Social Worker III QA -Foster Care

Job Description Summary:

Work in this class involves providing intensive social work services in serious and complicated cases which require the flexible use of a wide range of social work skills and intervention techniques. Services are provided in a variety of settings including local human services agencies; providing in-depth assessment of family dynamics and needs, assessment, intervention and treatment of patients and or families with acute to severe medical and/or emotional disorders and mental illnesses; serving as expert witness at court hearings; or advanced social work intervention. Working with Law Enforcement, Medical personnel, the school system, Court system. Work includes working with the entire family system, identifying strengths and needs and working together to help children achieve permanency. Employees may be asked to train lower level social workers, students, and interns. Employees report to program directors, or unit supervisors. This position also involves quality control of Placement cases. Reviewing records with the State review tool to help identify strengths and weakness in Placement cases.

Hiring Range:

$59,774.00

Responsibilities and Duties:

Variety and Scope

• Employees provide social work services in the areas child protective services, custody and adoption, and foster care work which involve the assessment of individual and family dynamics and needs, serving as expert witness at court hearings, crisis intervention, and counseling.

Work involves explaining diagnosis and treatment alternatives to patients and families, counseling and participating in education endeavors for physicians, psychologists, nurses, other health disciplines, students and social work interns, and participating in research activities. Intricacy

• Employees use considerable judgment in conducting individual assessments, selecting and providing treatment techniques or dealing with psychosocial aspects or researching catastrophic or terminal diseases.

Employees provide in-depth assessment of family dynamics, determine the extent of neglect or abuse, and provide counseling for clients with complex needs. Employees usually refer the most severe cases, such as severe phobias or unusual violence patterns to a higher level social worker or therapist. Employees educate and consult with other staff and community professionals for information purposes and joint case planning. Some didactic consultation may also be involved. Subject Matter Complexity

• Work requires a thorough understanding of social work assessment techniques and treatment approaches primarily of a crisis, supportive, and behavioral nature.

Considerable knowledge of legal and administrative aspects of programs. Employees may require knowledge of medical diagnoses, treatment alternatives, disease pathophysiology, biopsychosocial, adaptive, and coping responses to illnesses. Guidelines

• Includes state and federal laws and regulations, JCAHO standards, professional ethics, theories of standard methods and procedures, and quality assurance standards. Employees may participate in development of new theories or adaptation of techniques in the field of social work. Nature of Instructions
• Work involves comprehensive children services that are jointly planned with other members of a multi-disciplinary team or protective services committee and supervisors. Assessment and intervention are performed with considerable independence. Medication issues are referred to physicians and legal precedents are utilized in some settings. Nature of Review
• Work is reviewed by unit supervisor, program manager, or higher level clinician, usually on a general basis except for review of sensitive legal, abuse, or commitment situations. Scope of Decisions
• Directly affects clients, their families, foster homes, adoptive parents, adult care facilities and community agencies, depending on case load. Consequence of Decisions
• Assessments, service/treatment decisions affect the safety and well-being of clients in neglect or abuse situations, affects adjustments in adoptive and foster care placements and in long term placements; or the adaptive coping response to illness and surgery. A. Major Job Responsibilities and Percentage of Time I. Assessment/Evaluation
• 15 % Assessment of the family's service needs and evaluation of the appropriate services to be provided is an essential component of this employee's responsibilities.

Tools used include Mental Health and psychological evaluations, interviews with family members and collaterals, and structured assessment instruments. Input from inter-agency review teams is also used. 2. Development of Treatment Goals and Service Plans — 10% The employee assists families in developing service plans and setting goals. Service plans are designed to prevent further abuse or neglect and to ensure safety of children within the family setting. If child is removed from the home, goals are designed with purpose of reuniting families. The purpose is to prevent further maltreatment and resolve problems in family unit. Written service and visitation agreements are developed between employee and client. These written agreements provide direction and clarification for parents who are sometimes overwhelmed by the agency and often unsure of the agency's expectations. Service and visitation agreements specify obligations for both parents and the agency. They formalize the parents' agreement and input for the treatment program. This approach is supportive of parents and keeps them involved in planning for their child's future. 3. Case Management and Service Plan Implementations

• 10% As case manager, employee designs and obtains appropriate services to meet needs of clients.

