Social Worker (Children's Long-Term Support)

The Waukesha County Department of Health & Human Services is seeking a skilled Social Worker to join our Children's Long Term Support Unit. Are you ready to make a meaningful impact in the lives of children with disabilities? In this role, you will work closely with children and their caregivers, providing essential resources, empowering families, and utilizing funding to improve their quality of life-ensuring they can continue to be part of the community while remaining in their homes.

Key responsibilities include:

• Client Assessments and Case Planning: Conduct thorough assessments of client needs. Develop individualized service plan and outcomes in collaboration with client and family, ensuring necessary services are provided based on their specific situations.
• Caseload Management and Engagement: Manage a diverse caseload of clients. Maintain regular monthly contact and communication with clients and their families, including conducting home visits to assess and monitor their progress. Maintain contact with community partners and providers for updates and progress reports of services. 
• Documentation and Reporting: Maintain detailed case records, ensuring timely and accurate documentation of all case activities to the Medicaid standards. Keep accurate records, including documentation of home visits, service plans, assessments, and all other state-required documents.
• Counseling and Case Management: Provide comprehensive case management services. Coordinate access to social, community, and other support systems, ensuring that clients and families receive the appropriate services and care.
• Program Information and Guidance: Gain a thorough understanding of the services offered within our program. Provide clients and families with information about the programs and resources available, ensuring they are tailored to meet their specific needs.
• Collaboration with Community Partners: Build and maintain working relationships with schools, mental health providers, and community agencies. Facilitate access to a variety of human services to assist clients and families.
• Professional Development: Participate in ongoing staff development programs, including in-service training, staff meetings, and professional seminars, to stay informed about best practices in social work.
•  Relationship Building: Establish and maintain strong working relationships with clients, families, caregivers, service providers, community agencies, and the public to ensure effective collaboration and service delivery.
• Emergency Government Duties: Fulfill emergency government responsibilities as assigned in the event of a Waukesha County Emergency Government declaration.
• Additional Responsibilities: Perform other duties as required to support the department's mission and the well-being of clients.

Work Schedule and Location: 

The position involves a 40-hour workweek. Typically, the schedule follows a Monday through Friday routine, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with some evening hours required to accommodate the needs of families.

Waukesha County offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package including excellent health/dental/vision, life insurance, generous paid time off (vacation, 10 holidays, 3 floating holidays, ample accrued sick time that rolls over each year), an exceptional pension plan with employer match and lifetime retirement payment plus an optional tax advantaged 457 retirement savings plan. Amongst many other benefits, employees are recognized and valued through a pay for performance system.

Prior to hiring, the successful candidate will be subject to work/education/certification reference(s) verification, a criminal background and driver's license check.Under supervision, to perform professional work involving the delivery of social work services to individuals and families in need of counseling and referral services; and to perform other duties as required.  

• Makes initial contact with and receives referrals of clients with a variety of problems which require social work assessment and/or intervention.  
• Conducts assessments of client needs through interviews, collateral contacts and other investigations, develops a casework plan with clients, and performs agreed-upon and necessary casework services.  
• Maintains a caseload involving clients with personal, family, or socio-economic problems and attends to the related protection and safety needs.  
• Counsels, mediates, and provides intervention and case management services, coordinating the various social, community, and other services received by the clients.
• Informs clients of available programs and services to meet their individual needs, and encourages participation in the most appropriate activities; or ensures participation in court-mandated services.
• Initiates and maintains contacts with the courts, schools, mental health, and community agencies to assist individuals and families in need of a variety of human services.  
• Attends and participates in staff development programs, including in-service training, staff meetings, and professional seminars.
• Provides consultation to other social work personnel and para-professionals.
• Serves as a representative of the department to interested individuals, professionals, and community groups.
• Acts as a department liaison, providing casework direction and supervision to providers of contracted services.
• Prepares social histories and family assessments, reviews results and recommendations with supervisor and makes recommendations concerning case dispositions, and testifies at court and administrative hearings as required.  
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with clients, families, caregivers, service providers, volunteers, community agencies, and the general public.  
• Prepares and presents oral and written reports.  
• Maintains detailed case records, and develops and prepares statistical reports as required.
• Performs emergency government duties as assigned in event of Waukesha County Emergency Government declaration.  
• Performs other duties as required.  

