This social work position consists of duties in two areas of children's services:
Case Management (In-Home) and On-Call after Hours. This SW maybe asked to help the agency with backlog cases in cases for emergency.
The case management component of neglect, abuse, and dependency include services of counseling and planning with the child's family toward the solution and prevention of problems causing neglect, abuse or dependency and arranging and assisting families in utilizing appropriate services and community resources such as foster care, daycare, health and mental health services, in-home, transportation, and various educational programs.
Upon determination of need, services are provided to the child and family when the case is substantiated in Protective Services or when a child is in jeopardy of being moved from the home, this will assure that enough services are offered to the family to try and not remove the child. If the child cannot stay in the home, a permanent placement is sought.
The social worker in this position also is required to do on-call after hours.
Coverage of the office is 24/7.
This SW maybe asked to help the agency with backlog cases due to SW being out, turnover, and backlog cases.
1.
Case management Duties Entail: The duties are to ensure that preventative evaluation and treatment programs are provided first to the needs of the abused and/or neglected children and then to the needs of their families. Diagnosis of the clients fall into groups which have severe parental problems such as criminal behavior, substance abuse, psychosis. Other risk factors include, environmental stress, such as, unemployment or work dissatisfaction, social isolation, family stress, domestic violence, and lack of parental education of child care and child development. The Social worker is responsible to work closely with these families to help alleviate the problems so the children may remain in the home.
2.
On-Call After hours is a required part for this work. The worker is on call usually a few times a month depending on coverage of the agency. This service is assessable through the sheriff’s department when the office is closed.
The responsibility is to receive reports for abuse, neglect, and dependency for children and abuse, neglect, and exploitation for the elderly. The worker then

must do an assessment in order to see if there is immediate danger to the child or adult.
Clients Served: The clients served are children from birth to age 18.
"Child" means a person under the age of 18. An abused or neglected child means a child whose physical or mental health or welfare is harmed or threatened with harm by the acts or omissions of the child's parent or other person responsible for the child's welfare.
A person responsible for a child's welfare includes the child's parents, guardian, foster parent, or other person responsible for the child's welfare.
: "Child" means a person under the age of 18. An abused or neglected child means a child whose physical or mental health or welfare is harmed or threatened with harm by the acts or omissions of the child's parent or other person responsible for the child's welfare.
In-Home referrals are received from the Investigation Unit or by transfer from other counties. In-Home cases can also come from the courts. After Hour referrals all come through the Sheriff’s department and staff. There are times cases can be referred from the office if it was not initiated before five p.m.
35% - Case Management – Including arranging and monitoring the flow of services; consulting with others working with the client or with supervisor; case planning, including finding informational sources; writing reports for court, court and Agency Reviews, and narratives and processing all forms for foster care cases.
5% - Information and referral give to foster parents, or to others looking for appropriate resources for child and family concerns.
60% - Provision of services, directly or by arranging, i.e., counseling, health support services, individual and family adjustment services, psychological or psychiatric assessment, arranging appropriate foster care arrangements and monitoring them.
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20% - a. Assessment/Evaluation - is done by the caseworker to provide the basis for case planning. Evaluation by a psychologist or psychiatrist is requested as

needed. Information from parents, schools, Health Department, etc. is gathered as needed to organize a social history for the purpose of understanding the child's psychosocial development and the environmental influences. Assessment should lead to an understanding of the services needed, or to obtain understanding of a specific problem.
20% - b. Development/Treatment/Goal Service Plans: The Case worker is responsible for understanding the child's or family's needs and helping them to share in this understanding. The service plan is worked out jointly between the caseworker, case team, and family and child, and reflects the ability and willingness of the family to become involved, with help, in appropriate planning.
The type of goals made by caseworker, child, parents, and prospective adoptive or foster parents might include the following:
1. Improved regular school attendance by child.
2. Improvement of parenting skills by parents.
3. Improved skills in conflict resolution on the part of the family.
4. Completion of training programs for prospective foster or adoptive parents.
15% - c. Implementation: Implementation of plans may be done by direct services given by caseworker, or by others whom the caseworker has enlisted, such a the In-
Home Aide or others, such as staff in the Health Department, Mental Health
Agency, a physician, the Juvenile Court Counselor, family workers in group homes, a psychologist, or by foster parents.
In all cases where the caseworker has arranged for others to provide these services, the caseworker consults with the provider and monitors service delivery and the results.
20% - d. Counseling/Therapy: Counseling is done as a part of the casework process. Generally, non-directive techniques are used with parents, whose autonomy is to be supported. Questions can be directed to stimulate client's thinking about their problem. Actions taken and timing by the caseworker are chosen on the basis of knowledge of human behavior and development, and may be supportive, allow ventilation, or present challenges judged to be within the capacity of the client. For therapy of problem behaviors and dysfunctional family relationships, clients are referred to Mental Health personnel, psychologists or psychiatrists.
Counseling for this job description may be done with abusive or neglectful parents, or with prospective foster parents and adoptive parents to assess their abilities to parent and to deal with complexities of the children with whom they may come into contact.

