Prevention - Social Worker - Tiered

What You’ll Be Doing

Child Welfare division has three federally mandated goals. The first goal is safety — children will be protected from harm from child abuse and neglect. The second goal is permanence — children entering foster care will be reunited with family or placed in a new permanent home as quickly as possible. The third goal is well‑being — the educational, health, and overall well‑being of children and families.

Federal, state, and local policy dictate that Child Welfare seeks to accomplish these three goals by supporting and strengthening families. The Wake County Child Welfare Family Support Program currently serves over 700 families & individuals in an effort to preserve families.

The Prevention – Social Worker is responsible for providing voluntary services for families’ transition to independence through the use of strengths‑based approach to social work practice; endorsement and application of community resources and the provision of information and referral for services. In addition to providing case management and other family strengthening services, the Prevention – Social Worker advocates for clients in other areas such as education, child‑care, housing, employment, and diverse public systems.

The Prevention – Social Worker will also provide mandated Child Welfare Permanency Planning Services for families based on Intercounty Agreements.

• Routinely conduct home visits to observe, assess, document and monitor the conditions, level of functioning, well‑being and/or risk of the children and family, and services needed. The home visit assessment includes caregiver interactions, disciplinary techniques, communication styles, child development, and level of nurturing, safety, health, budgeting, nutrition/food preparation and home maintenance, etc.
• Engage families and other support to assess family’s needs and implement interventions that are goal oriented and achievable. Builds on the strength of the family to assist them in meeting their needs and respond to crisis and stress appropriately. Coordinate and facilitate the provision of family support services to increase life skills. Report incidents of child abuse and neglect, and assist the family in modifying behaviors and/or conditions that contribute to abuse and neglect as necessary.
• Establish and maintain healthy, professional relationships to assist families in becoming independent of the child welfare system. Develop strategies to build trust and rapport with families and use it as a basis in creating a plan to achieve goals.
• Collect relevant and accurate information required for reporting to assist in the case management function; document detailed client contact records to assist in the compilation of a family history and to document progress or lack thereof towards established goals. Complete all necessary documentation in a timely manner. Regularly assist in analyzing the collected information and actively participate in team meetings that focus on family assessment, family development planning and service agreement development.
• Regularly maintain relationships with other community agencies, educational institutions, businesses and service providers to advocate for clients. Regularly integrate/links families to informal and formal resources within their community or neighborhood to create natural support systems. Regularly participate in internal and external meetings in spirit of mutual support of families and advocate for needed resources and services and to ensure families are provided with all possible resources available.
• Attend community/neighborhood meetings and events to keep abreast of new and/or changing programs, projects and community resources. Regularly maintain relations with other community agencies, educational institutions, businesses and service providers to advocate for clients and needed resources. Serve as a representative of the collaborative at community-based events and/or meetings.
• Facilitate Kinship Care Support Groups/Community Education Workshops, provide service intake on a needed basis, utilize a family‑centered approach to promote/increase economic self‑sufficiency,…