Social Worker III (Licensing/Placement)

The Gaston Group, LLC; Gastonia (NC); On-site; USD 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Gaston Group, LLC in North Carolina seeks a social worker to provide case management for children in DHHS custody, aiming for permanent placements.

You will attend court hearings, compile reports, coordinate family visits, and advocate for medical, emotional, educational, and placement services. Home visits and foster care coordination are required.

Qualifications

• MSW or social work degree from an accredited program.
• Experience in child welfare or related human services.
• Strong communication and report-writing skills.
• Ability to coordinate court-related documentation.
• Driver's license required.
• Transcript attached with application.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management for children in DHHS custody and pursue permanence.
• Attend court hearings and prepare reports.
• Coordinate family visits and advocate for needed services.
• Conduct home visits to removal and foster care placements.
• Prepare and maintain comprehensive case files and documentation.
• Transport and accompany child to appointments and court.
• Participate in Permanency Planning Team meetings and related meetings.
• Contribute to weekly staffings and trainings.
• Prepare monthly statistical reports.
• Be available for emergency shelters and other duties as assigned.

Skills

Communication skills

Child development knowledge

Documentation & reports

Education

MSW from an accredited school of social work

Master's degree in counseling (human services) + 1 year related experience

BSW + Child Welfare Collaborative

BSW + 1 year related experience

Bachelor's degree in a human services field + 2 years related experience

Bachelor's degree + 3 years related experience

Valid Driver's License

Job description

*The anticipated hiring range for this position is $27.45 - $32.60*

The duties listed below are not all of the duties that may be assigned but are those that are considered as essential for an employee to perform.

• Providing case management services for children in custody of the Department of Health and Human Services and aggressively seeking permanence for them, including [1] seeing each child, [2] attending all court hearings and preparing all necessary reports and documentation, [3] contacting and seeing all appropriate family members and collaterals, [4] coordinating and facilitating visits between child and family, [5] advocating for and obtaining all services the child needs (medical, emotional, education, as well as placement), [6] making home visits (announced and unannounced) to removal home and foster home/group facility - all of such as is required by NCDHHS-Division of Social Services Policy, North Carolina Juvenile Statue, and through local court direction.
• Creating a case file that captures and specifically documents a childs life while in foster care and away from family/caretakers. Social worker prepares pictures, correspondence, medical records, educational records, running narratives that document all DHHS activities, copies of all court paperwork and order, Permanency Planning Team paperwork case plans developed with caretakers, risk assessments, strengths and needs assessments, visitation plans, referrals for child of parent, release of information forms, any mental health records, visitation plans, eligibility for funding forums, all identifying information (such as birth certificates and social security numbers), social histories, home studies, parental information - assessments, criminal histories, past CPS involvements, referred programs progressnotes (i.e., DV Groups, Substance Abuse, therapists, parenting groups, etc.).
• Transporting and accompaniment of child (and sometimes caretakers) to appointments that help to achieve the well‑being or permanency goals, visitation between child and caretaker, drug screenings of caretakers, and court.
• Participating and preparatory work for Permanency Planning Team Meetings, Child and Family Team Meetings, Treatment Team meetings for children and mental health needs, and Care Review Meetings for oversight of treatment level and appropriate placements.
• Participating in weekly unit/team staffing, individual staffing (as needed), local trainings, professional development trainings, and state‑mandated trainings.
• Preparing monthly reports capturing statistical data.
• Must be available to work mandatory emergency shelters and other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• MSW from an accredited school of social work
• Masters degree in counseling from an accredited college/university in a human services field and one year of directly related experience.
• BSW from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative(Child Welfare positions only)
• BSW from an accredited school of social work and one year of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college/university and two years of directly related experience
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university and three years of directly related experience
• Valid Driver's License.

The ideal candidate will have good communication skills in working children and adolescents, and appropriate child development knowledge. Knowledge of separation and loss impact for children being removed from their family and home environment would be especially helpful.

• A copy of a transcript must be included with the application.** *FAILURE TO ATTACH YOUR TRANSCRIPTS WILL RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING REJECTED. *

Additional Information

The applicant selected must undergo a criminal background check and pass a drug screening test prior to employment. In compliance with G.S. 153A-94.2 (b), if the position being filled requires an applicant for employment to work with children in any capacity, the County must require the applicant, if offered the position, to be subject to a criminal history record check conducted by the SBI. These checks must be performed in accordance with G.S.143B-1209.26, which authorizes the SBI to provide fingerprint‑based state and national criminal record checks to cities and counties.