Job Description

Posting number: 2026--0721

Department: SOCIAL SERVICES

Job classification: Social Worker III -( Foster Care)

Posting type: Open

Categories: Social Services

The primary purpose of this position is to provide foster care services to children from infancy to age 18 who have been removed from their home. This position assesses, evaluates and identifies risks to children and determines what immediate action needs to be taken as defined by law and develops a plan for service so that children will have a permanent plan or with the older youth to have better outcomes. The social worker counsels parents and families and monitors their progress with their intervention plan for reunification. Social worker will perform other duties as deemed necessary by the Supervisor/Social Work Program Manager/ DSS Director.

The primary work schedule of this position is Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be times that your workday will begin or extend beyond the normal work schedule, On call duty is mandatory for this position to include after regular business hours, including weekends (at a minimum of once a month).

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to complete the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations. Reasonable accommodations may be requested by contacting Pender County Human Resources.

Examples of duties

• Making efforts to place a child in a foster home until the child can either be re-united with the parents or released for adoption
• Ensuring the child is placed in a suitable home to meet their needs and will not be subject to maltreatment
• Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations and capabilities, to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
• Counsel parents with on child rearing techniques, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
• Counsel groups, families, or communities regarding issues including mental health, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, physical abuse, rehabilitation, social adjustment, childcare, or medical care.
• Provide, find, or arrange for support services, such as childcare, homemaker service, prenatal care, substance abuse treatment, job training, counseling, or parenting classes, to prevent more serious problems from developing.
• Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
• Refer clients to community resources for services such as job placement, debt counseling, legal aid, housing, medical treatment, or financial assistance, and provide concrete information, such as where to go and how to apply.
• Arrange the required paperwork to ensure the provision of foster care services
• Visit the school where the child attends and confirm the well-being of the child
• Document all details related to the background of the child and the family
• Serve as liaisons between students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts, to help children who face multiple/complex situations.
• Arrange for medical, psychiatric, and other tests that may disclose causes of difficulties and indicate remedial measures.
• Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
• Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports.
• Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
• Counsel students whose behavior, school progress, or mental or physical impairment indicate a need for assistance, diagnosing students' problems and arranging for needed services.
• Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and providing testimony to inform custody arrangements.
• Serve on policymaking committees, assist in community development, and assist client groups.
• Place children in foster or adoptive homes, institutions, or medical treatment centers.
• Evaluate personal characteristics and home conditions of foster home or adoption applicants.
• Determine clients' eligibility for financial and medical assistance.
• Administer welfare programs.
• Work with child and adolescent families that are in residential institutions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

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.

Valid driver's license in the State of North Carolina.

This position is a safety sensitive position and subject to random substance abuse testing in accordance with the Pender County Personnel Policy and Risk Policy

Supplemental information

This work is sedentary and requires little to no exertion of force; work regularly requires sitting and speaking or hearing and occasionally requires standing, walking, using hands to finger, handle or feel and reaching with hands and arms; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work occasionally requires exposure to outdoor weather conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).