Social Worker - Adult Protective Services

Intensive Social Work Services

The primary purpose of this position is to provide intensive social work services in serious and complicated cases which require the flexible use of a wide range of social work skills and intervention techniques as related to the adult services programs as outlined by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and administered by various federal, state, and local laws, regulations, rules, and policies.

Employee provides social work services including treatment and immediate response to crisis situations for at-risk disabled adults in the most complex cases. Work may involve any number of tasks associated with investigation and/or assessments of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation, guardianship, and adult home monitoring and/or complaint investigations of facilities and adult care homes as prescribed by federal and state guidelines.

Work may also involve providing expert testimony in hearings and following-up with case management and preventive services for clients. Employee analyzes situations and determines appropriate courses of action immediately or in short time spans and often under very stressful conditions. Adult Services workers are responsible for accessing, identifying, and documenting abuse, neglect and exploitation cases and finding the appropriate services to enhance the disabled adult's welfare.

APS social workers must be able to identify immediate threats made to a disabled adult and provide arrangements that comply with state and federal laws and agency procedures.

Additionally, employee provides counseling and case management services to disabled and incompetent adults who need ongoing protective services; and assists incompetent adults, whom the Director has been named guardian, with accessing specific services to help learn more appropriate behaviors, find safer housing, and make decisions regarding their basic needs and medical well-being.

Receive referrals of disabled adults with a variety of problems, which require social work assessment and/or intervention and make initial contact. Investigations and/or assessments must be initiated within the time frames defined by NC General Statutes and related APS policy manuals and can be immediate depending on the nature of the allegation(s).

• Petition the court for protection of the disabled adult who are at immediate risk and the family is unable or unwilling to provide a safe, alternate plan.
• Maintain the case, including making all required contacts and completes all required documentation, until case is complete.

Conduct investigations/assessments using a standard of fact-finding through interview, home visits, collateral contacts and/or other investigations in accordance with NC General Statues and APS policy. Timely face-to-face contact with the disabled adult is required throughout the investigation and/or assessment phase.

• Prepare social histories and client assessments. Document facts within the parameters of legal definitions of abuse, neglect, or exploitation and the level of client's well-being, evaluate information according to DAAS policy.
• Determine (make a case decision) if abused, neglected, or exploited and if the client needs services and what level of intervention is necessary to assure safety.
• Inform clients of available programs and services to meet their individual needs, providing ongoing services to those clients who accept those services. While providing adult protective services, the APS social worker should have a clear understanding of the legal basis for intervention on an involuntary basis and to accept the responsibility for offering services to clients. Services can include, but not limited to are:
  Referrals for services and assisting with: locating housing, placement in facilities, filing protection orders with the court, etc.
• Review results with supervisor and make recommendation concerning case disposition.
• Complete APS investigations and/or assessments as defined by statute and policy within required time frames.

Assess client situations for incompetency and make determination for seeking Guardianship. Additionally, provide case management services to all wards appointed to RCDSS and provide status reports timely as required to the court. Case management services to include, but not limited to:

• Face to face visits as defined by DAAS policy
• Ensuring basic, medical, dental, and mental health needs are met
• Appropriate housing
• Providing transportation

Assisting the DSS Director by gathering…