Ongoing START Caseworker

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. 

45% 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 unplanned emergency removals and emergency placements; supervises visits with parents and transports children/adults. Is responsible for handling difficult and emergency cases and/or situations, during and after work hours, and makes referrals within Protective Services or to community partners for additional services to support the family.  Required to travel throughout the state of Ohio and at times, throughout the United States, to complete mandates established by DCY.  The duties of this position are considered high risk, high demand, and have significant unpredictability in daily tasks and require the need for flexibility. 30% Maintains case record documentation in SACWIS and the Electronic Data Management System (EDMS) (e.g., photos, audio/video recordings, activity logs, forms, written summaries, case plans, social history, and court documents) for supervisory approvals and agency record retention.  15% Assesses need for placement of children in substitute care when needed. Secure out-of- home care placement which best meets the child’s individual needs in a least restrictive and most home-like/appropriate setting. Utilizes and completes screening tools (UNCOPE, ACES, and CTAC) to screen for substance use and trauma.  10% Participate in required Ohio START trainings/meetings, ongoing training, supervisory/staff meetings, staff consultations and other related management support tasks. Participates in weekend and after hours on call coverage on a rotating basis.  Assist with overflow case assignments and traditional ongoing cases by assessing the validity of complaints accepted according to 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. Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications
Per Section 5153.112 of the Ohio Revised Code, applicants of a Public Children Services unit must have one of the following:
1. A bachelor’s degree in human services-related studies, or
2. A bachelor’s degree in any field and have been employed for at least two years in a human services occupation, or
 3. An associate’s degree in human services-related studies, or
4. Been employed for at least five years in a human service-related occupation.

For employment to continue, a person described in Option 2, 3, or 4 above must obtain a job-related bachelor’s degree not later than five years after the date employment with the agency commences.

Per Section 5153.122 of the Ohio Revised Code, each caseworker shall complete at least ninety hours of in-service training during the first year of the caseworker’s continuous employment, consisting of courses in recognizing and preventing child abuse and neglect, assessing risks, interviewing persons, investigating cases, intervening, providing services to children and their families, and other topics relevant to child abuse and neglect. After the first year of continuous employment, each caseworker annually shall complete thirty-six hours of training in areas relevant to the caseworker’s assigned duties.  

In addition, applicant must have a valid driver’s license.Unusual Working Conditions/Hazards
The position possesses responsibility for the safety of children or adults by requiring the 
incumbent to make determinations as to whether these children or adults are in an "imminent 
risk of harm.” These children and adults are incapable of protecting themselves from physical, 
mental, and/or sexual abuse. Injuries, if they do occur are likely to involve temporary disabilities 
such as bruises or cuts. Serious mistakes in terms of failing to remove children or adults from 
homes could conceivably, although extremely infrequent, cause death (e.g., suicide) or a 
permanent disability. Additionally, the position involves performing duties which require taking 
some special safety precautions, such as when contacting and negotiating with a family 
suspected of child abuse or neglect. However, performing this duty does not require the use of 
protective clothing. Exposure to these situations is likely to result in threats of injury, which are 
rarely acted upon. However, the position involves regular exposure to environmental factors 
(e.g., cold, excessive heat, noise, fumes, vibration, dirt) during interviews and meetings 
conducted outside of the office. The position may involve lifting or carrying children, and 
exposure to contagious diseases.