Caseworker, Social Work

The Ongoing START Caseworker provides specialized, intensive child welfare case management to families participating in the Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma (START) program, serving parents and caregivers experiencing co-occurring substance use and child maltreatment concerns. Maintains a reduced caseload to support frequent face-to-face engagement, including weekly contact during initial program involvement. Partners closely with a START Family Peer Mentor with lived experience and collaborates with behavioral health providers, treatment professionals, and community partners to coordinate comprehensive wrap-around services that support recovery, child safety, trauma reduction, and family stability.

Assesses child safety, family functioning, substance use concerns, treatment needs, and barriers to recovery; develops individualized case plans; monitors progress; provides crisis intervention, advocacy, and service coordination; and adjusts interventions based on family needs. Performs ongoing child welfare responsibilities, including assessing allegations of abuse, neglect, and dependency, conducting interviews, gathering collateral information and evidence, participating in court hearings and case reviews, supervising family visits, coordinating placements, and emergency removals, and responding to high-risk situations.

Maintains timely and accurate case documentation in the electronic database while ensuring compliance with agency policies and Ohio Department of Children and Youth requirements. Participates in weekend and after hours on call coverage on a rotating basis.

Provides intensive services to a specialized ongoing caseload within the START (Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma) program while adhering to all aspects of a traditional ongoing child welfare caseworker. The program is targeted at parents/caregivers who have co-occurring child maltreatment and substance use. The specialized position involves working closely with a START Family Peer Mentor (individual with lived experience) to support families affected by addiction challenges.

Works jointly with behavioral health providers to ensure seamless and efficient delivery of intensive wrap-around services to START families. Assesses family needs and develops intervention plans to address addiction-related issues. Provides intensive ongoing case management which initially includes weekly contact with START participants, monitoring, and advocacy to promote family stability and safety. Ohio START case workers carry a caseload of no more than 10-12 START cases due to the intensive nature and face to face contact requirements to support the parent/caregiver's work toward recovery.

Works to assess the validity of complaints accepted according to the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) rules and agency policy of abuse, neglect, and dependency by conducting interviews of adults and children at various locations, completing assessments in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), gathering evidence, and working with community partners and/or collateral sources. Provides interventions to alleviate crises and reduce risks to children by engaging the family, community partners, and referring for service linkage.

Establishes a family case plan with individualized goals and assesses progress on a routine basis; maintains contact with client, out of home placement, and interested parties and assesses progress of case plan; determines alternative treatment plans as necessary; provides crisis intervention case management as established by DCY Rule and Agency Policy. Attends/testifies at court hearings; attends and actively participates in administrative case reviews;

performs planned and…