Social Worker I/A&T Foster Care

Foster Care Social Worker

Are you ready to be a steady source of hope for children who need safety, stability, and support? Alamance County Department of Social Services is seeking a passionate and dedicated Foster Care Social Worker to join our Child Welfare team!

This isn't just a job—it's a chance to change a child's story. As a Foster Care Social Worker, you will walk alongside children who have entered DSS custody, ensuring they have safe placements, nurturing environments, and opportunities to thrive. You'll work closely with families, foster parents, and community partners to guide children toward reunification or permanency, helping reshape futures with compassion, insight, and purpose.

In this role, you'll use your social work skills to assess needs, coordinate services, support families in crisis, and maintain stability for children navigating one of the hardest moments of their lives. Your ability to build trust, manage complex situations, and advocate fiercely for a child's well-being will make you a true champion for the families you serve.

If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, make tough decisions, and take bold action in the name of justice and care, then this is your call to action! Join us and become part of a supportive, driven team dedicated to changing lives every day.

Let's do something incredible together. Apply now and be a part of the solution!

Responsibilities

Champion the well-being of children in foster care by completing ongoing assessments and developing clear, actionable family service plans aimed at reunification and permanency.

• Build strong, supportive relationships with children, biological parents, foster parents, and service providers to ensure consistent communication and support.
• Conduct regular home visits to monitor placements, observe interactions, and ensure safety and stability.
• Coordinate services and referrals, connecting families with community resources that support parenting, mental health, education, developmental needs, etc.
• Prepare timely case documentation, including court reports, case notes, and permanency planning materials.
• Stand as a credible expert witness in court, confidently presenting your findings and recommendations, and testifying in hearings with professionalism and authority.
• Ensure safe transportation of children and families as needed for visits, services, and appointments.
• Collaborate across systems, partnering with schools, mental health providers, foster parents, and other agencies to support every aspect of a child's growth and stability
• Engage with the public, even in challenging situations, motivating others and ensuring safety for all involved — especially when dealing with differing views on laws, rules, or policies.
• Contribute to a supportive team culture, participating in CFT meetings, permanency planning reviews, supervision, training, and on-call rotation.

Qualifications

• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions. • Accuracy - Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly. • Autonomy – Ability to work independently with minimal supervision. • Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word. • Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely. • Customer Oriented - Ability to take care of the customers' needs while following company procedures. • Decisive - Ability to decide thoughtfully and quickly given the information available. • Ethical - Ability to demonstrate conduct conforming to a set of values and accepted standards. • Honesty / Integrity - Ability to be truthful, maintain high level of confidentiality and be seen as credible in the workplace. • Influence - Ability to gain support and buy-in by way of persuading, convincing or influencing to others to overcome barriers allowing them to support a particular vision. • Judgment – Ability to use good judgment and discretion as it relates to interpreting policies and procedures. • Multitasking – Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment. • Problem Solving - Ability to find a solution for or to deal proactively with work-related problems. • Relationship Building - Ability to effectively build relationships with customers and co-workers. • Safety-Minded – Creating a safe work environment; managing risks; reducing exposure liabilities. • Time Management - Ability to utilize the available time to organize and complete work within given deadlines.

Skills & Abilities

Education & Experience:

We're looking for someone with the right mix of education and hands-on experience! Here's what we're looking for:

• A Master's degree in Social Work from an accredited school (Child Welfare Collaborative) plus one year of social work experience, or
• A Bachelor's degree in Social Work from an accredited school (Child Welfare Collaborative) with one year of social work or counseling experience, or
• A Bachelor's degree in Social Work from an accredited school and two years of social work or counseling experience, or
• A Master's degree in Counseling plus two years of social work or counseling experience, or
• A four-year degree in Human Services or a related field with three years of social work or counseling experience, or
• A Bachelor's degree and four years of experience in rehabilitation, pastoral counseling, or a related human services field, with expertise in casework, group work, or community organization.

If you've got an equivalent combination of training and experience — we want to hear from you!

Additional Requirements:

• A certified college transcript and letter of reference will be required upon request.

Tech Skills:

• You'll need to be proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

License/Credentials:

• A valid N.C. driver's license is required for this role, along with a clean driving record that aligns with Alamance County's policies.

Benefits

Health Insurance - Full-time employees are eligible for medical/health (Cigna Insurance) benefits upon the 1st of the month following 30 days of employment. Alamance County Government currently offers three plans of medical/pharmacy benefit options including 2 Standard PPO plans and a High-Deductible Health Plan with HSA. Dental Benefit - Alamance County offers one dental insurance (Delta Dental) plan for FT employees at no cost. The plan, if elected, would be effective the first of the month following 30 days of FT employment. Vision Insurance - A voluntary vision program (Superior Vision) is available to FT employees. The current PPO style plan allows employees to seek treatment and hardware from any vision care provider of their choice. The plan, if elected, would be effective the first of the month following 30 days of FT employment. Coverage must be elected within your first 30 days of FT employment or upon a qualifying event. Voluntary Benefits: Alamance County Government provides a variety of voluntary health related benefits (Voya) to allow employees to purchase protection from what life may bring. A sampling of voluntary benefits includes Flexible Spending Accounts with dependent care opportunities, Health Saving Account with an employer contribution, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Cancer Protection Plan, Group Critical Care Insurance and more. Life Insurance – Basic term life insurance is the amount of one times the annual salary (no greater than $70,000) is provided for all FT employees. Additional coverage is available for purchase through payroll deductions for employee and eligible dependents. Retirement Benefits - Membership in the NC Local Government Employees Retirement System (NCLGERS) is a requirement for all full-time and regular part-time employees (working more than 1,000 hours annually). Employees contribute six percent (6%) of their annual compensation before it is taxed. Time Off Accruals: Vacation Time – Annual Leave is accrued based on years of service. Employees can accrue from 10-25 days per year. Sick Time – All County full time employees earn 12 days of sick leave per year. County Observed Holidays – Alamance County will observe the State of North Carolina Holiday Schedule. Wellness Benefits & Programming: Employee Assistance Program: There are times when everyone needs a little help or advice. The confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through a local provider can help you with things like stress, anxiety, depression, chemical dependency, relationship issues, legal issues, parenting questions, financial counseling and dependent care resources. Best of all it's free for County employees and available for your household to utilize. Utilization of the EAP is completely confidential and participation isn't recorded. Help is available 24/7/365 by telephone. Alamance County Employee Health Center: Available to employees and spouses who are covered under the Alamance County Insurance Plan and their covered dependents, 18 years of age and older. Retired employees under age 65 are also eligible to use the health center. Depending on insurance coverage elected, care at the clinic ranges from free to a fair market value cost. Services Available: Treatment of