Case management ensures a cohesive approach in the delivery of services. Employee is responsible for ensuring agency and court reviews for children in the custody or placement responsibility of the agency. This employee provides Medicaid-at-risk case management services for clients meeting medical criteria. Assists client in grasping relationship between current situation and desired goals and advocating for needed resources and services for client. The number of cases assigned varies. Employee usually carries five to eight cases at a given time. Employee carries these cases until legal custody is returned to parents or relative. Preventive service cases vary according to family's ability to reach set goals. Employee may assume responsibility for client budgeting in some cases. Employee assists agency attorney in preparing cases for court. Presents information to court, files juvenile petitions when child must be removed. In court, employee functions as a knowledgeable, competent witness and makes recommendations concerning the child's care and custody. Employee must have thorough knowledge of N.C. General Statues pertaining to Children's Rights and the Juvenile code. At times, employee may be asked to make investigations of court-ordered custody dispute matters which requires an evaluation of the home environment, ability of the person in question to parent, and an overall assessment of his/her emotional, financial and physical capability to provide adequate care for child. 4. Community outreach, referrals, other duties as assigned

• 15% As a case manager employees are expected to conduct thorough assessments and interviews to determine what other resources we may be able to connect them with.

The Social worker is responsible for assisting clients in becoming as safe and self sufficient as possible. Social Worker at any time may be asked to complete duties outside of this job description when deemed necessary by management that it is in the best interest of the agency. 5. Monitoring/Review — 50% Employee reviews cases for accuracy, to determine the appropriateness of services and in preparation for court and agency reviews. Services received by clients are monitored. The progress made by client is monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. Provides guidance to encourage innovation and change in programs, the agency's structure and services delivery, and guidance to encourage needed changes in family unit, guidance toward demonstrating appropriate means of discipline. Scope of Contacts

• Includes clients and families, a variety of professional disciplines, community agency groups, court officials, students, interns, or residents. Nature and Purpose
• To determine extent of neglect, abuse, and facilitate move to appropriate setting to assess strengths and risk factors related to physical and mental health; and provide counseling to alleviate family crises.

Employees also communicate to facilitate adaptive coping responses to illness and surgery, provide expert opinions to legal officials or medical staff, and provide didactic experiences for students, residents, or interns. To review Placement records and offer critical, fact-based information regarding records and meeting state and Federal requirements. Work Conditions

• Employees work in settings which range from human services agencies, clinics, hospitals, or offices, but often involve visits to client's home or contacts in institutions or correctional facilities. Hazards
• Includes contacts with clients and/or family members who may be hostile, resistant, and violent.

Education and Experience:

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.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices, and their application to complex casework, group work, and community problems. Considerable knowledge of a wide range of medical, behavioral, and/or psychosocial problems and their treatment theory. Considerable knowledge of family and group dynamics and a range of intervention techniques, governmental and private organizations, and resources in the community, laws, regulations, and policies which govern the program. General knowledge of the methods and principles of casework supervision and training. In certain settings, considerable knowledge of medical terminology, disease processes and their treatment as they relate to decisions regarding clinical interventions and appropriate therapies based on medical or psychological diagnosis. Skill in establishing rapport with a client and in applying techniques or assessing psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological aspects of client's problems. Ability to supervise, train, or instruct lower-level social workers, students, or interns in the program. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of case load and their families, as well as civic, legal, medical, social, and religious organizations. Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to plan and execute work effectively. Candidate may also be assigned other duties while employed in this position and is expected to adapt as the job position entails, other duties as assigned.

Work Environment/Location/Physical Demands:

Employees work in offices, but work involves visiting homes, schools, health and mental health facilities and other service agencies. Employees interact with clients in the most difficult and complex cases. Hazards of the job may include contact with irate clients and/or family members who may be hostile, resistant or violent. Some homes may be poorly maintained and have unsafe living conditions. Some required contacts may occur in unsafe areas where the threat of violence is real or in an isolated area where access to emergency services may be difficult. Employees must be flexible with their schedule The work environment is fast paced, unpredictable and highly stressful. The policy standards, caseload sizes, and often-disturbing experiences can at times cause emotional distress. The work environment is also rewarding and fulfilling as the social worker empowers, assists and provides protective services to the family Employee should have the ability to perform manual work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.