : At no cost to full-time employees, the County covers preventive, routine, and non-routine care. Coverage for the same benefits may also be purchased for spouse, child(ren) and family. In addition, a $2,000 benefit toward orthodontia coverage is provided for children up to age 19. Vision Care : Coverage is available, at group rates, for employee and dependents, with 2 plan options to choose from. Supplemental critical care and accident insurance plans : These optional coverage plans are available at a nominal cost. Flexible Spending Accounts : Pre-tax accounts which can be used to pay for qualified out-of-pocket medical, dental, vision expenses.Employee Wellness Employee Health Clinic (EHC) : An employee medical clinic, available to all County employees, which operates 40 hours a week. Services provided include acute care, first aid, evaluation and care for workers' compensation injuries, pre-employment screenings, health education, and behavioral health referrals. Services offered both in person and through telehealth. Acute care available to employee's children ages 5-17 regardless of health insurance coverage and for employee's adult children (ages 18-26) or employee's spouse if covered on the county's health insurance. Wellness : The County recognizes the importance of our health and well-being. We maintain a very proactive and effective Wellness Program, including reimbursement and discounts for gym membership, incentives for physical activity, on-site nutrition counseling, free exercise opportunities, wellness education and more. Employee Assistance Program : Counseling services are available to all County employees and immediate family members in the home. Services are provided in a private and confidential setting (in-person or virtually). The County provides coverage for the first six visits.Work Life Balance Annual Leave : Full-time employees earn from 10-21 days annually based on years of service. Service credit from other NC and Local Governments in the retirement system may be transferred to the County. Sick Leave : Full-time employees earn one day (8 hours) of sick leave per month. Sick leave from other NC and Local Governments in the retirement system may be transferred to the County. Holiday Leave : Throughout the year, 11 days of paid leave are provided in recognition of holidays. Flexible work schedules. Time off for activities that support our local schools. Continuing educational assistance. Discount tickets to recreational venues. Employee appreciation days / activities. Tax-free flexible spending account to pay for dependent care.Financial Security Local Governmental Employees Retirement System : For employees assigned to work 20 hours per week or more in a benefitted position, participation in this program is automatic. Employees contribute 6% of their salary, which is tax deferred. After (5) years of creditable service, you become fully vested in the retirement system. Employees may also take advantage of individual and group retirement counseling through the Human Resources department. 401K : The County provides a 2% contribution plus an additional 1% match (up to 3% total contribution by the County). Our sworn law enforcement officers receive a flat 5% contribution to their 401k. Other Tax Deferred Programs : Other tax-sheltering programs are available through IRS Code 125 (Cafeteria Plan), and a 457 supplemental retirement plan (Deferred Compensation). Longevity Pay : After 5 years of creditable service, employees receive an annual longevity payment that is paid every year thereafter. This lump sum payment rewards employees for their length of service to Catawba County. The amount is based on years of service. Life Insurance : Death benefit equal to one times employee's annual salary with a minimum coverage amount of $25,000. Optional supplemental life insurance coverage is also available for both employee and dependents through payroll deduction at group rates. Short Term Disability : Available at no cost to employees, benefits are available after a 55-day waiting period. Long Term Disability : Available through payroll deduction at group rates. Eligibility for membership and financial services at State Employees Credit Union (SECU) / Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU).01 Why are you interested in being an Adoptions Social Worker? 02 Why do you think families seek adoption? Required Question

Salary : $25,000 - $53,366