SOCIAL WORKER II (FOSTER HOME LICENSING) - 400001343

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Work in this class involves providing professional social work services to clients seeking services in a county human services agency. Work involves evaluating the client's situation and his/her ability to deal with it, developing a social history, psychosocial assessment, service plan and/ or treatment plan and follow-up. Services may include placement In a residential facility; basic counseling, support, and reinforcement in areas such as death and dying, employment, vocational, medical, health, or behavioral issues. Employees address such problems as adjustment to illness or disability, placement into an institution, rest home or nursing facility; financial concerns; socialization issues of the socially handicapped or those debilitated by age or illness. They may provide information to and confer with schools, natural parents and foster parents on habilitation plans, behavior management, and other problem areas or needs. 

Employees may be involved in recruitment, evaluation, and training of foster parents and other care providers. Employees may develop community or service resources and/or develop volunteer programs. In certain treatment settings workers participate on habilitation/treatment teams and provide the social work perspective. Positions at this level combine difficult services performed under supervisory guidance with relatively conventional services performed under more relaxed supervision. Work is differentiated from Social Worker I by the range of cases, the difficulty of personal contacts. and the theoretical knowledge required to perform the work. Employees report to a higher level professional or program manager. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this position. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the position as necessary.

• Provides assistance to resource parents to ensure their ability to meet the needs of children placed in their home as well as the ongoing needs of the Agency.
• Completes necessary paperwork for licensing within mandated timeframes of the Agency including those requested by ICPC to become licensed.
• Performs home visits/assessments and individual interviews to determine if families and their residences are appropriate for licensure.
• Performs re-evaluations/re-licensing on foster homes and completes all necessary paperwork within the state regulated timeframe.
• Creates and conducts events to make contact prospective resource parents and assist with retention of current resource famlies.
• Prepares for NTDC training and provides training and support to resource parents
• Remains up to date with changing NC licensing regulations and standards.
• Conducts at least quarterly monitoring visits with resource parents for support and information sharing.
• Assesses the strengths and needs of resource parents.
• Coordinates and collaborates with permanency planning social workers to address any issues that are raised about resource parents and effectively solve to solution.
• Assesses foster homes for ongoing safety, compliance and best care.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: 

• Considerable knowledge of social work principles, techniques, practices and their application to individual casework group work and community problems.
• Knowledge of the psychosocial, socioeconomic and behaivoral problems and their treatment.
• Knowledge of governmental and private organizations and community resources.  Knowlege of laws, regulations and policies which govern the program.
• General knowlege of medical terminology, disease processes and thier treatment is required in certain programs or settings.
• Skill in establishing rapport with a client and applying techniques of assessing psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological aspects of client's problem.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with adminitrative superiors, members of case load and their families, and with civic, medical, social and religious organizations.
• Ability to facilitate NTDC and Deciding Together to protential resource parents.
• Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to plan and execute work.
• Ability to use critical thinking skills to solve problems 

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor's degree in social work from an appropriately accredited institution; bachelor's degree in a human services field from an appropriately accredited institution and one year of directly related experience; bachelor's degree from an appropriately accredited institution and two years directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Requires a valid North Carolina driver's license and acceptable driving record.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE:

Durham County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires Durham County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with management. 

BACKGROUND CHECK STATEMENT:

This position may be subject to a background check, which could include, but is not limited to, criminal history (employment-related and/or SBI fingerprint-based), credit history, motor vehicle records, educational verification, and checks of the sexual offender registry, depending on the specific requirements of the role. A conviction record does not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment consideration, unless otherwise required by applicable state law.