20% - e. Monitoring/Reviewing/Maintenance: The worker in this position is responsible for monitoring and reviewing in several areas.
Face-to-face monitoring of the child's progress in his placement or home depending on the risk to the child but is done usually monthly at a minimum.
5% - f. Consultation: Consultation may be provided to a care provider to help resolve a problem situation with a child. Information the caseworker can provide concerning the child's needs or provision of diagnostic information, in practical form, obtained from mental health professionals, etc. may aid a care provider to utilize a constructive approach with the child. Consultation is provided to parents, foster parents and other care providers, other social workers or the Juvenile Court
Counselor or the Guardian Ad-Litem, teachers, etc. Consultation is provided as an aid in planning on the part of others working with the child.
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A team approach is employed frequently between the CPS worker and the worker in this job description (Back-up PS). Protective Services cases are staffed jointly with the supervisor, and initial home visits are sometimes done jointly. The worker in this position also participates in staffing conferences of foster care cases with the other foster care worker and the supervisor. The agency review team is used to assist with case review and planning. The team members consist of supervisor, caseworker, community representative, and any other persons in community working directly with the child. This team makes regular recommendations which assist in planning for the client. The caseworker prepares the report prior to the agency meeting, and is responsible for follow up on the team's recommendations.
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Case Management Duties (all routine paperwork, computer tracking forms, court reports, filing, etc). This worker usually can have a caseload up to 12. The cases usually stay in workers caseload for 3 months. Caseload may vary in size and time frames due to unusual circumstances.
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The caseworker may occasionally need to help a parent understand how to better budget his or her money, or to discuss budgeting of resources with prospective foster/adoptive parents or kinship providers.
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The caseworker is responsible for preparing petitions, motions for review, and reports to the court. The Service caseworker is frequently called upon to testify in a particular case.

: The tasks that have been previously described are made possible for the worker by a well-structured system for instruction. This is provided by the Program Manager and the Supervisor.
All those listed above are available upon request and also have regularly scheduled conferences with caseworker. The caseworker meets with the supervisor 1 on 1 time and has a unit meeting once a week. Also, at other times when needed.
Instruction is also made available to caseworker through workshops. These are offered frequently across the state by various training consultants.
: The basic reference source for regulating children's services is the DSS Service Manual. Other references may be the North
Carolina Statutes relating to Child Welfare, and a resource library located in the agency. Legal advice is usually sought from the agency attorney, the regional attorney, or if necessary from the North Carolina Division of Social Services,
Department of Human Resources in Raleigh.
: The caseworker is in contact with the following agencies, organizations or persons: Health Department, Mental Health Department, School personnel, private clinicians, lawyers, judges, doctors, local community shelters, private or used clothing distributors, daycare directors, and other community service providers.
: The work that is performed by the Services worker is reviewed when: the following changes occur in the case; in the case decision, planning toward the case plan, problem area, services provided and the results of the services, Court intervention, and the summary of termination of problem services.
The examples of problems discussed with the supervisor are the families who are unwilling to accept needed services and whose child is in substantial danger and those who refuse to cooperate with the investigation. These problems are discussed and reasonable efforts are put into effect to resolve these problems.
The issues and concerns discussed the supervisor are as follows:
1. How we are to protect the child's welfare and health;
2. How to determine the conditions which constitute reportable circumstances and;
3. How effective will our agency be when we intervene with the family?
4. What services will keep the family in tact?
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The facility is located in the county seat of Yancey County. The office is generally located in equal distance to most locations of the county. The office has replaced the old hospital. Most of the Workers have a private office. The noise level can be distracting since there are a few offices that use a partition. The hazards - the building has four doors but only one is for client usage. The main door to the lobby could have a closed area for the clients to be stopped. There is a potential for violent clients or situations to occur since there is limited security measures. The outside is an open parking lot from the main highway and there is potential for anyone to park and do what ever they choose. The inside is furnished adequately.
Machines and Equipment: Machines used include a Dragon, telephone, fax, lap-top, pc, photo-copier, and calculator. The agency and personal vehicles are also used.
Accuracy is a major factor in that the worker needs to understand the laws, rules, and regulations required by the job. The worker needs to be precise in all details about the case. The worker should be precise in conveying information to the client and to the Court system. Accuracy should be 100% depending on the information from clients and from other sources.
The physical effort required is approximately 25% of the worker's time.
This includes transporting clients, traveling due to investigating calls, arranging office, and tidiness.
Close visual attention results from transporting clients, reactions of parent and child relationship. Other visual attention is contributed to manual reading and preparing proper forms for case services.
The most intense mental concentration is preparing for Court and Court intervention. Other visual attention is contributed to manual reading and preparing proper forms for case services.
One major way of safeguard is to assist another protective services worker in upsetting, disruptive, and dangerous intake calls.
. 8:30 - 5:00 - the rotation of work shifts consists of on-call by rotation for after hours and weekend duty.
. The duties have been the same except for a difference in the program codes used on the DSS-4263. Also, there is a change regarding overtime in which the time is to be authorized in advance of being taken.

. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities - Considerable knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices and their application to specific casework, group work, and community problems. Considerable knowledge of governmental and private organizations and resources in the community. Considerable knowledge of the laws, regulations, and policies which govern the program.
Considerable knowledge of behavioral and socio-economic problems and their treatment. General knowledge of the methods and principles of casework supervision and training. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with administrative superiors, casework aides, members of caseload and their families, and civic, medical, social, and religious organizations. Ability to supervise, train, or instruct lower-level social workers, students, casework aides, or interns in the program. Ability to express ideas and concisely and to plan and execute work effectively.
1. Minimum Education and Experience - Master's degree from an accredited school of social work; or graduation from a four-year college or university, nine months of graduate training in an accredited school of social work, and one year of social work experience; or graduation from a four-year college or university, preferably with a major in sociology or psychology, and two years of social work experience; or a master's degree in guidance counseling, pastoral counseling, or related field and one additional year of social work experience; or graduation from a four-year college or university and two years of experience in guidance counseling, rehabilitation counseling, pastoral counseling, or a related human service field providing experience in the techniques of casework, group work, or community organization, supplemented by at least one additional year of social work experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. The above formal education will be sufficient for entry into the position.
. 3. Training and/or experience should not be substituted for the formal education.
. No.