Social Worker IA&T

Salary: $65,166.00 Annually
Location : New Bern, NC
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 10841
Department: Social Services
Division: Child Services
Opening Date: 10/28/2024
Closing Date: 11/6/2024 11:59 PM Eastern
Primary Purpose
This position is located in the Child and Family Services Division. It is a staff position and reports to their supervisor on a Children's Services Team.
The primary purpose of this position is to provide family based social work services designed to strengthen and empower families while ensuring the safety of children in cases in which abuse, neglect and/or dependency have been alleged or found. This is accomplished by conducting a child protective services assessment and/or in-home service. This position also conducts assessments and participates routinely in the on-call rotation. This position assesses relatives and other kinship type persons, as possible caretakers in the event the child cannot remain safely in the home.
Essential Functions
The work is performed within the Child and Family Services Division. Continually assesses information from various collateral contacts and resources in the community to determine whether abuse, neglect and/or dependency have occurred or continue to occur. State mandated assessment tools are utilized to aid in determining the level of risk to the children. Works with clients who are children from newborn to 18 years of age who have not been emancipated or married that are suspected or found to be abused, neglected and/or dependent. Clients are also the parents or caretakers of these children who frequently are uncooperative or hostile regarding mandatory intervention with their family. Works with cases received from Child Protective Services Intake Worker, transfers from other counties, the Courts, other child protective services agencies outside the state. Must stay abreast of and comply with all changes in program policies, laws, and regulations. Arranges and accompanies children to medical examinations to gather information for the assessment and/or for initial placement into Foster Care. Writes the background section of court reports if a child is taken into foster care from their caseload and testify in court cases during the adjudication or non-secure custody hearing. Worker must maintain regular contact with the families and various collaterals including but not limited to education personnel, medical and mental health providers.
45% Management / Counseling / Monitoring

• Coordinates with involved professionals especially Work 1st, including them in the development of the plan; organizes and assigns tasks for effective and efficient service delivery.
• Advocates for the client when the service delivery system fails.
• Assesses relatives and other kinship type people as possible caretakers in the event the child cannot remain safely in the home.
• Manages the coordination of child and family team meetings at the designated intervals according to policy.
• Writes the background for court reports when a petition has been filed on a family in the workers caseload.
• Enhances the client's problem-solving skills using role modeling, advising, instructing, and reinforcing positive behavior to prevent out of home placement.
• Responds to family crisis by altering or redirecting inappropriate behavior.
• Prepares child and family for a proposed change in the child's placement and resulting separation and grief.
• Educates parents in basic child development and behavioral management techniques.
• Provides feedback to parents and foster parents regarding effects of child rearing and child management practices used by each.
• Prepares families for self-sufficiency when case is to be closed.
• Observes client's verbal and non-verbal behavior in various settings to assess overall progress.
• As per state standards and the needs of the family, consults with other service providers involved with the client to determine progress towards specified objectives and goal.
• Interprets any court orders to parent/guardian and child and monitors compliance.
• As per state standards, documents progress, barriers and new problems through progress notes, court reports, social histories, case plans and reviews.

30% Assessment

• Initiates and completes CPS assessments re: reports of abuse, neglect and/or dependency by assessing the risk of harm to children involved in the report, gathering information from the family collateral, and staffing with unit members to determine if the family is in need of mandated services according to N.C. General Statutes.
• Reviews all reports on previous and current treatment modalities and prior contacts within the family.
• Interviews children and families to determine family dynamics and their assessment of the problems.
• Assesses children and parent's problem-solving skills.
• Identifies support systems within the family and community.
• Determines the need for auxiliary community resources.
• Analyzes problems in relation to the family's cultural, environmental, and socio-economic situation.
• Identifies and carefully documents the strengths, needs and areas of potential growth within the family structure.
• Identifies and analyzes the social worker's biases relevant to assessing and/or providing services.

15% Development of Case Plan

• Develops a therapeutic relationship with the clients.
• Develops jointly an in-home services agreement which includes concurrent planning with the family which identifies the goal of the agency intervention, describes specific desired outcomes, identifies the necessary behavior changes, gives time-oriented steps to reach the objectives, and states whom is responsible for the requisite actions and tasks.
• Utilizes the state mandated tools for ongoing assessment and services provision.
• Provides on-going risk assessments to determine risk to children in order to guide the case planning process.
• Arranges, facilitates and/or participates in child and family team meetings.

5% Consultation

• Consults with supervisor on cases with significant barriers or lack of progress.
• Consults with school personnel, foster families, professionals, other agency staff and other involved parties when appropriate.

