Social Worker III -Foster Care Unit - Stanly County, NC : Job Details

Salary: See Position DescriptionLocation : Albemarle, NCJob Type: Full-TimeJob Number: 2000212Department: Social ServicesOpening Date: 11/27/2024Closing Date: ContinuousJob Description Social Worker to provide counseling and other social work services to children in foster care or group care or to children who are determined to be reasonable candidates for foster care in the absence of preventive activities. Social Worker will also work with families to improve family functioning through on-going counseling and crisis intervention. Social Worker will be involved in the placement of children in foster homes or group care settings and will provide direct treatment and counseling for the children themselves, their biological families and their foster families. Worker will develop and implement permanent plans for children such as reunification with parents, adoptive placements, or other kinship placements. Worker will conduct home studies on relatives and individuals who may wish to be considered as placement resources for children. The worker will prepare cases for court and testify in juvenile court and criminal court as needed. The worker will be responsible for transporting clients. The starting salary is $52,612 or DOQ Examples of Job Duties Provides social work services including in-depth assessment of family dynamics and needs, intervention and treatment of children or families with acute to severe medical and/or emotional disorders and mental illnesses.Prepares detailed and complex court summaries and reports and testifies in court hearings.Develops and implements the treatment and service plan and goals and follows-up with case management, treatment, and preventive services.Manages an intake, foster care, adoptions, home based services, or family preservation caseload (or a combination of these services).Prepares case summaries and reports for reviews, maintaining records, files, and confidentiality.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 treatment to clients of any age and any developmental, mental, medical substance abuse, financial or family problem.Exercises considerable judgment in determining whether abuse or neglect has occurred, to what extent and how it occurred as prescribed by federal and state guidelines.Interviews the child, family, and collateral contacts. Collects background information.Gathers and shares information to determine the extent of abuse or neglect, to provide counseling, to arrange for services and to provide expert opinions to legal counsel.Decides modality of counseling and uses both individual and family counseling. Monitors client's use of services and progress of the family at least quarterly if not more often and writes a case plan each time changes in placement or goals occur. Offers consultation to foster parents and group home staff.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 Social Services staff. Attends other meetings as required.Ensures that the plan provides for safety and wellbeing and meets federal, state, and agency requirements. Operates computer terminal entering and retrieving data from the appropriate state and county system.Operates computer, scanner, calculator, and other standard office equipment incident to maintaining records.Participates in ongoing training as required.Ensures all federal, state, and local policies and procedures are followed. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their applications to complex casework, treatment, and investigation of abuse or neglect of children.Thorough knowledge of federal and state laws, policies and procedures, program rules, directives, professional ethics, and quality assurance standards.Thorough knowledge of individual and group behavior, family dynamics, and medical, behavioral, and/or psychosocial problems and their treatment theory. Considerable knowledge of governmental and private organizations and community resources.Working knowledge of standard office procedures, practices, and equipment. Skill in using a variety of office machines, computers, applicable software, and typing. Skill in establishing rapport with a client and applying techniques of assessing psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological aspects of client's problem.Skill in teamwork, collaborative conflict resolution, and customer service excellence.Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with administrative supervisors, members of caseload and their families, and with care providers and various community organizations.Writing clear, concise, and grammatically correct reports, documentation, case records, and treatment plans.Ability to testify as an expert witness.Ability to employ advanced case management interview techniques to establish a supportive relationship and involve families in the initial assessment of their need for services.Ability to quickly assess the risks and safety of the client environment during daylight hours, after dark, and in high crime areas.Ability to analyze and assess child development safety issues in relation to risk factors and to analyze tense family situations, and make decisions about removing children when the decision must be made with limited direct information and limited access to consultation.Ability to interact and motivate a resistant involuntary client, to work with multidisciplinary teams, and 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 public.Ability to plan and execute work. Ability to establish and follow work procedures, prioritize work, and prepare and maintain accurate records and reports.Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with people of varied social, economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds.Ability to maintain composure, keeping emotions in check, even in difficult situations; and to attend work regularly.Ability to work effectively, tactfully, and courteously with the public and other governmental organizations Qualifications Requires master's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and no work experience;or bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year of directly related experience;or master's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and one year of directly related experience;or a bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years of directly related experience;or a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Varying settings, programs, and job designs at this level allow for flexibility in accepting counseling experience or social work experience as required by the job.Applicants with a four-year degree may apply as work against appointments. Stanly County DSS Work Against: Social Worker I: $40,171 after two years of experience; Social Worker II, $48,087 after three years of experience; Social Worker III, $52,612. STANLY COUNTY BENEFITS (Full-time Employees) Employees accrue sick and vacation time each paycheck.Stanly County observes twelve (12) holidays. New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday), Christmas (3 days).Employees receive one (1) personal day per year.INSURANCE BENEFITS:Stanly County provides health & vision insurance with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Our plan is a PPO, 80/20, with a $1000 deductible. Teledoc is offered through our insurance for a $10 co-pay per visit. Primary care visit is a $40 co-payment. Specialist is $50 co-pay. One free eye exam per year. The insurance coverage is FREE to full-time employees. Dental Coverage is with Guardian dental insurance and is FREE to full-time employees.Other volunteer insurance benefits include: Flexible Spending Program, Life Insurance, Cancer, Accident, and Disability policies.Stanly County offers an employee health clinic. Our on-site Advance Practice Provider will see employees and dependents covered on our county insurance plan free of charge. This service does not replace your primary healthcare providers but augments their care. As a wellness benefit, employees have the option of joining the Stanly County YMCA. The County will pay half of the employee's membership.Employee Assistant Program is offered through Atrium Health. Each employee will receive up to six (6) free sessions on a rolling year. Dependent children and/or spouse may also use the sessions.RETIREMENT:Stanly County Employees will be a member of the N. C. Local Government Employees' Retirement System. Stanly County is required to withhold six percent (6%) from each paycheck and deposit it into the retirement system. The County also contributes to the plan. You are vested at five years as a contributing member. After one year of contributing membership in the system, a death benefit is available if you die while still in active service or within 180 days of your last day of service.NC 401(k) (Supplemental Retirement Plan):Employees can contribute to the Empower 401(k) plan upon hire. If the employee contributes at least one percent (1%), Stanly County will match one percent (1%).Additionally, employees may make additional contributions through the following options: 457 Deferred Compensation Plan and Roth Plan Option.LONGEVITY:Longevity pay is earned after three (3) years of continuous Local Government retirement benefited service working with Stanly County government. Longevity Bonus: 3 years but less than 5 years $300 5 years but less than 10 years $60010 years but less than 15 years $90015 years but less than 20 years $1,20020 years or more $1,500