Child Welfare & Adult Protection Lead Caseworker

Child Welfare & Adult Protection Lead Caseworker

This position functions within a state-supervised, county-administered human services structure. Position provides a full range of intake and ongoing child welfare and Adult Protection services and supervision for a variety of program areas such as child abuse and neglect cases, youth in conflict cases, foster care, adoption, and adults unable to protect their own interests.

General Duties and Responsibilities Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Essential Functions

• Maintains a caseload primarily comprised of court-involved cases. The incumbent will assist in managing any intake assessment overflow.
• Prepares court documents for placement and permanency hearings in addition to progress reports on the Family Treatment Plan goals.
• Sources services for families that are court-ordered and a part of the treatment plan.
• Assesses a child or adult's mental health, medical, and physical needs and works with practitioners to develop an appropriate treatment plan.
• Participates in state trainings to maintain certifications and further develop as a subject matter expert.
• Provides oversight on investigations of alleged physical abuse, neglect, and parent conflicts; determines if the situation warrants placing children outside the home; supervises placement of children in foster care and ensures parent/child visits are taking place; and determines when and if to recommend that children return to the home.
• Coordinates or supervises home visits with families.
• Determines the need for recommending placement of children into foster care. Supervises the child's progress in placement.
• Testifies in court on a variety of ongoing cases, makes recommendations to the courts on abuse and neglect cases, placement of children, guardianship of adults, and on custody investigations.
• Provides oversight on their case plans and oversees counseling services to families regarding parenting skills, family problems, parent-child relationships, and problems with the community.
• Team Supportive Duties:
• Reviews case plans and case reports of fellow caseworkers to determine whether they are appropriate for the case and meet state standards in the absence of the Protection Manager.
• Assists the fellow caseworkers in the unit with difficult cases and helps them develop, maintain, and modify family treatment plans.
• Assists in training new Caseworkers and works with the Protection Manager to develop and maintain team SOPs.
• Provides feedback to fellow caseworkers regarding the intake assessment and evaluation process, referrals for ongoing counseling services, and case planning to a variety of other cases, including adults unable to protect their own interests, family conflict, and youth in conflict cases.
• Facilitates Family Engagement Meetings for teammates' cases in coordination with the Protection Supervisor.
• Authorizes written reports of appropriate documentation of case plans, recommendations, contacts, assessments, etc.
• Has a high level of proficiency in the following areas:
• Theories, principles, and concepts of social casework practice (assessment- and treatment-oriented) related to all of the assigned program areas.
• Social work principles and methods.
• Medical symptoms related to injuries or failure to thrive in children.
• Effects of domestic violence on children and adults and the laws dealing with child and adult abuse, neglect, and other dependency conditions.
• The needs of senior citizens, persons with physical disabilities, persons who are LGBTQIA, persons with developmental delays, persons with a mental illness diagnosis, persons affected by addiction, and persons who are deemed to be incompetent.
• Skills in interviewing techniques, crisis intervention methods, and relevant treatment modalities.
• Community resources, agency rules, regulations, and procedures related to assigned program areas.
• Establish rapport with clients.
• Independently analyze complex situations, formulate plans, and make quick decisions as needed.
• Clearly and concisely express oneself both verbally and in written format.
• Establish and maintain harmonious professional relationships with other employees, peer supervisors, outside agencies, and the public.
• Testify effectively in court hearings.
• Travel by car in order to make home visits and to visit foster parents and children in placement when necessary.
• Experience and Training Guidelines
• Any combination of experience and training that would likely…