Ongoing START Caseworker

Fairfield County Ohio; Lancaster (OH); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Fairfield County Ohio's Ongoing START Caseworker provides specialized, intensive child welfare case management to families in the START program, focusing on parents and caregivers with co-occurring substance use and child maltreatment concerns.

Maintains a reduced caseload and frequent face-to-face engagement, including weekly contact during initial involvement, in collaboration with a START Family Peer Mentor and local providers.

Qualifications

• Experience in child welfare case management.
• Ability to coordinate with behavioral health providers and community partners.
• Strong crisis intervention and advocacy skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess safety, family functioning, and needs; develop and monitor individualized plans.
• Conduct interviews, gather collateral information, and participate in court hearings and case reviews.
• Maintain timely case documentation in SACWIS/EDMS in compliance with DCY rules.
• Provide crisis intervention and wrap-around service coordination.

Skills

Intensive case management

Crisis intervention

Advocacy

Collaboration with partners

Tools

SACWIS

EDMS

Job description

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.