Social Worker II- Foster Care

Foster Care, Family Support, And Interstate Services Position

The primary purpose of this position is to provide Foster Care, Family Support, and Interstate services to strengthen family functioning, enhance the protection and care of children, and achieve permanency for children. Services are provided to assist in preventing the neglect and abuse of children and to develop and implement case plans to help remediate family problems that have caused the abuse or neglect of children.

This involves on-going assessments of risk for children who have been abused or neglected and the provision of comprehensive services to achieve reunification or other permanent goal as needed. This position is part of Children's Services Section in the Harnett County Department of Social Services. Hiring Salary: $56,927.00

Variety and Scope
- Employees independently perform assessments to identify needs and establish an appropriate service/treatment plan and may provide supportive/directive counseling to clients and families in addressing needs. In some settings, behavioral approaches are used to maximize client involvement. Employees may serve as inter/multi-disciplinary team member. Employees may refer clients and families to a variety of services to meet financial, psychological, emergency care, emotional, or other needs.

Employees may assume a case manager role to follow the client through agency and external services.

I. Duties and Responsibilities A:
General Description of the Program Family Support Services—50% These are prevention services provided to promote the well-being of children and families and increase the family's strengths and stability. These are voluntary services designed to assess and provide services needed to address issues such as family relationships, substance abuse, housing, poverty and finances, childcare, juvenile delinquency, and health concerns. Helping families become self-sufficient, provide appropriate care for children, and prevent abuse and/or neglect of children is the focus of Family Support Services.

Foster Care Services—50% Services are provided to supervise a plan of substitute care for children removed from their home for abuse, neglect, or dependency. This includes a broad range of services to assess service needs of families and children, develop a plan of services to address identified needs, and evaluate on-going risk for children if returned to the care of their families.

Recommendations are made to the Court regarding the appropriate plan to achieve permanence for children in the foster care system. Employee uses a systematic approach to problem solving which can provide the support needed by persons to become motivated to take steps to eliminate, overcome, or cope with the factors contributing to family dysfunction. The basic focus is to strengthen family functioning so that the family can better meet the needs of its members.

Employee is trained to manage emergency shelters at times of natural or man-made emergencies. Employee also provides on-call coverage for Children's Services on a rotating basis. When assigned this duty, employee responds to crisis situations involving children in the custody of the agency. Employee performs other duties as assigned

Education/Certification:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Considerable knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices and their application to individual casework group work and community problems. Knowledge of the psychosocial, socioeconomic and behavioral problems and their treatment. Knowledge of governmental and private organizations and community resources. Knowledge of laws, regulations and policies, which govern the program. General…