Social Worker III - Placement Services

Social Work Services Position

Position(s) located in the Children Services section.

This position is responsible for locating and securing residential placement for youth in foster care. This role will work in close partnership with the LME/MCO, child placing agencies/facilities, and social work staff. This person will address new and existing licensed providers for the placement of children. The primary purpose of this position is to provide Social Work Services in the areas of Children's Services; custody, adoption, and foster care work which involves the assessment of individual and family dynamics and needs, serving as expert witness at court hearings, crisis intervention and counseling. Employees provide in-depth assessment of family dynamics, determine the extent of neglect or abuse, and consult with other staff and community professionals for information purposes and joint case planning. This employee must use a family centered practice approach while meeting the state standards; keeping in mind the child's need for connections and permanency.

Master's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work; OR 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 of directly related experience; OR a Master's degree in counseling in a human services field and one year of social work or counseling; OR a Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years of directly related experience; OR Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience; OR an equivalent combination of training and 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. Applicants may qualify for a work against appointment with a certain degree of education and experience.

Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices, and their application to complex casework, groupwork, and community problems. Considerable knowledge of a wide range of medical, behavioral, and/or psychosocial problems and their treatment theory. Considerable knowledge of family and group dynamics and a range of intervention techniques, governmental and private organizations, and resources in the community, laws, regulations, and policies which govern the program. General knowledge of the methods and principles of casework supervision and training. In certain settings, considerable knowledge of medical terminology, disease processes and their treatment as they relate to decisions regarding clinical interventions and appropriate therapies based on medical or psychological diagnosis. Skill in establishing rapport with a client and in applying techniques or assessing psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological aspects of client's problems. Ability to supervise, train, or instruct lower-level social workers, students, or interns in the program. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of case load and their families, as well as civic, legal, medical, social, and religious organizations. Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to plan and execute work effectively.

Conditions of employment: The selected applicant will be subject to the following conditions prior to appointment. Failure to complete or fulfill these conditions may result in dismissal. The employee in this position will be operating motor vehicles for Cumberland County and shall have a valid North Carolina Driver's License. Each applicant who is tendered an offer for employment for any position with Cumberland County shall be tested for the use of drugs specified in the County policy. Refusal to submit to testing or a confirmed positive test shall be a basis for withdrawal of the conditional employment offer. Law enforcement background and fingerprinting check is required. Duties of this position require the use of the employees personal vehicle. This position will be required to assist in emergency and/or disaster situations. The Cumberland County Department of Social Services has a dress code policy that must be adhered to. This policy includes specific guidelines related to tattoos and body piercing. College transcripts may be submitted on-line via the attachment feature or mailed to Cumberland County Department of Social Services, P.O. Box 2429, Fayetteville, NC 28302. Prior to employment start date, an official transcript must be presented in its original unopened envelope. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Applications will be considered incomplete if work history is not up to date. Please make sure that your application contains all relevant information. A resume will not be considered in determining your qualifications for this position. Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information regarding the status of your application over the phone. To check the status of your application, please log into your account and click "Application Status." If there are specific questions regarding this posting, you may contact DSS Human Resources @ View phone number on click.appcast.io.

The Cumberland County Department of Social Services stands united to strengthen individuals and families and to protect children and vulnerable adults. We collaborate with our community partners to provide programs and services which engage our customers in improving their quality of life.

We envision our Department... as a catalyst for improving quality of life through teamwork, partnership, forward thinking, and cutting edge service delivery. We envision our customers...as partners, motivated and empowered to improve their quality of life.

Our Core Standards & Values: Service, Teamwork, Accountability, Diversity, Innovation, Optimism, Integrity and Flexibility.