Licensing Caseworker

Responsibilities The Social Service Worker 2-Licensing and Facilitation Caseworker is responsible for conducting comprehensive foster‑adopt home assessments, including home visits, interviews, documentation, and certification recommendations, while maintaining compliance with state systems and standards. The position coordinates child placements, supports foster parent recruitment, training, and public outreach, and collaborates closely with caseworkers, supervisors, and community partners. Additional duties include participating in on‑call coverage, assisting with overflow child welfare cases involving assessments and investigations, crisis intervention, and service linkage to ensure child safety and stability. 30% Conduct foster‑adopt home assessments, including home visits, interviews, and extensive consultations with all family members; observe family interactions and assess overall level of functioning; recommend certification/approval or denial based on home study findings. Maintain case records and supporting documentation (e.g., police reports, references, safety audits, home study reports). Enter completed home studies into SACWIS and electronic data management system. Provide assistance with kinship assessments and home studies to determine eligibility for the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KGAP). Seek and maintain Ohio Assessor qualifications. 30% Conduct placement searches and coordinate with agency foster homes/networks, group homes, and residential centers for the care of children in agency custody. Communicate regularly with the primary caseworker and supervisor on the coordination of a child’s placement. 30% Plan, implement, and evaluate foster parent recruitment activities (e.g., identify needs, respond to and/or investigate inquiries, conduct home visits). Increase public awareness (e.g., develop and evaluate recruitment materials, advertisements, fliers, inquiry packets and public presentations). Assist with the planning and implementation of foster parent orientation and ongoing training; develop and facilitate group orientation classes; coordinate annual foster parent training; develop and implement individualized training for foster parents. 10% Participate in ongoing training, supervisory/staff meetings, staff consultations and other related management support tasks. Participate in weekend and night coverage on a rotating basis. Assist with overflow case assignments by assessing the validity of complaints accepted according to Department of Children and Youth (DCY) rules and agency policy of abuse, neglect, and dependency by conducting interviews of adults and children at various locations, completing assessments in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), gathering evidence, and working with community partners and/or collateral sources. Provide interventions to alleviate crisis and reduce risks to children by engaging the family, community partners and referring for service linkage. When assigned two or more overflow cases from the area of Intake, Ongoing, and/or Adoption, SSWII’s will receive a temporary 5% increase during the duration of working high‑risk cases. Upon completion of those cases or when only assigned one overflow case, the worker will return to their original base rate of pay. Perform other duties as assigned. Qualifications A bachelor’s degree in human services‑related studies, or A bachelor’s degree in any field and have been employed for at least two years in a human services occupation, or An associate’s degree in human services‑related studies, or Been employed for at least five years in a human service‑related occupation. For employment to continue, a person described in option 2, 3, or 4 above must obtain a job‑related bachelor’s degree not later than five years after the date employment with the agency commences. Each caseworker shall complete at least ninety hours of in‑service training during the first year of continuous employment, consisting of courses in recognizing and preventing child abuse and neglect, assessing risks, interviewing persons, investigating cases, intervening, providing services to children and their families, and other topics relevant to child abuse and neglect. After the first year of continuous employment, each caseworker annually shall complete thirty‑six hours of training in areas relevant to the caseworker’s assigned duties. In addition, applicant must have a valid driver’s license. NOTE: All liability and responsibility for determining “human services‑related studies” or “human services‑related occupation” rests with the employing agency. Unusual Working Conditions and Hazards The position possesses responsibility for the safety of children or adults by requiring the incumbent to make determinations as to whether these children or adults are in an “imminent risk of harm.” These children and adults are incapable of protecting themselves from physical, mental, and/or sexual abuse. Injuries, if they do occur, are likely to involve temporary disabilities such as bruises or cuts. Serious mistakes in terms of failing to remove children or adults from homes could conceivably, although extremely infrequent, cause death (e.g., suicide) or a permanent disability. Additionally, the position involves performing duties which require taking some special safety precautions, such as when contacting and negotiating with a family suspected of child abuse or neglect. However, performing this duty does not require the use of protective clothing. Exposure to these situations is likely to result in threats of injury, which are rarely acted upon. However, the position involves regular exposure to environmental factors (e.g., cold, excessive heat, noise, fumes, vibration, dirt) during interviews and meetings conducted outside of the office. The position may involve lifting or carrying children, and exposure to contagious diseases. #J-18808-Ljbffr Fairfield-County,-Ohio