Placement and Care Administrator (SOCIAL SERVICE ADMINISTRATOR IV)

Introduction When you join the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS), you join a team of more than 5,000 employees across the state dedicated to positively changing the lives of more than 1 million Marylanders each year. We do this by providing economic support, preventive services, and caring for children and adults. We aim to deliver services so that we can more quickly meet the needs of the people we serve. At DHS, we grapple with hard questions to find new ways to foster a culture of bold innovation, ensuring that in Maryland we leave no one behind.

GRADE

19

LOCATION OF POSITION

Howard County Department of Social Services 9780 Patuxent Woods Drive Columbia, Maryland 21046 Main Purpose of Job This position provides administrative and clinical supervision for all Out of Home Placement Services including: Foster Care Intake, Foster and Kinship Care Services, Adoption and Post Adoption Services, Adoption Subsidy Program, Guardianship assistance Program, Foster/adoptive Resource Home Services—including recruitment, training, and approval processes—the Ready by 21 program, the Kinship Navigation/ Family Finding Program, Family Team Decision Making Facilitation Program (FTDM), Voluntary Placement/Diversion Services, and Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) services. The incumbent will provide direct administrative and clinical supervision to the Out of Home Placement Supervisor, four Resource Home program staff, and the Administrative Assistant for Out of Home and Adult Services.

POSITION DUTIES

Ensures OOH milestones, AFCARS and CFSR performance targets are met. Provides direct administrative and clinical supervision to the Out of Home staff in the absence of the Out-of-Home Supervisor. Manages staff resources to ensure caseloads are balanced and mandated Out-of-Home Placement services are provided to children and families according to policy and regulation. Ensures Family Team Decision Making Meetings are convened at all prescribed triggers along the Out-of-Home placement continuum. Identifies areas of professional growth for the Out-Of-Home Supervisor and develops a plan that provides opportunities for enhancing the supervisory skill set. Implements programming for new initiatives to enhance outcomes for children and families as directed and initiated by DHS/SSA or the agency. Coordinates services between CPS, In-Home Services, Adult Services and Out-of-Home Services to ensure continuity of service provision to children, families, and vulnerable adults/disabled persons served by the agency. Provides customer service to both internal and external customers that meets or exceeds standards set by the Department. Performs personnel functions including determining Out-of-Home staff needs and offering recommendations to address those needs, providing coaching and training to staff, interviewing prospective employees as part of a panel of interviewers, making hiring recommendations, monitoring leave usage as well as compensatory time/overtime accruals, and evaluating/correcting employee performance following Human Resources policies and State Personnel regulations. Monitors areas of administrative policies regarding travel, confidentiality, and progressive discipline, etc., to ensure the professional and ethical conduct of Out-of-Home Placement staff. Uses policy, regulations, State and federal law to develop local continuum of Out-of-Home Services that ensures the safety, permanency and well-being of children in Out-of-Home Care. Performs administrative support functions such as completing reports and compiling statistics to track program performance. Regularly monitors program compliance to present and mitigate OLA and OIG audit findings and to ensure local/DHS performance goals for Out-of-Home Services are met. Represents the agency by participating on committees and advisory boards and delivers or coordinates the delivery of presentations related to Out-of-Home Care. Responds to DHS, organizational or client concern and correspondence, by phone, email or through meetings. Provides training opportunities for community partners to increase knowledge of Out-of-Home Placement services, strengthen partnership and the capacity of the community to respond to Child Welfare related issuers and increase understanding of the mission of the agency. Participates in relevant training to maintain licensure, increase professional welfare practice. Creates budgets and spending plans for Out-of-Home care funding allocations according to guidelines and tracks expenditures. Provides fiscal oversight by monitoring the utilization of funds including gift cards and the requisition of resources for the Out-of-Home Services program to ensure purchases are made from the correct allocations and within State guidelines. Manages Out-of-Home Placement funds according to established funding parameters and allocations, including Super Flex Funds, Time‑Limited Reunification, Adoption Promotion and Support, Caseworker Visitation, Recruitment and Retention, Chafee Independent Living funds, and Generous Jurors funds. Ensures Foster Youth Savings Plans are maximized for youth in care and that Special Needs Trusts are established for youth in Foster Care as necessary to preserve their Social Security assists.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A Master’s degree in social work from an accredited college or university approved by the Council on Social Work Education. Experience: Seven years of professional experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency or institution, five years must have been in an administrative supervisory or consultative capacity. These requirements are established by the Social Services Administration by authority provided in Human Services Article 4-204 of the Annotated Code of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Budget and Management. Office of Personnel Services and Benefits does not have authority to accept substitutions or equivalents. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience at a rank of Corporal/Petty Officer or higher as a commissioned officer in Social Work classifications or Social Work specialty codes in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare field of work on a year‑for‑year basis for the required experience and education.

SELECTIVE QUALIFICATIONS

One year of experience ensuring compliance with court orders and permanency timelines.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Two years of experience overseeing case practice compliance with federal/state laws. Two years of experience approving or screening complex case decisions (removals, permanency plans, placement disruptions). Two years of experience leading quality assurance reviews or case audits. Possession of an LCSW-C License.

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

1. Candidates for positions in this classification must be licensed by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners.
2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties are required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

SELECTION PROCESS

Please provide sufficient information on your application to demonstrate that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date; we will not consider information submitted after this date. Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on the eligible (employment) list for at least one year.

BENEFITS

Health insurance, dental, and vision plans offered at a low cost. Personal Leave – new State employees are awarded six (6) personnel days annually (prorated based on start date). Annual Leave – ten (10) days of accumulated annual leave per year. Sick Leave – fifteen (15) days of accumulated sick leave per year. Parental Leave – up to sixty (60) days of paid parental leave upon the birth or adoption of a child. Holidays – State employees also celebrate at least thirteen (13) holidays per year. Pension – State employees earn credit towards a retirement pension. Positions may be eligible for telework.

FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

The online application process is strongly preferred. If you are unable to apply online, you may mail a paper application and supplement questionnaire to: Attention: Angelique Gladden, Department of Human Services‑Howard County Department of Social Services, 9780 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, MD 21046. All mailed documents must include the applicant's name and the job number and must be received by 5 p.m. on the closing date. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing the application. If additional information is required, the preferred method is to upload. If unable to upload, please email requested information only to View email address on click.appcast.io. Only additional materials that are required will be accepted for this recruitment. All additional information must be received by the closing date and time. TTY Users: call via Maryland Relay. If you are having difficulty with your user account or have general questions about the online application system, please contact the MD Department of Budget and Management, Recruitment and Examination Division, at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io. As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State’s diversity. People with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. We thank our Veterans for their service to our country. #J-18808-Ljbffr State of Maryland