3% Teaching / Training

• Shares his/her expertise while training lower-level social workers or consulting with co-workers.
• Cases are staffed within the team, division, or peers when a family is particularly challenging, when a new approach is needed, and before closing the case for services.
• Workers should also team as needed with other agencies or community persons to monitor case process.
• Certain cases are staffed with a member of management prior to closing. When a child must be removed from his/her home, the Supervisor, Program Manager and Staff Attorney is included on the team.
• This position provides services to ten families at any given time, which may include both assessments and in home services cases. In home services cases are generally open for three to nine months.
• The worker may find financial problems within the family and assist with these by appropriate referrals and/or counseling. In some cases, the worker may provide protective payee services.
• Court or legal responsibility: Worker may be required to gather, prepare and present evidence in a variety of court proceedings as deemed appropriate by each case. Worker may be responsible for preparing court summaries and providing testimony.
• Consults with family services staff or completes on emergency assistance applications for clients in their caseloads.
• With supervisor's approval, provides short term individual and family adjustment services for clients who are no longer in need of in-home services but may still need short term supportive services.
• For guides and references, the worker stays abreast of and follows policies and procedures as outlined in manuals provided by N.C. Division of Social Services and as mandated by N.C. law.
• Is required to attend all state mandated CPS training and 24 hours of additional training each year.
• Technical advice is sought from appropriate professionals who have skills in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of child abuse and neglect.
• Work is routinely reviewed by the unit supervisor and at the time of case closure.
• The supervisor reviews client narratives on a regular basis. Supervisory and management personnel are available for consultation. An attorney is on staff.

1% Community Liaison

• Represents the agency in orienting and training other community resources and persons on legal basis and procedures regarding CPS programs.

1% Other Duties

• This position also assists in disaster relief efforts that includes but is not limited to shelter duty. Assignment to emergency shelter duty during times of potentially dangerous or manmade disasters is an essential function of this position and you shall be required to fulfill these duties when instructed.
• Position may perform other duties as assigned by the Social Work Supervisor III, Social Worker Program Administrator I, Social Work Program Manager, Director, and Deputy Director.

Minimum Education and Experience
Master's degree from an accredited school of social work and one year of social work experience; or a Bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work and two years of social work or counseling experience; or Master's degree in a counseling field and two years of social work or counseling experience; or a four-year degree in a human services field or related curriculum and three years of social work or counseling experience; or graduation from a four-year college or university and four years of experience in rehabilitation counseling, pastoral counseling or a related human service field providing experience in the techniques of casework, group work or community organization; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Must possess a valid North Carolina driver's license; any restrictions on North Carolina driver's license must not prohibit the performance of the essential functions of the position.
Additional Information
Physical Requirements
The worker must be able to lift up to 80 lbs. such as car seats and small children and must not have any physical restrictions which would limit their ability to work outside of the agency.
Craven County offers regular full-time employees a wide variety of employee benefits including:
Health Insurance
Health Insurance is provided by ACS Benefits Services and covers a wide variety of healthcare services. Craven County pays 100% of Employee Only premium cost. Employees have the option to add child and spouse dependent coverage at their own cost.
Dental Insurance
Dental Insurance is provided through the Delta Dental PPO and Delta Dental Premier network administered by ACS Benefits Services. It covers a percentage of basic to major dental procedures, including orthodontia for children. Craven County pays 100% of Employee Only premium cost. Employees have the option to add child and spouse dependent coverage at their own expense.
Life Insurance and AD&D
Craven County provides eligible employees with $10,000 life insurance and accidental dealth and dismemberment coverage through OneAmerica AUL. Employees have the option to purchase additional coverage and/or dependent coverage at their own expense.
Disability Insurance
Craven County provides eligible employees with $50.00 per week in disability insurance through OneAmerica AUL. Employees have the option to purchase additional disability insurance at their own cost.
North Carolina Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System
Eligible employees are automatically enrolled in the retirement system and must contribute 6% of their gross salary each pay period. Once eligibility requirements are met, employees will be able to receive monthly payments for life based on their salary, age, and years of service credit.
NC401k
Craven County contributes 2% of eligible employees' gross salary into the 401(k) account regardless of the employee's deferral amount. In addition, the County matches employee deferrals up to an additional 3%.
Annual Leave
Regular full-time employees earn annual leave based upon years of service. Eligible employees begin to accrue annual leave as soon as they start but must complete a six month probationary period before they are eligible to use annual leave.

• Less than two years of service earns 10 days per year.
• Two but less than five years of service earns 12 days per year.
• Five but less than 10 years of service earns 15 days per year.
• 10 but less than 20 years of service earns 18 days per year.
• 20 or more years of service earns 20 days per year.

Sick Leave
Regular full-time employees earn 3.69 hours of sick leave per pay period. Craven County accepts eligible sick leave from the State of North Carolina, any of its political subdivisions, any local government entity or authority, or municipality in North Carolina.
Paid Holidays
County employees receive 11-14 paid holidays annually. The Board of County Commissioners may adjust the holiday schedule as deemed necessary.
Longevity
Eligible employees earn $200 in longevity after five years of service by October 31 of the qualifying year. Longevity benefits increase $25 per year up to a maximum of $1,000.
Merit Program
Craven County offers a merit program. Up to 56% of eligible employees may receive a performance-based merit increase each year.
Supplemental Benefits
County employees are also offered a variety of supplemental benefits to select at their own expense such as Life Insurance, Vision Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Critical Care policies, Cancer policies, Long-term Care policies, Hospitalization policies, 457b Deferred Compensation Plan and Aflac.
Employee benefits are subject to change or may be contingent upon funding availability.