Job Description
Salary : $57,096.00 - $68,286.40 Annually
Location : Cabarrus County, NC
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: FY21-00571
Department: SOCIAL WORK SERVICES - DSS
Opening Date: 06/02/2023
Closing Date: Continuous
Description THIS RECRUITMENT IS A CONTINUOUS OPENING AND WILL BE USED TO FILL POSITIONS AS THEY BECOME AVALIABLE. This posting will be used to fill Permanent Full-Time vacancies throughout different units within Child Welfare. Will be used to fill First Shift 8am-5pm and Second Shift, 3pm-12am. Hours will vary depending on the needs of the Department. 1. Assessments/Investigations In this role, you would investigate and assess the needs of children involved in reports of alleged abuse, neglect and/or dependency. You would also be responsible for engaging the family to formulate a plan to alleviate any identified risk factors. This position may require after hours (after 5pm) and weekend work as needed.
2. Family-in-Home In this role, you would provide in home intervention to families where abuse, neglect, and/or dependency was substantiated, or the family was determined to need services to prevent children from being taken into custody, reduce risk, and alleviate wellbeing concerns. This position may require after hours (after 5pm) and weekend work as needed.
Hiring range for this position is $57,096.00- $68,286.40. Initial placement for new employees is customarily at entry level through 35% percentile. Pay grade for this position is 21. 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 providing protective, investigative, counseling and case management services for children who are at risk for or have been determined to be abused and/or neglected in the County Department of Social Services. Work is performed under the regular supervision of a Social Work Supervisor III.
Examples of Duties 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; investigating and substantiating the alleged neglect and abuse, 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 an investigations or in-home services 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.)
- 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 individuals and family dynamics, crisis intervention, referrals for treatment and placement in foster care or residential facilities.
- Exercises considerable judgment in determining whether abuse or neglect has occurred, to what extent and how it occurred, assessing initial safety and devising on-going Safety Plans with families 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.
- 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 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 agency and community meetings as required.
- May assist peers with case work required in the evening, weekends or holidays.
- May assist supervisors with case reviews/closures.
- Has knowledge of all child welfare program areas to be able to provide the appropriate assists and crisis intervention.
- Independently responds to crisis in a calming, de-escalating manner.
- 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, treatment, and investigation of abuse or neglect of children; 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 and make decisions about removing children when the decision has to be made with limited direct information and limited access to consultation; to interact and motivate a resistant involuntary 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.
Management Preferences: North Carolina Child Welfare Pre-Service Training.
Experience working in a (DSS) Child Protective Services or Child Welfare Department in the State of NC.
Minimum Education / Experience requirements Education and Experience: - Bachelor's degree in Social Work AND one of the following: one year of social work experience; qualifying internship; successful completion of the NC Child Welfare Collaborative program or;
- Master's in Social Work or;
- Bachelor's Degree in related Human Services major AND 2 years of social work experience or;
- Master's Degree in related Human Services major AND 1 year of social work experience or;
- Bachelor's Degree AND 3 years of social work experience OR Master Degree AND 2 years of social work experience.
- An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
One year of experience may be substituted for the NC Child Welfare Pre-service/Collaborative training. One year of credit may be substituted for Income Maintenance Casework experience.
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.
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.
Supplemental Information 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.
- Earned vacation & sick leave
- 11-12 paid holidays per year
- Participation in the Local Government Employees Retirement System
- Mandatory 6% employee contribution
- 5% employer-paid contribution to NC401K, with no employee match required
- Employees have the option to contribute additional monies to the NC401K plan or to a 457 retirement savings plan
- Health Insurance plans
- Consumer driven plan including a health savings account
- Optional dependent coverage - employee/spouse, employee/children, & employee/family
- Comprehensive health & wellness program
- On-site exercise equipment & programs
- Health & wellness themed instructional classes
- Employee health clinic
- Employee assistance program (ex. Individual & family counseling, legal & financial services, child & elder care location assistance, etc.)
- Choice of optional dental plans
- PPO (Preferred Provider Option) or non-PPO
- Optional dependent coverage - employee/spouse, employee/children, & employee/family
- Vision Plan
- Includes an annual routine eye exam for individuals on the health insurance plan.
- Optional eyewear plan available
- $20,000 of term life insurance & accidental death & dismemberment coverage with employer-paid premiums
- Employee option for up to $50,000 of additional term life coverage
- Optional dependent life insurance coverage for spouses & children
01
I understand in order to be qualified for this position, the description of my work experience must clearly reflect the required education and experience as well as the posted knowledge, skills and abilities for this position. I have included all of this information within my application. (If you haven't completed the application requirements, please return to your application to finish it before submitting your application.) 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.
02
Select your highest level of education from the information below:
- Master's Degree in Social Work
- Master's Degree in the Human Services field other than Social Work
- Other Master's Level Degree
- Bachelor's in Social Work
- Bachelor's Degree in the Human Services field
- Other Bachelor's level Degree
- Associate's Degree
- High School
03
How many years of social worker experience in a county or municipal social services agency do you have?
- 5 or more years of social worker experience in a county or municipal social services agency
- 3 years but fewer than 5 years of social worker experience in a county or municipal social services agency
- 2 years but fewer than 3 years of social worker experience in a county or municipal social services agency
- 1 year but fewer than 2 years of social worker experience in a county or municipal social services agency
- less than 1 year of social worker experience in a county or municipal social services agency
- No social worker experience in a county or municipal social services agency
04
How many years of social work experience outside of a county or municipal agency do you have?
- 5 or more years of social work experience outside of a county or municipal agency
- 3 years but fewer than 5 years of social work experience outside of a county or municipal agency.
- 2 years but fewer than 3 years of social work experience outside of a county or municipal agency.
- 1 year but fewer than 2 years of social work experience outside of a county or municipal agency
- Less than 1 year of social work experience outside of a county or municipal agency.
- No social worker experience outside of a county or municipal agency.
05
Please indicate the social work units in which you have had work experience
- Child Protective Services (CPS
- Child Welfare Services (CWS)
- Adult Protective Services (APS)
- After Hours
- Child Placement
- No experience in these social work units
06
Among the choices below, which position/s would you be interested in being considered for?
- Assessments and Investigations
- After Hours
- In-Home Services
- ALL Positions
07
Which shift are you interested in? Please note that hours are subject to vary based on the needs of the Department.
- First Shift - 8am-5pm
- Second Shift - 3pm-12am
- Both/All of the Above
08
Have you completed the North Carolina Child Welfare Pre-Service Training?
09
Have you completed the North Carolina Child Welfare Collaborative Training?
10
Please list the type of employment you are interested in working.
- Full-Time Employment (only)
- Part-Time Aux Employment (only)
- Both Full Time and Part-Time Employment
11
What are your salary expectations?
12
Were you referred to this job by a Cabarrus County employee?
13
If you were referred to this job by a Cabarrus County employee, please list the employee's name, job title, and which department they work for. If you were not, please put N/A.
Required Question Cabarrus County, NC
Job Tags
Holiday work, Permanent employment, Full time, Part time, Work experience placement, Internship, Local area, Immediate start, Shift work, Weekend work, Day shift, Afternoon shift,