Social Worker - IA&T Job Brevard area,North Carolina USA,Social Work

Child Protective Investigator

Transylvania County is a community with a rich cultural scene, grounded in tradition and history and with a vision for the future. We are a community that has a wonderful public and private education system that provides our region with a well-trained and viable workforce. Transylvania County has a population of 33,211, featuring over 250 waterfalls with the highest, Whitewater reaching a staggering 411ft.

For the outdoor enthusiast there are 1000+ miles of trails, 300+ miles of cycling territory including single tracks and fire roads; fly fishing from the many streams, pristine swimming holes and even mountain climbing at the famous Looking Glass Rock scaling 60ft of granite face rock. Come join and see what our community is all about!

Essential Functions

This position provides protective, investigative, counseling and case management services for children who are at risk for neglect and/or abuse in Transylvania County. Position could be subject to assisting with Assessment, In-Home or Foster Care cases if needed.

Investigate/assess new protective service reports by observing children involved in the report, identifying verbal and non-verbal behavior, interviewing children and obtaining medical and psychological evaluations as part of the initial evaluation process, as necessary, to determine extent of abuse or neglect; gather data concerning the children from families and schools, community, extended family members, friends or acquaintances; interview family members concerning the alleged abuse or neglect, and the family's overall level of functioning.

Employees manage a caseload of clients in the most difficult and complex cases. Work may involve providing treatment in group, family or individual therapy to clients of any age and/or with any developmental, mental, medical, financial, substance abuse or family problem including abused, neglected or homeless children. Work includes clinical and social investigation, assessment of individuals and family dynamics, crisis intervention, referrals for treatment and placement in foster care or residential facilities.

Employees provide expert testimony.

Assessment of family dynamics and degree of abuse and neglect using Structured Decision-Making Tools and best practice skills to determine severity and immediacy of the problem and risk to child. Determine if immediate intervention is necessary by removal of children from the home and initiation of appropriate juvenile court action. Arrange for services for family and children as needed.

Write court petition, giving clear, concise and cogent grounds for petitioning court, accurate description of abuse or neglect leading to the petition, and accurate accounting of reasonable efforts to avoid court intervention. Include plan of intervention outlined to justify court involvement. Consultation with agency attorney to outline court case, including employee's own testimony, testimony of children and witnesses, testimony of other professionals.

Regular ongoing proactive work with families, including face-to-face contact with children and caretakers through home visits and other contacts in the field, including schools and day care centers. Family centered practice skills will be used by employee.

Keep timely and accurate documentation in case file, including structured decision-making tools, narrative documentation, and copies of other evaluations, or records as needed to support all case decisions and actions. Work is reviewed by unit supervisors, program managers or higher-level administrators, usually on a routine basis.

Knowledge,

Skills and Abilities

Knowledge, skills and abilities required:

Identifying and prioritizing problem elements under stress, crisis interviewing and counseling to allow worker to take charge, defuse and manage the crisis by identifying and utilizing both customary and creative resources for the benefit of the client to elicit trust and cooperation from the client and others directly involved. Abilities required of the social worker include accurately observing human behavior and environmental conditions, processing collected data in order to effectively…