Job Description

Follow Your Calling, Find Your Career!!

Please apply by: August 14th, 2026

Salary Range $25.06 to $31.33 per hour.Please note: Pay rates are based on education, skill, experience level and internal equity. Internal equity considerations include an assessment of the applicant’s salary history and qualifications in comparison to the market rate and requirements for the job.

At Mecklenburg County, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are with support, inclusive culture, and technology to become the best version of you. We’re counting on YOUR unique voice and perspective to help Mecklenburg County become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

Youth and Family Services Division (YFS) of the Department of Social Services (DSS) provides a variation of services to safeguard children by strengthening the protective capacities of families whose children’s health, safety and well-being are at risk. The mission of DSS is to strengthen families and communities through a safety-net of services, collaborations, and hope. The Department’s vision is to define and cultivate an organizational culture that is more compassionate and understanding toward each other and our clients. YFS firmly believes the people who do this work are our most important resource. As such, children and families deserve trained, skillful professionals to engage and effectively assist them. If you have a passion for social work and making a difference in your local community, come join our Youth and Family Services team!

This position within the Licensing and Placement Unit will provide community-based services to individuals and families by gathering information from clients, family and other available resources. This position is in Youth and Family Services and is responsible for determining individual's specific needs and assisting with developing an action plan and/or mutual responsibility agreement.

The Child Welfare Specialist I seeks to identify placements for children in foster care, collaborating with community providers, facilitating orientations, meetings, and training, generating reports, recruiting foster and adoptive families, participation on committees, and large amounts of data tracking.

This position will be located at 3205 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208. The hours for this position are Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed.

Key Responsibilities:

• Finding safe foster home placements that fits the specific physical and emotional needs of the child.
• Position requires provider outreach and coordination for appropriate placement and tracking placement capacity.

Essential Functions

• Assess needs of individuals and/or families and link them to appropriate resources to meet goals and expected outcomes.
• Assess wellbeing and safety of children
• Facilitate face to face, telephone and virtual contacts with children and families and internal and external community stakeholders to assess safety and risk
• Attend child and family team meetings, along with stakeholder and provider team meetings
• Provide supportive services to kin and resource caregivers
• Assist clients in the completion of required paperwork for items that may determine program eligibility, referrals, or provide job assistance, such as job applications
• Manage records and documentation of services provided and maintain history records and prepare reports
• Provide, find, or arrange for support services
• Serve as a liaison between department staff, community stakeholders, students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts, to help children who face problems such as disabilities, abuse, or poverty; communicate with other staff members regarding referrals and transitioning of clients
• May be required to work varying shifts and weekends for community events
• May be required to staff shelters in the event of a disaster

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in social work AND one of the following: one year of social work experience; qualifying internship; successful completion of the NC Child Welfare Collaborative program OR master’s in social work; OR bachelor’s degree in related major AND two years of social work experience OR master’s degree in related major AND one year of social work experience.

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Social Work or related

Combination of relevant education and relevant experience accepted?:Yes

Licenses and Certifications

Requires a valid North Carolina or South Carolina Driver's License

Requires County Driving Privileges

Preferred Qualifications

• Child Welfare experience preferred
• Foster care licensing and placement experience preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of

• General social work principles and available resources
• Social services procedures, practices and methods
• Social services related federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations relating to provision of public assistance, and social welfare
• Case management methods and techniques
• Services offered by the county and other local public and private community based service agencies

Skills

• Evaluating records to ensure accreditation standards are met.
• Exercising judgment and discretion
• Maintaining various confidential records
• Managing and executing multiple tasks
• Possessing strong communication skills
• Prioritizing work

Abilities

• Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures
• Building Customer Loyalty: Effectively meeting customer needs; building productive customer relationships; taking responsibility for customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Building Partnerships: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
• Building Trust: Interacting with others in a way that instills confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization
• Care Management: Having the knowledge and skills to secure relevant patient care data and identify key issues and relationships in the management of patient care; understanding the relationships among assessments, interventions, and patient responses; skilled in documentation of assessments and adjusting physical and cognitive prescriptions as needed
• Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the information provided
• Customer Focus: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customers’ and own organization’s needs.
• Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences
• Inspiring Others: Using interpersonal styles and methods to inspire and guide individuals toward higher levels of performance
• Managing Conflict: Dealing effectively with others in an antagonistic situation; using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension or conflict between two or more people
• Work Standards: Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed

Computer Skills

Proficient in various computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite

Work Environment

Works in an office setting with moderate noise

Selection

This classification has been identified as having a role in the development of ADA compliant technologies and for which the incumbent agrees to follow County policies to the best of their abilities in order to meet these obligations. No

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Disclaimer Statement

This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, requirements or working conditions. Other duties may be assigned based on business need and the supervisor’s request. Mecklenburg County reserves the right to revise the job description at any time. Designated positions may be required to assist in emergency and/or disaster situations.