Prevention Social Worker

THIS RECRUITMENT IS A CONTINUOUS OPENING AND WILL BE USED TO FILL POSITIONS AS THEY BECOME AVALIABLE.   

Applicants are encouraged to apply early. The application review process will take place immediately and continue until the position is filled. This recruitment may close any time after the first review or when a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.   

Hiring range for this position is $51,292.80- $61,318.40. Initial placement for new employees is customarily at entry level through 35% percentile. Pay grade for this position is 19.

EXCITING NEWS! CABARRUS COUNTY HAS RECENTLY UPDATED OUR DEGREE REQUIREMENTS!  We now accept the following Human Services degrees to include but are not limited to: Clinical Social Work, Counseling, Criminology/ Criminal Justice, Gerontology, Human Development Learning, Human Services, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology, Substance Abuse Rehabilitation.

General Definition of Work:

Performs difficult professional work for the Cabarrus County Department of Human Services providing referral, counseling and case management services for children who are at risk for or have been determined to be abused and/or neglected. Work is circumscribed by a variety of federal, state and county court decisions, laws, policies, regulations and procedures.  Daily guidance and direction concerning program policies and regulations may be provided to child welfare staff.  Work is performed under the regular supervision of a Social Work Supervisor III.

Essential Functions/Typical Tasks:

Providing social work services including intervention and immediate response to crisis situations for at-risk children in the most complex cases in the department; providing expert testimony in court hearings, assessing and evaluating child(ren)'s needs, making case decisions and judgments that impact the life and safety of children, developing service plans and goals and follows-up with case management, treatment referrals and preventive services; managing a prevention/after care caseload; preparing detailed and complex court summaries and reports; maintaining records, files and confidentiality. (These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

• Providing services for the child's well-being to prevent recidivism to Child Welfare

• Provide a safety net for families that have used up their eligibility for Work First.

• Link clients to services and resources as needed such as those offered through DHS and community partners.

• Functioning with a great deal of independence, both in the office and in the field, with the responsibility for performing a variety of complex tasks and functions in the child welfare programs such as resolving complex problems/cases where the consequence of actions may have a considerable effect on the client; and review of work is minimal.

• Acts in the role of a liaison to the county's mental health LME/MCO with the responsibility of improving service provision to families and children.

• Willing to be trained to respond to critical incidents to provide debriefing/de-escalation services and/or to coordinate this service with community partners.

• Looks at families through a 4 pronged approach supporting their identified mental health, physical health, and educational and employment needs through referrals to services and resources.

• Analyzes situations and determines appropriate courses of action immediately or in short time spans and often under very stressful conditions.

• May provide group, family or individual counseling and education to clients of any age and any developmental, mental, medical, substance abuse, financial or family problem.

• Assesses and/or models individuals and family dynamics, crisis intervention, referrals for treatment and placement in foster care or residential facilities.

• Gathers and shares information to provide counseling, to arrange for services and to provide expert opinions to legal counsel.

• Implements the Initial Services Plan or In-Home Services plan including education and counseling with client, providing direct services according to the service plan, assessing changes and time limits, and making necessary referrals.

• Decides modality of counseling in conjunction with mental health experts and uses both individual and family counseling. Provides some behavior modification counseling.

• Monitors client's use of services and progress of the family at least monthly if not more often and writes a case plan with families each time changes in placement or goals occur.

• Engages families, family support systems and community partners in Child and Family Team meetings to engage all parties in providing information regarding the families progress or lack of progress, identification of on-going safety needs and obtain input regarding further case planning efforts and goals.

• Offers consultation to social workers and their supervisors.

• Travels to homes, schools, health and mental health facilities, and other service agencies.

• Attends case conferences and staffing with legal, court personnel, and other Department of Human Services staff. Attends other agency and community meetings as required.

• Performs related tasks as required to potentially include but not limited to emergency shelter operations.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their applications to complex casework and treatment; of federal and state laws, policies and procedures, program rules, directives, professional ethics and quality assurance standards; and of individual and group behavior, family dynamics, and medical, behavioral and/or psychosocial problems and their treatment theory. Considerable knowledge of organizations and resources in the community.  Working knowledge of office equipment and computers and applicable software applications.  Ability to write clear, concise, and grammatically correct reports, documentation, case records and service plans; to testify as an expert witness; to employ advanced case management interview techniques to establish a supportive relationship and involve families in the initial assessment for the need of services; to quickly assess the risks and safety of the client environment during daylight hours, after dark and in high crime areas; to analyze and assess child development safety issues in relation to risk factors; to analyze tense family situations with limited access to consultation; to interact and motivate a resistant client; to work with multidisciplinary teams;  to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and their families, a variety of medical and psychological professionals, law enforcement, court officials, attorneys, community agencies and the general public; and to attend work regularly.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work or; 

• Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and one year of directly related experience or; 

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and two years of directly related experience or;    

• Master's in Social Work or Master's in Human Services.

• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Degree must be from an accredited college or university.  Directly related experience is defined as human services experience in the areas of case management, assessment and referral, supportive counseling, intervention, psycho-social therapy, and treatment planning.

One year of work experience can be credited for completion of the North Carolina social work collaborative. One year of work experience can be credited for income maintenance casework experience.

Special Requirements:

Possession of an appropriate driver's license valid in the State of North Carolina.  Position is a safety-sensitive position as defined by the Drug Free Workplace Policy. Must be available to meet with families and children within a time frame that meets state policy and law as well as provides the greatest protection to children.  Position often requires after hours work and occasional on-call duty rotation.

Must possess or attend and complete the required NC state child welfare pre-service training and in-service training.

Physical Requirements:

This is normally light work requiring the exertion of up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects; some work may require the exertion of 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects; work requires climbing stairs for home visits, kneeling, standing and/or walking while interviewing various parties, reaching and fingering, grasping, and repetitive motions; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word, and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly, or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels, and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or make fine distinctions in sound; visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operation of office machines, determining accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities; the worker is subject to contact with irate clients and/or family members who may be hostile, resistant or violent; homes that may be poorly maintained or unsafe living conditions; travel in unsafe areas where the threat of violence is real or insolated areas where access to emergency services may be difficult.  The worker may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment.

Supplemental and Contact Information:

Cabarrus County selects applicants for employment based on job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation or political influence.

Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.  Transcripts, degree evaluations and cover letters may be uploaded with your application.  Applicants who obtained their education outside of the United States and its territories are expected to assume responsibility for having their academic degrees validated as equivalent to a degree conferred by a regionally accredited college or university in the United States.

Please be sure to complete the application in full. Resumes may be uploaded with your application, but will not be accepted in lieu of a fully completed application and will not be considered for qualifying credit.  "See Resume" or "See Attachment" will NOT be accepted.

If multiple applications are submitted to an individual position, only the most recent application received prior to the posting closing date will be accepted. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the closing date.

Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information regarding the status of your application over the phone. To check the status of your application, please log in to your account. Processing applications will take an average of 6 - 8 weeks due to the high volume of applications received.  It is not necessary to contact the Human Resources Office to check the status of an application.  Upon the closing date, applications are "Under Review" and will be screened by Human Resources for the most qualified applicants.  

For technical issues with your applications, please call the NEOGOV Help Line at 855-524-5627. If there are any questions about this posting other than your application status, please contact HR at 704-920-2200.