Child Protective Services; SISA; Social Worker - Tiered

Wake County Social Services’ Child Welfare Division is seeking mission-driven, resilient, and highly skilled Social Workers for the Serious Injury & Sexual Abuse Team. Our work is guided by three federally mandated goals:

• Safety – Protect children and youth from abuse, neglect, and harm
• Permanence – Ensure every child has a stable, permanent home
• Well-being – Support children's educational, physical, and emotional health

We achieve these goals by applying trauma-informed practice, critical thinking, and policy clarity, and by working collaboratively with caregivers, medical professionals, law enforcement, and the court system.

As a Social Worker on the Serious Injury & Sexual Abuse Team, you play a vital role in ensuring safety and justice for children and youth impacted by severe abuse or sexual assault. You will use advanced judgment, strong analytical skills, and calm, regulated decision-making to assess risk, respond to crises, and support families through highly sensitive and complex circumstances.

Success in this role requires balancing independence with teamwork, knowing when to seek supervisory consultation, and demonstrating confidence in the decisions you can make autonomously. Strong candidates remain composed under pressure, navigate trauma-sensitive conversations, and maintain professionalism in emotionally charged situations.

This position involves both field and office work, including collaboration with medical providers, forensic interviewers, law enforcement, and legal partners.

• Evaluate allegations of serious injury, sexual abuse, or exploitation
• Gather collateral information from medical, forensic, and law enforcement sources
• Apply NC policy and trauma-informed practice to reach clear, evidence-based decisions
• Use structured critical thinking to determine safety threats, vulnerability, and protective capacities
• Decide when circumstances require supervisory consultation versus independent decision-making

• Provide services that help children remain safe at home whenever possible
• Build rapport with survivors and caregivers, hold difficult conversations with empathy, clarity, and professionalism
• Complete timely, behavior-based safety plans grounded in policy and trauma-informed care
• Facilitate ongoing monitoring of safety plans, caregiver progress, and risk reduction

• Conduct regular home visits, including some evenings and weekends
• Assess the child’s environment using observation, interviewing, and risk-assessment tools
• Respond to crises with calm, regulated decision-making and clear communication

• Monitor caregiver progress, service engagement, and child safety
• Adjust interventions or safety plans as needed based on ongoing assessment
• Partner with medical providers, forensic interviewers, schools, legal partners, and internal teams to support sustained risk reduction

• Facilitate foster care placements when safety cannot be maintained in the home
• File petitions and initiate legal action when needed to protect children
• Prepare and deliver concise, factual, and legally defensible court testimony

• Write accurate, neutral, policy-aligned documentation
• Translate complex observations into clear, objective, court-ready notes
• Complete documentation within seven days of each contact and maintain tracking system

• Work closely with supervisors, colleagues, multidisciplinary teams, and community partners
• Share timely updates to support coordinated casework
• Maintain compliance with mandated reporting, confidentiality, and professional/ethical…