What are the responsibilities and job description for the Kinship Caseworker position at Fairfield County Ohio?
The primary purpose of the Social Service Worker 2 position (kinship caseworker position) is to complete family finding activities and urgent placement requests to facilitate a placement location for children entering the custody of Fairfield County Protective Services. The position will complete tasks associated with kinship assessment/support programs. This will include the completion of home visits, interviews, safety walk throughs of homes, fingerprinting, documentation, and the completion of family finding tools. The position requires competence in all Department of Children and Youth and Fairfield County Protective Services rules and policies related to kinship/licensure assessments. Additionally, the position will assist with Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) assessment requests and courtesy supervision requests.50% Completes family finding activities and urgent placement requests to facilitate placement location for children entering the custody of Fairfield County Protective Services, utilizing tools including but not limited to the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), LexisNexis Accurint search engine, and other online resources, as well as contacts with known family members and non-fictive kinship via telephone, social media, home visits, phone calls, and other methods. For identified cases, family finding will be include the use of the Kinnect to Family model to provide additional resources. In the course of each case’s family finding and discussion/contact with family members and kinship, a genogram using GenoPro or other agency approved genogram-creation software will be created in order to best share family information with other agency staff and individuals attached to the case. If there is an identified need, plan and schedule, in collaboration with other agency staff, a Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) conference to assist in facilitation of planning for all involved family members and kin. Be competent and aware of all family finding rules and policies as identified by the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and Fairfield County Protective Services, including the Kinnect to Family Model. Maintain documentation of this work in SACWIS, Traverse, and all other identified systems.
40% Completes associated tasks for kinship assessments, Kinship Permanency Incentive (KPI) assessments, Kinship Supports Intervention (KSI) requirements, and assessments/licensure for the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KGAP): home visit, safety walkthrough, assessment of potential placement, interviews, fingerprinting, documentation in SACWIS. Kinship assessments for family finding cases, as well as other assessments requested from case services team (not associated with family finding). Complete fingerprinting as required for home assessments and provide assistance for other individuals to be fingerprinted by the agency. Be competent and aware of all Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and Fairfield County Protective Services rules and policies regarding completing of kinship assessments, including criminal history disqualification, home safety requirements, and all other relevant aspects. Complete out-of-state kinship requests and/or courtesy supervision requests received via Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). Documentation completed in SACWIS, to include both activity logs and entry of completed kinship assessments. Seeks and maintains Ohio Assessor qualifications.
10% Participates in weekend and night coverage on rotating basis. Assist with overflow case assignments by assessing the validity of complaints accepted according to Department of Children and Youth (DCY) rules and agency policy of abuse, neglect, and dependency by conducting interviews of adults and children at various locations, completing assessments in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), gathering evidence, and working with community partners and/or collateral sources. Provides interventions to alleviate crisis and reduce risks to children by engaging the family, community partners and referring for service linkage. When assigned two or more overflow cases from the area of Intake, Ongoing, and/or Adoption, SSWII’s will receive a temporary 5% increase during the duration of working high risk cases. Upon completion of those cases or when only assigned one overflow case, the worker will return to their original base rate of pay. Perform other duties as assigned. Per Section 5153.112 of the Ohio Revised Code, applicants of a Public Children Services unit must have one of the following:
1. A bachelor’s degree in human services-related studies, or
2. A bachelor’s degree in any field and have been employed for at least two years in a human services occupation, or
3. An associate’s degree in human services-related studies, or
4. Been employed for at least five years in a human service-related occupation.
For employment to continue, a person described in Option 2, 3, or 4 above must obtain a job-related bachelor’s degree not later than five years after the date employment with the agency commences.
Per Section 5153.122 of the Ohio Revised Code, each caseworker shall complete at least ninety hours of in-service training during the first year of the caseworker’s continuous employment, consisting of courses in recognizing and preventing child abuse and neglect, assessing risks, interviewing persons, investigating cases, intervening, providing services to children and their families, and other topics relevant to child abuse and neglect. After the first year of continuous employment, each caseworker annually shall complete thirty-six hours of training in areas relevant to the caseworker’s assigned duties. In addition, applicant must have valid driver’s license.
Applicants may first be required to complete a Case Worker in Training onboarding process for a period up to 6 weeks.
40% Completes associated tasks for kinship assessments, Kinship Permanency Incentive (KPI) assessments, Kinship Supports Intervention (KSI) requirements, and assessments/licensure for the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KGAP): home visit, safety walkthrough, assessment of potential placement, interviews, fingerprinting, documentation in SACWIS. Kinship assessments for family finding cases, as well as other assessments requested from case services team (not associated with family finding). Complete fingerprinting as required for home assessments and provide assistance for other individuals to be fingerprinted by the agency. Be competent and aware of all Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and Fairfield County Protective Services rules and policies regarding completing of kinship assessments, including criminal history disqualification, home safety requirements, and all other relevant aspects. Complete out-of-state kinship requests and/or courtesy supervision requests received via Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). Documentation completed in SACWIS, to include both activity logs and entry of completed kinship assessments. Seeks and maintains Ohio Assessor qualifications.
10% Participates in weekend and night coverage on rotating basis. Assist with overflow case assignments by assessing the validity of complaints accepted according to Department of Children and Youth (DCY) rules and agency policy of abuse, neglect, and dependency by conducting interviews of adults and children at various locations, completing assessments in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), gathering evidence, and working with community partners and/or collateral sources. Provides interventions to alleviate crisis and reduce risks to children by engaging the family, community partners and referring for service linkage. When assigned two or more overflow cases from the area of Intake, Ongoing, and/or Adoption, SSWII’s will receive a temporary 5% increase during the duration of working high risk cases. Upon completion of those cases or when only assigned one overflow case, the worker will return to their original base rate of pay. Perform other duties as assigned. Per Section 5153.112 of the Ohio Revised Code, applicants of a Public Children Services unit must have one of the following:
1. A bachelor’s degree in human services-related studies, or
2. A bachelor’s degree in any field and have been employed for at least two years in a human services occupation, or
3. An associate’s degree in human services-related studies, or
4. Been employed for at least five years in a human service-related occupation.
For employment to continue, a person described in Option 2, 3, or 4 above must obtain a job-related bachelor’s degree not later than five years after the date employment with the agency commences.
Per Section 5153.122 of the Ohio Revised Code, each caseworker shall complete at least ninety hours of in-service training during the first year of the caseworker’s continuous employment, consisting of courses in recognizing and preventing child abuse and neglect, assessing risks, interviewing persons, investigating cases, intervening, providing services to children and their families, and other topics relevant to child abuse and neglect. After the first year of continuous employment, each caseworker annually shall complete thirty-six hours of training in areas relevant to the caseworker’s assigned duties. In addition, applicant must have valid driver’s license.
Applicants may first be required to complete a Case Worker in Training onboarding process for a period up to 6 weeks.
Salary : $24
