CWS Team Leader - Foster Care / 61012217

State of South Carolina; York (SC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance

15 days annual leave

15 days sick leave

13 paid holidays

Parental Leave

State Retirement Plan

Deferred Compensation

Job summary

South Carolina Department of Social Services is seeking a Child Welfare Team Leader to supervise the Foster Care portion of the Child Welfare Services team in York County. You will coach front-line case managers, conduct consultations, and ensure policy fidelity and staff development.

The role emphasizes safety, permanency, and well-being, with on-call duties and collaboration with families and professionals to support timely court filings and permanency planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Behavioral Science, or Social Science.
• Bachelor’s Degree in any other field and one year experience in a related field.
• Master’s Degree or higher may be substituted for the required experience.

Responsibilities

• Supervises Foster Care front-line staff, conducts consultations, coaching and training.
• Promotes safety, permanency, and well-being through policy fidelity and reviews.
• Ensures timely completion of CANS and FAST assessments and related documentation.

Skills

Team leadership

Case management supervision

Policy compliance

On-call duties

Education

BSW/MSW or related degree

Bachelor’s in other field + 1 year related experience

Master’s degree substituted for experience

Job description

Job Responsibilities

Do you have a passion to provide meaningful work in the community?

Would you like to be part of an organization whose central mission is helping to protect, stabilize and strengthen the lives of children, families, and vulnerable adults? Then the South Carolina Department of Social Services has the right job opportunity for you.

Job Duties

• The Child Welfare Services Team Leader provides direct supervision to Child Welfare Service area of Foster Care. Ensures accountability to front line case managers by conducting case consultations, coaching, training and providing support in accordance with DSS Policy, Agency Mission and GPS Practice Model. Performs on-call duties and provides support to on-call staff.
• Promotes safety, permanency and well-being by ensuring fidelity to policy and procedures and conducting case consultation and case reviews, facilitating meetings, reviewing data reports, monitoring policy changes, and ensuring staff attendance in mandatory trainings.
• Ensures timely completion of Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessments for Foster Care and Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST) for Investigations and Family Preservation, Child and Family Team meetings, Family Permanency Plans and referrals in accordance with DSS Policy. Ensures CAPSS reflects up to date case information and quality documentation. Ensure timely referrals for services and least intrusive interventions are used with families to address needs identified and maintain the safety of children. Ensures case manager facilitates and/or participates in child and family team meetings.
• Promotes timely permanency by providing case consultation per policy to assess ongoing risks and safety concerns and family engagement; works with case managers to ensure permanency resources are explored at the onset of agency involvement and ongoing. Ensures legal actions are initiated timely when risk and safety concerns require removal to foster care or non-emergency removal. Ensures timely court packets are submitted for permanency planning hearings. Monitors adherence to court orders, identifies and addresses legal barriers that impact legal proceedings.
• Authentically engages and works collaboratively with child welfare staff, families and other professionals with empathy, respect and leadership. Ensures concerted efforts to locate non-custodial parents and kinship support is ongoing. Responds timely and professionally to constituent inquiries.
• Provides case managers with EPMS planning and evaluation plans. Participates in hiring and training of all new employees, promotes equal opportunity, develops a diverse workforce, and gives fair opportunity to all staff. Completes performance and practice evaluations on direct reports biannually and upon request for level ascension. Timely submits evaluations for level ascension and EMPS evaluations.
• Maintains child welfare certification. Attends FAST/CANS certification annually. Completes 20 hours of training yearly to include certifications that are required yearly.
• Maintains an active routine of self-care and pursues support when necessary to minimize the threat of secondary trauma to physical and mental health. Understands the impact of trauma on families and secondary trauma on child welfare staff and applies principles to support families and staff.
• Ensures personal identifying information (PII) is properly used, accessed, gathered, shared and disposed. Protects the agency networks and applications by safeguarding systems, equipment and data.
• Performs Red Cross shelter duty or other emergency shelter duties/services as directed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

A Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Behavioral Science, or Social Science.

A Bachelor's Degree in any other field and one (1) year experience in a related field.

A Master's Degree or higher may be substituted for the required experience.

Must possess a valid driver's license and have access to and be able to operate a motor vehicle. Individuals must comply with necessary field work assignments.

If you certify, by completion and submission of this application, that you possess educational credentials that qualify you for the available DSS positions, you will be required to provide a certified official transcript, if you are selected for job offer.

Benefits

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
• 15 days sick leave per year
• 13 paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs

Division

Child Welfare Services / York County

Important Salary Information

Important Salary Information*

Salary

With the recent implementation of the Child Welfare salary plan funded by the General Assembly beginning in July 2021, front line case managers and team leaders (supervisors) will not only earn higher starting salaries when joining DSS than in previous years, but will also enjoy supplements to their starting salaries upon completion of training and competencies, attainment of BSW/MSW degrees for front line case managers, annual increases for years of continuous service, and salary increases upon attainment of established competencies/certifications for moving into Level 2 and Level 3 salaries. New Child Welfare case managers will earn a starting salary of at least $46,635 during initial certification, depending on education level and degree type, with up-front starting salary supplements of 2.5% ($47,802) and 5% ($48,966) for candidates holding a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, and 10% ($51,298) for team leaders (supervisors), respectively. Following completion of training certification, assignment of caseloads with one year of completed experience, quarterly adjustments will be made to move successful trainees into the Level 1 salary bracket and will receive at least a 15% salary increase (adjusting their salary to $53,899, $55,248 or $56,508 depending on degree type), and $59,287 for team leaders (supervisors) at that time. Annual salary increases of up to 0.50% per year will be awarded on a quarterly basis for each consecutive year a Level 1 case manager remains in his/her class/position. In January of 2022, DSS rolled out additional opportunities for case managers to progress from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3, with increases in salary averaging 2.5% for each increase in the case manager’s level of expertise under the salary plan. Level 2 and 3 child welfare staff will also see accelerated annual increases of 1% to 1.5% per year awarded for each continuous year served in his/her class/position. Progression from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3 requires completion of specified requirements in the Advancement Pathway which include additional training, skill development, and practice model aligned competencies that increase in complexity as the career path progresses. Case reviews, data compliance reviews, field observations and employee self-assessments are used by supervisors to evaluate eligible employees’ demonstration of competencies and skills prior to approval to advance to the subsequent level.

Benefits For State Employees

The state of South Carolina offers eligible employees generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid vacation and sick leave. Plus, work-life balance programs such as telecommuting and flexible work schedules are available to employees of some state agencies.

Insurance Benefits

Eligible employees may enroll in health insurance, which includes prescription coverage and wellness benefits. Other available insurance benefits include dental, vision, term life insurance, long term disability and flexible spending accounts for health and child care expenses.

Retirement Benefits

State employees are also offered retirement plan options, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Additionally, eligible employees may elect to participate in the South Carolina Deferred Compensation Program, which is a voluntary, supplemental retirement savings plan offering 401(k) and 457 plan options.

Workplace Benefits

State employees may also be eligible for other benefits, including tuition assistance; holiday, annual and sick leave; and discounts on purchases, travel and more.

Note

The benefits above are available to most state employees, with the exception of those in temporary positions. Employees in temporary grant and time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some or none of these benefits as benefits are associated with each position type. For these positions, contact the hiring agency to determine what benefits may be available.