Social Worker - Adult Protective Services

The primary purpose of this position is to provide intensive social work services in serious and complicated cases which require the flexible use of a wide range of social work skills and intervention techniques as related to the adult services programs as outlined by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and administered by various federal, state, and local laws, regulations, rules, and policies.

Employee provides social work services including treatment and immediate response to crisis situations for at-risk disabled adults in the most complex cases. Work may involve any number of tasks associated with investigation and/or assessments of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation, guardianship, and adult home monitoring and/or complaint investigations of facilities and adult care homes as prescribed by federal and state guidelines. Work may also involve providing expert testimony in hearings and following-up with case management and preventive services for clients. Employee analyzes situations and determines appropriate courses of action immediately or in short time spans and often under very stressful conditions. Adult Services workers are responsible for accessing, identifying, and documenting abuse, neglect and exploitation cases and finding the appropriate services to enhance the disabled adult’s welfare. APS social workers must be able to identify immediate threats made to a disabled adult and provide arrangements that comply with state and federal laws and agency procedures.

Additionally, employee provides counseling and case management services to disabled and incompetent adults who need ongoing protective services; and assists incompetent adults, whom the Director has been named guardian, with accessing specific services to help learn more appropriate behaviors, find safer housing, and make decisions regarding their basic needs and medical well-being.

Receive referrals of disabled adults with a variety of problems, which require social work assessment and/or intervention and make initial contact. Investigations and/or assessments must be initiated within the timeframes defined by NC General Statutes and related APS policy manuals and can be immediate depending on the nature of the allegation(s).

• Petition the court for protection of the disabled adult who are at immediate risk and the family is unable or unwilling to provide a safe, alternate plan.
• Maintain the case, including making all required contacts and completes all required documentation, until case is complete.

Conduct investigations/assessments using a standard of fact-finding through interview, home visits, collateral contacts and/or other investigations in accordance with NC General Statues and APS policy. Timely face-to-face contact with the disabled adult is required throughout the investigation and/or assessment phase.

• Prepare social histories and client assessments. Document facts within the parameters of legal definitions of abuse, neglect, or exploitation and the level of client’s well-being, evaluate information according to DAAS policy.
• Determine (make a case decision) if abused, neglected, or exploited and if the client needs services and what level of intervention is necessary to assure safety.
• Inform clients of available programs and services to meet their individual needs, providing ongoing services to those clients who accept those services. While providing adult protective services, the APS social worker should have a clear understanding of the legal basis for intervention on an involuntary basis and to accept the responsibility for offering services to clients. Services can include, but not limited to are: Referrals for services and assisting with: locating housing, placement in facilities, filing protection orders with the court, etc.
• Review results with supervisor and make recommendation concerning case disposition.
• Complete APS investigations and/or assessments as defined by statute and policy within required timeframes.

Assess client situations for incompetency and make determination for seeking Guardianship. Additionally, provide case management services to all wards appointed to RCDSS and provide status reports timely as required to the court. Case management services to include, but not limited to:

• Face to face visits as defined by DAAS policy
• Ensuring basic, medical, dental, and mental health needs are met
• Appropriate housing
• Providing transportation

Assisting the DSS Director by gathering and providing detailed information to make informed medical decisions to include, but not limited to surgeries and Do Not Resituate (DNR) paperwork.

Employee conducts complaint investigations on facilities (to include death investigations) and provides follow up, monitoring/inspecting all adult and family care homes licensed in Randolph County and assisting the State with yearly facility surveys.

Employee must understand social work theory, techniques and practices, individual and group behavior, social problems, medical and mental illness, coping behavior, crisis intervention, and treatment of various medical and mental diseases and social issues.

Maintain detailed case records and develop and prepare statistical reports as required. Documentation must be clear, concise, professional, and up to date. Contacts with clients, family, and collaterals must be thoroughly documented. Collateral contact may include, but are not limited to, extended family members, neighbors, medical personnel, mental health professionals and law enforcement.

Use prescribed tools and/or forms as required by policy. These tools/forms may be part of a technology system such as an electronic case management system, electronic document storage system, or NC FAST and can be part of a web-based interface or standalone software driven.

Employees provide court reports and/or expert testimony in court as required.

Regular attendance and punctuality are essential. The Adult Services Social Worker must be available to ensure critical adult protective services are provided in a timely manner as required, and in accordance with, federal and state laws, directives, policy, and guidance.

Employee performs other related duties as assigned.

Master's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work; Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only); Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year directly related experience; Master's degree in counseling in a human services field and one year of social work or counseling; Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years directly related experience; Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience.

*Directly related experience is defined as human services experience in the areas of case management, assessment and referral, supportive counseling, intervention, psycho-social therapy and treatment planning.