Sr. Social Worker (CPS)

Forsyth County (NC); East Winston (NC); On-site; USD 48,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Forsyth County Department of Social Services in North Carolina seeks a Sr. Social Worker to support the CPS, Foster Care and Adoptions divisions by delivering child welfare services to at‑risk children and families across home, court and school settings.

The position requires compliance with NC statutes, strong communication and de‑escalation skills, and willingness to travel to client locations. A MSW or relevant degree with required experience is needed, plus a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

• MSW degree from an accredited program; licensing requirements per NC statutes.
• Bachelor of Social Work from an accredited school; completion of Child Welfare Collaborative or related experience.
• Bachelor's degree with 1–3 years of directly related experience in social services.
• MSW in Counseling or related human services field with 1 year of social work or counseling experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide social work services to families in child welfare cases (CPS, foster care, adoptions).
• Assess family strengths and needs; develop safety plans and permanence goals.
• Collaborate with courts, schools, and community agencies; maintain timely documentation.
• Use de-escalation techniques to maintain safe environments and support clients.
• Meet families outside the office as needed; may require evening hours to accommodate schedules.
• Complete required reports and documentation per county, state, and federal standards.
• Engage in at least 24 hours of ongoing professional development annually.

Skills

Communication skills

De-escalation

Travel readiness

Education

MSW in Social Work

BSW + Child Welfare Collaborative

BSW + 1y related experience

MSW Counseling (Human Services) + 1y

BSW in Human Services + 2y

BA/BS + 3y related experience (DSS)

Job description

Forsyth County's Department of Social Services is currently seeking to hire Sr. Social Workers in the (CPS) Child Protective Service, Foster Care, and Adoptions divisions to provide social work services to children who have been identified as victims or potential victims of child abuse, neglect and/or dependency as defined by North Carolina General Statutes.

For an overview of this position and child welfare work, you are encouraged to view this realistic job preview video: 1_5_24_RJP_v6 on Vimeo.

This position has been identified to interact with children and must comply with NC G.S. 153A-94.2(b) “requires an applicant for employment to work with children in any capacity, 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 conducted in accordance with G.S. 143B-1209.26, the statute which authorizes the SBI to provide a fingerprint‑based state and national criminal record check to cities and counties.

The selected candidate must understand and utilize correctly all Federal, State, and local laws, policies, and procedures relevant to child abuse, neglect and dependency. In addition, this person must be mobile because most of the job takes place outside the DSS office (such as in clients' homes, courtrooms, schools, etc.). This person must be able to observe and report their observations and must be able to communicate effectively with persons from a range of social and economic backgrounds and a variety of mental capacities and convey information obtained in a concise and accurate format.

The selected candidate shall provide services to families while making a thorough assessment of strengths and needs, safety and family support systems to enhance family functioning and to assist families with developing permanent plans for their children.

The selected candidate must be able to use de-escalation techniques to maintain a calm environment and respond proactively to situations that may become disruptive while working with clients.

There may be occasions when the Sr. Social Workers have to work after 5:00 p.m. to meet with families due to the family's availability.

• 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 or;
• Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year of directly related experience or;
• Master's degree in counseling in a human services field and one year of social work or counseling (Department of Social Services) or;
• Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years of directly related experience or;
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience (Department of Social Services).

Valid driver's license required.

If you do not meet the minimum "experience requirements" as listed above for the position but have the required bachelor degree, you may apply for consideration as a possible "Work Against" status. Consideration for "Work Against" applicants will be considered if recruitment for qualified Sr. Social Worker is unsuccessful.

Hiring Rate for Work Against is $49,732.80.

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. YOU MUST SUBMIT COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT WITH APPLICATION.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

This position has been identified to interact with children and must comply with NC G.S. 153A-94.2(b) “requires an applicant for employment to work with children in any capacity, 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 conducted in accordance with G.S. 143B-1209.26, the statute which authorizes the SBI to provide a fingerprint‑based state and national criminal record check to cities and counties.

Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Excellent communication and customer service skills;
• Assessing and evaluating the family's strengths and needs;
• Identifying safety factors and the appropriate safety response.
• Assessing the child's safety and developing safety response plans with the parent/caretaker to include identifying interventions;
• Initiating court intervention to ensure the child's safety, if needed;
• Providing ongoing assessment/evaluation of the family toward its goals;
• maintaining required contacts with the child, parents, and other collateral contacts;
• Completing documentation in a timely manner based on county, state, and federal requirements to ensure appropriate service provision to children and families;
• Documenting all interactions and maintaining this documentation in the case record;
• Completing and submitting documentation to supervisor at established timeframes;
• Collaborating and consulting with team members, community agencies, and service providers as appropriate;
• Completing all documentation related to initial legal and court proceedings and;
• Attending at least 24 hours of ongoing professional development training each appraisal year.