Sawyer County Position Description
Title:
Social Worker - Child Protective Services
Department:
Health and Human Services Department
Reports to:
Child Protective Services Unit Supervisor
Purpose of Position:
Under the direct supervision of the CPS Supervisor, the CPS worker will provide a variety of child protective
services to clients, including Access, Initial Assessments, and Ongoing services. Additionally, the CPS worker
will provide on-call services on a rotating basis.
Essential Functions:
The duties and responsibilities described below are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as
exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.
Duties and Responsibilities
Provide Child Protective Services to Children who are alleged to be in need of protection and services.
 Receive and screen reports of abuse or neglect of children - Accept child abuse/neglect and child welfare
referrals as assigned for intake and assessment of risk regarding child in-home safety
 Coordinate with community agencies regarding referrals and when necessary make appropriate referrals
 Develop service plans using community and agency resources to promote family’s strengths and reduce
risk for children
 Coordinate with LCO ICW and other tribes when appropriate regarding Native American children and
families
 Complete necessary forms, reports, and dictation as required by the statutes and the agency
 Coordinate with law enforcement and other community services when necessary for investigation
 Provide comprehensive investigation to determine substantiation
Coordinate Alternate Care Services for Children Who Need to be Placed Outside their Homes
 Follow statutory and agency policy guidelines in determining need for out-of-home placement and prepares
petitions, court reports and treatment plans
 Comply with all statutory requirements regarding out-of-home placements
 Provide ongoing services to the child, natural family and foster family in order to reunite the child with their
family as soon as possible
 Complete all necessary forms, dictation and treatment plans per state requirements
 Coordinate foster care cases with LCO ICW Office and reviews these cases making sure all necessary
documentation is in the file per the 161 agreement
Provide Child Welfare Services
 Conduct home studies, custody studies, stepparent adoptions as ordered by the court, and Kinship Care
assessments
 Conduct period visits of children placed out-of-home
 Work closely with other agencies and institutions to promote outreach and educate the community on
reporting procedures

Perform other duties as required or assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The
requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or related field with one (1) year preferred experience. The position requires
Wisconsin social work certification and possession of a valid Wisconsin driver’s license.
Ability to communicate effectively through oral and written communication, including persuasive
communication and interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with contracted service providers,
ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:























Personal and professional integrity
Ability to work independently and collaboratively to create environments that promote child protection
Self-directive, innovative and able to exercise sound judgment
Knowledge of state CPS standards, rules, and regulations
Knowledge of federal and state child welfare laws programs
Knowledge of Wisconsin Statues Chapters 48, 938, 51
Knowledge of prevention, detection, reporting and treatment of child abuse and neglect policies and
practices
Knowledge of interventions and best practices for child protection
Knowledge of cultural, environmental, sociological and psychological factors influencing the health and
welfare status of children populations
Knowledge of agency and community agencies, programs and resources in the human services field and
child protection
Ability to coordinate with department and community agencies in program planning and development.
Comprehensive knowledge, principles, practices and skills in care management
Knowledge of human behavior and the basic principles and practices of care management
Ability to communicate effectively through oral and written communication, including persuasive
communication and interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with contracted service providers
Communicate and speak effectively in written and oral form and before groups
Coach, counsel, teach and inform clients and the community concerning child protective issues
Deal with sensitivity to the needs of people with different cultural, environmental and social backgrounds
Analyze data, problem solve, and make logical decisions
Write and prepare a variety of statistical reports, record, and charts
Work independently on projects and programs
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others
Input, access and analyze data using a computer terminal
Accept agency philosophy, purpose and objectives
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABILITIES REQUIRED TO PERFROM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Language Ability and Interpersonal Communication
Ability to analyze data and information using established criteria in order to determine consequences and to
identify and select alternatives. Ability to compare, count, differentiate, measure, copy, record, and transcribe
data and information. Ability to classify, computes, tabulates, and categorizes data.
Ability to counsel and mediate. Ability to persuade, convinces, and train others. Ability to advise and provide
interpretation regarding the application of policies, procedures, and standards to specific situations.
Mathematical Ability
Ability to perform basic mathematical functions including ability to calculate percentages, fractions, decimals,
volumes, ratios, and present values. Ability to interpret basic descriptive statistical reports. Ability to prepare
and analyze complex reports, financial statements, governmental accounting, cost analysis, and other relevant
data.
Judgment and Situational Reasoning Ability
Ability to use functional reasoning in performing influence functions such as supervising, managing, leading,
teaching, directing and controlling.
Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness, and creativity required in situations involving the direction,
control and planning of an entire program or multiple programs.
Physical Requirements
Ability to operate a variety of office equipment including computer terminal, typewriter, telephone, fax machine,
calculator/adding machine, and photocopier. First aid equipment, electronic testing equipment, general
medical equipment – needles, blood tubes, bandages, blood pressure, etc.
Ability to coordinate eyes, hands, feet and limbs in performing movements requiring moderate skill, such as
typing. Ability to sustain prolonged visual concentration.
Ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing,
and pulling.
Environmental Adaptability
Ability to work under safe and comfortable conditions where exposure to environmental factors such as
repetitive computer keyboard use poses a very limited risk of injury.
CLOSING STATEMENT:
This description has been prepared to assist in evaluating responsibilities, duties and skills of the position. The
duties listed above are intended as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The
omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related,
or a logical assignment to the position. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement
between the County and employee and is subject to change by the County as the needs of the County and the
requirements of the position change.
Selection Guidelines
Formal application, rating or education and experience; oral interview and reference check.
background check is required.
A state
The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is
subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.
Sawyer County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the
County will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both
prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with representatives of Sawyer
County.
__________________________________
Employees Signature
___________________________________
Human Resource
___________________________________
Date
___________________________________
Date