Family Support Caseworker

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Primary Functions

The protective services unit provides casework services to families whose children are at risk of, or who have been neglected, physically abused, and/or sexually abused. The caseworker assists the families to follow through with plans to address drug and alcohol abuse, mental health, domestic violence, housing, and parenting skills in order to improve their functioning and prevent repeated abuse and neglect. The caseworker makes every effort to work with the families toward the goal of stabilizing and strengthening them so that they may remain a family unit and meet their children’s needs for safety and well-being. Most cases are successfully closed after the family has completed their Family Service Plan goals. This bilingual caseworker carries a caseload (15 to 25 families) of protective services clients.

Accountabilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Develops and implements safety plans to protect children.
• Conducts Safety Assessments to support caseworker activities/interventions.
• Supports the utilization of Family Group Conferencing to assist families identify family and community supports
• Assumes responsibility for assigned cases from the Intake Investigation and Foster Care Units in order to support the reunification of children exiting out-of-home placement.
• Implements the Family Service Plan, reviews and amends the Plan as indicated by circumstances or regulations
• Meets with the child and his or her family regularly to deliver services and conduct ongoing assessments of the family’s progress and the children’s safety.
• Counsels, teaches, and supports families to address areas that present barriers to effective, independent parenting.
• Makes every effort to enhance family functioning and resolve problems by coordinating agency services and community resources to meet families’ needs.
• Arranges child placement, if necessary, including exploration of alternative resources or petitioning the court for agency custody.
• Maintains all required documentation including narrative dictation, risk assessment, safety assessments, Family Service Plans, and reviews.
• Testifies at court hearings in support of petitions for custody or protective supervision.
• Cooperates with other unit members to assure unit coverage and assists in emergencies.
• Participates in unit and staff meetings and training.
• Routinely provides own transportation to and from client’s homes, meetings, outreach visits and other job-related appointments in a timely manner and accesses those locations with reasonable accommodations.

Position Specifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor’s degree from four-year college or university with a social welfare major or a Bachelor’s degree which includes or is supplemented by successful completion of 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice or other related social sciences or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 1 year of related experience
• Valid Driver’s License
• Bilingual Spanish/English required

M/F/D/V EEOC