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential Knowledge and Abilities

• Considerable knowledge of social work principles and methods.  
• Considerable knowledge of financial, health, mental health, and community resources. 
• Considerable knowledge of the federal, state, and local rules, regulations, and statutes governing the delivery of human services.
• Considerable knowledge of social problems and family systems concerns such as family disorganization, addiction, domestic violence, abuse and neglect, discrimination, disability, poverty, unemployment, aging; and their effect on the individual and their families.  
• Considerable knowledge of human behavior, dynamics of groups and families, interpersonal relations, and social interaction.
• Considerable knowledge of trauma informed care principles and the impact of wellness/health on cognitive functioning.
• Working knowledge of social welfare programs, and the role of public human services agencies in providing services.
• Working knowledge of evidence-based practices and ability to integrate into case planning and practice.
• Working knowledge of mediation and dispute resolution skills.
• Working knowledge of confidentiality statutes and requirements, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996.  
• Working knowledge of computerized department program software, including electronic health record, internet access, database, spreadsheet, and word processing programs.
• Ability to provide social treatment to clients with problems.
• Ability to interpret human services programs and explain programs and services available to clients, families, and stakeholders.
• Ability to respond appropriately in a crisis situation and provide skilled intervention to clients.   
• Ability to propose alternate dispute resolutions in high-conflict situations.
• Ability to develop appropriate plan of services and to implement the plan with individual clients and their families.  
• Ability to participate in multi-disciplinary decision making and services coordination as appropriate.  
• Ability to utilize word processing, database, and spreadsheet programs.
• Ability to prepare, present, and maintain accurate records and reports.  
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.  
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, families, caregivers, service providers, volunteers, community agencies, and the general public.
• Ability to effectively interact with sensitivity with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages and lifestyles.
• Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work effectively.

You must meet these minimum Training and Experience requirements:

• a. A bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university in sociology, social work, psychology, or a closely related field.

OR

b. A bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university plus one (1) year of professional social work experience.

• Social work certification from the State of Wisconsin within six months of employment

About Us:

Waukesha County prides itself on operating in a business-like manner and is recognized as a leader delivering high quality services with competence and skill. With our vision of "Leading the Way", we value teamwork and collaboration, ethics and diversity, communication, efficiency and cost savings, innovation, and the wellbeing of our staff and the citizens we serve. Employees are provided professional development opportunities and encouragement to learn and practice continuous improvement and LEAN principles as we regularly ask ourselves "Is there a better way?"

WCDHHS Mission/Vision/Values: 

We enhance quality of life while assuring critical needs are met. The vision of Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services is a connected, resilient community where everyone thrives. We achieve this though values that include: Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, Engaged Workforce, Innovation, and Self-Determination.  

Location:

Located in the City of Waukesha, our campus offers an on-site café and fitness center, free parking, and easy access to interstate highway systems. Waukesha County offers a perfect blend of urban and rural living where one can enjoy the benefits of quiet rural lake communities or opt for nearby attractions that the greater Milwaukee area offers including vast beach and park systems, public markets, performing arts, music festivals, and sports including the Milwaukee Admirals, Brewers, Bucks, Wave, Marquette University Golden Eagles and the UW-Milwaukee Panthers Basketball programs.

EEO/AA:

Waukesha County is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in employment and adheres to all Federal, State and County Equal Employment Opportunity laws, policies, plans, rules, regulations and ordinances. The County recognizes and accepts its important leadership role in providing for equal employment/service opportunities for minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. It is the express policy of Waukesha County to promote equal employment opportunity among all who are employed by Waukesha County and who seek employment with Waukesha County.

For further information visit: https://www.waukeshacounty.gov

The County does not sponsor applicants for work visas.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.