Sr. Social Worker (CPS)

Forsyth County; Winston-Salem (NC); On-site; USD 52,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Forsyth County Department of Social Services seeks Sr. Social Workers for CPS, Foster Care, and Adoptions to serve children identified as victims or at risk of abuse/neglect. The role requires fieldwork across homes, schools, and courts, with strong communication and report writing.

Position emphasizes staying compliant with NC statutes and maintaining safety plans, while engaging with diverse families and communities. A valid driver's license and ongoing professional development are required.

Qualifications

• 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).

Responsibilities

• 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;
• 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.

Skills

De-escalation techniques

Mobility for field work

Criminal history knowledge

Strong communication

Education

Master's degree in social work

Bachelor's degree in social work with Child Welfare Collaborative

Bachelor's degree in social work with 1 year related experience

Master's degree in counseling in a human services field

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

Bachelor's degree with 3 years related experience

Job description

General Statement of Duties

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.

Distinguishing Features

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.

Minimum Education And Experience

• 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

• 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;

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.