Child and Family Services Case Manager

Job Description

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Division of Family Well-Being and Protection, Bureau of Child Protective Services, is seeking a Child & Family Services Case Manager to join our team! This full‑time position is located in Waterloo and covers surrounding counties. Typical workdays are Monday through Friday with hours from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Overtime, after‑hours, and weekend on‑call rotations may be required and must be pre‑approved by leadership.

The primary purpose of this position is to work with families in which child abuse and/or neglect has occurred. The focus is to decrease the likelihood of continued abuse while preserving families. Families are kept together whenever possible; in some circumstances children may be removed from parental custody and placed in another home, preferably still with family. As a Social Work Case Manager, you may need to remove children during this process, which can be difficult and challenging.

• Assess the ongoing risk to children, develop safety plans, assess the strengths and needs of the child and family, and make recommendations to various county attorneys and courts.
• Frequent interaction with law enforcement, medical/mental health community partners, schools, and other stakeholders.
• Apply Iowa Code, agency policy, and sound professional judgment to highly complex situations involving crises or chronic abuse or neglect.
• Conduct home visits, detailed interviews, and thorough narrative documentation for all cases assigned to this position.
• Troubleshoot problematic situations to find innovative solutions for presentation to administration and supervision. Confront crisis and high‑stress situations in a calm and orderly manner while maintaining confidentiality and prioritizing safety.
• Obtain and interpret information from diverse sources, including written materials, telephone conversations, and computer databases.
• Identify rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts and draw accurate conclusions.
• Collaborate in a team environment to manage group processes, facilitate cooperation, foster trust and pride, and encourage team spirit.
• Assist others to achieve goals.
• In an office environment, provide Division support to a large segment of the agency by managing internal and external requests for information and legislative reviews and communicating in a positive, customer‑service manner, resolving problems and answering inquiries from employees and customers.
• Be available to work or stand by during nights and weekends on a rotational basis.

• Successful management of a full caseload.
• Strong observational and analytical skills, and the ability to engage families respectfully and collaboratively in safety planning.
• Excellent judgment and communication skills, with the ability to provide clear written documentation in a timely manner.
• Ability to develop case plans, use critical thinking, prioritize work, and work under pressure.
• Independent judgment to make sound decisions, demonstrating integrity, confidentiality, and a strong work ethic.

To ensure the Service Area is providing the best service to the residents of Iowa, applicants should demonstrate exceptional customer service skills, integrity, and a strong work ethic.

Preference will be given for education or experience that correlates directly with the requirements and duties of the position.

Working for the State of Iowa comes with competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well‑being and professional growth:

• Health, Dental, and Vision Coverage:
  Health and dental insurance packages to keep you and your family healthy at low cost.
• Paid Time Off:
  Vacation (96 hours / year initially, increasing with service), sick leave (144 hours / year), and paid holidays (9 days / year).
• Retirement Plans:
  Participation in IPERS (employees contribute 6.29 % and the State of Iowa contributes 9.44 %) and the Retirement Investors Club (RIC) and an employer‑sponsored retirement plan with dollar‑for‑dollar matching up to $75 / month.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and…