This position will start in-person. Over time, a hybrid schedule will be allowed. The selected candidate must relocate or reside within a 2-hour drive from 200 College Street, Asheville NC 28801 within 6 months of hire. Typical work schedule: M-F 8:00 am to 5:00PM, and some evenings and weekends with time-and-a-half leave accrued for hours worked over 40.

Purpose of the position:

The purpose of this position is to provide permanency planning services to children and resource families to ensure a safe and permanent placement of children in agency custody.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire): Master's degree in Social Work; or a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and one (1) year of directly related experience; or a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, or Human Services and two (2) years directly related experience; or Bachelor’s degree in another field and three (3) years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. *BSW and Social Work Collaborative Students preferred.

Additional Training and Experience: English/Spanish bi-lingual speakers preferred. Certificate of completion of the NCDHHS Pre-Service Training: Child Welfare in North Carolina is preferred.

License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation: A current, valid North Carolina driver's license.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Ensure children who cannot safely return to their birth families achieve a safe and legally secure placement via adoption or guardianship.

• Provide services through which a plan for temporary substitute care appropriate to a child’s needs is evaluated, arranged, maintained, and supervised in Court sanctioned placement or a licensed facility when the child’s own family is unable to care for him/her adequately due to safety/risk factors.

• Provide direct services to children and their pre-adoptive caregivers to ensure the protection, safety, and permanency of the children.

• Assess, prepare, place and monitor children cleared for adoption.

• Provide state mandated case management services for children in DSS Legal Custody.

• Develop and monitor service plans with families and provide or refer services as needed.

• Make recommendations to the court, including services needed, progress and barriers to permanent plan.

• Establish rapport with children, families, and appropriate professionals/non-professionals in the community to provide a strengths-based, family centered approach in working with families throughout child welfare involvement.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Ability to prioritize, identify, and assess risks, problems and needs often in stressful situations with clients who are hostile, emotionally confused, and resistant; Ability to effectively de-escalate individuals.

• Knowledge of medical, behavioral, and socio-economic problems and their treatment.

• Knowledge of numerous funding sources and how to utilize them.

• Knowledge of basic criminal justice procedures, elements of medical and mental disorders, personality theory, family systems dynamics, interpersonal relations, and cultural differences, values, and lifestyles.

• Skills in establishing constructive relationships with resistant clients and utilizing family-centered SW practice.

• Skills and counseling in interviewing and the ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to plan and execute work effectively; and skills in creating resources when none are readily available.

• Thorough Knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their application to specific casework and community problems.

• Thorough knowledge of agency procedures and resources, community systems and resources, manual material, state and federal regulations, permanency planning philosophy, and laws governing protective services for children.