Social Worker III - CPS Investigations/In-Home Services/Foster Care

Brunswick County DSS is hiring Social Worker III professionals across several child welfare program areas. This is a meaningful opportunity to protect children, strengthen families, and serve your community in a role that offers both personal and professional growth.

Open Program Areas:

• A Child Protective Services Investigations/Assessments Social Worker III investigates allegations of abuse, neglect, or dependency.  The primary goal of the position is to ensure child safety while connecting the family with resources to strengthen the family unit and prevent children from entering foster care.

• An In-Home Services Social Worker III partners with families when the child(ren) are at risk for removal from the home. The Social Worker is assigned cases once a Child Protective Services assessment has been completed with a finding of abuse and/or neglect.   The goal of the position is to ensure child safety while connecting the family with resources to strengthen the family unit and prevent children from being taken into DSS custody.

• A Permanency Planning/Foster Care Social Worker III partners with parents/caregivers who have lost custody of their children due to abuse, neglect, or dependency issues.  The primary goal of the position is to address the safety concerns and risk factors that led to removal and reunification with the parent/caregiver.  

Job responsibilities include:

• Creating and monitoring case plans  
• Making regular home visits/community visits with parents and child(ren)
• Conducting private discussions with adults and children to assess child safety and risk on an ongoing basis
• Supervising visits with parents/caregivers and transporting child(ren)
• Connecting families to community resources to address safety and risk factors
• Assessing child safety and risk on an ongoing basis
• Completing timely, concise, detailed documentation.
• Completing court reports and testifying at court hearings
• Filing court paperwork, assuming custody of children, and testifying at court hearings
• Collaborating with team members 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of child welfare policies and legal mandates 
• Knowledge of social work, practices, and principles
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• General computer knowledge and ability to learn and navigate various programs and databases
• Excellent customer service skills
• Ability to prioritize tasks and reassess as priorities change in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to de-escalate upset clients / remain calm in stressful situations
• Strong written and oral communication skills

Other Information:

We are a forward thinking, creative organization that truly believes in treating others as we want to be treated and we are looking for the right person to join our Team. We are looking for an ethical, team oriented, confident, compassionate, family centered, self-starter with a capacity for critical thinking and problem solving.

• Willingness to work in a fast paced, challenging environment that offers opportunities to grow both personally and professionally
• Have a desire to create a positive impact on adults, children and families living in our community
• Ability to interpret and apply state and agency policies and procedures with the goal of meeting the needs of the community
• Capacity to work and thrive in a team environment

There will be a significant amount of time spent in family homes and in the community.  Must be available to work during emergency situations.   

• Master's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work; or
• Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only); or
• Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year directly related experience; or
• Master's degree in a human services field and one year of directly related experience; or
• Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years directly related experience; or
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience; or
• An equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.   

Please submit a copy of college transcripts with application

Must be physically able to operate a variety of office equipment.  Must be able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pound of force frequently, or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.