Social Worker III – Foster Care Position Available In Macon, North Carolina

• POSITION:

• Social Worker III

• DEPARTMENT:

• Department of Social Services

• Grade:

• 30•

Starting Salary:

• $47,747.44

• Position Number:

• 530026

• Posted:

• June 3, 2025

• Closing Date:

  June 20, 2025

• GENERAL

DEFINITION OF WORK

• The social worker in this position is employed by the Macon County Department of Social Services as an agent of the North Carolina Division of Social Services under the general administration of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Specifically, the social worker works within the Social Work services unit of the Macon County Department of Social Services which provides direct services to clients. The Social Worker in this position is responsible for various duties associated with the Foster Care program. Primary duties consist of case management duties for children who are placed in the legal and/or physical custody of Macon County Department of Social Services by using North Carolina General Statutes, North Carolina Administrative Code, child welfare policy and rules set forth by the state and knowledge of the Foster Care program.

The agency operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Regular work hours for this Social Worker III are anticipated to be from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. The work week will consist of 40 hours. This social worker is required to be periodically on-call after-hours to respond to reports of child abuse, neglect or dependency, as well as to respond to calls concerning adults who are disabled and in need of protective services. The anticipated call rotation is a 7 day period once every 13 weeks, however, this can vary for a number of reasons (including staff turnover, leave time taken, etc.)

• QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work
• Bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only)
• Bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year directly related experience
• Master’s degree in a human services field and one year of directly related experience
• Bachelor’s degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years directly related experience
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience
• One year of work experience can be credited for completion of the social work collaborative.

• ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• 1.

Cases are assigned by the social work supervisor to social worker on the basis of specialty with all clients being residents of Macon County. However, the social worker must have knowledge of all child welfare services in the event that any other worker is unavailable.2.The social worker in this position serves children of all ages up to age 21 and financial backgrounds. Children served by this worker are characterized as being at high risk due to allegations of being abused, neglected, or dependent and/or in temporary or substitute care when the child’s biological parents or caretakers are unable to provide adequate care or protection for the child. These children may have a physical, mental or emotional disorders.3. Foster care placement is temporary substitute care provided to a child who must be separated from his or her own parents or caretakers when the parents or caretakers are unable or unwilling to provide adequate protection and care. A child in foster care is a child for whom the Macon County Department of Social Services has legal custody and placement responsibility and for whom a licensed public or private child-placing agency may provide placement should the child not be placed with relatives.

• Case Management
• This includes assessment of needs and resource available for the family, the focus of treatment/therapy, and on-going intervention.

This also includes a risk assessment of each child victim in the home and the initial assessment and evaluation of the parents or families needs, abilities, resources, motivation, reaction to agency involvement and potential for positive change (as reflected by goals mutually developed by the social worker and parent to remediate the condition which necessitated the department’s involvement). This includes conducting school visits and home visits and making contacts with any individuals who have knowledge of the allegations. This also includes making whatever crisis intervention that is appropriate to insure the safety and protection of the child(ren). In carrying out this activity, this social worker must be able to adequately deal with complex and sensitive issues and to make life-changing decisions for clients/families.

• Information and Referral/Community Liaison
• This includes providing general information to inquiries and identified needs enabling clients to access other resources to augment services available through the department.
• Counseling/Therapy/Treatment/Crisis Intervention
• The ongoing helping process beginning with the interviewing phase and continuing through the termination of the therapeutic relationship aimed at assisting the client to become self-sufficient and resume independent functioning.
• Assessment/Evaluation/Goal Development
• Initial assessment and evaluation of client needs, abilities, resources, motivation, reaction to agency involvement, potential for positive change as reflected by goals mutually developed by worker and client to remediate the condition which necessitated the department’s involvement.

These assessments are also used for preparation and delivery of court testimony.

The social worker in this position is mandated by state law to provide foster care services to children who are identified as being in need of these services due to substantiated reports of abuse (physic