Special Notice: This is a REPOST - Previous applicants are still being considered and do not need to re-apply for this position.

• The Child Welfare Services Case Manager performs case management in the Child Welfare area of Family Preservation. Ensures accountability to front line case managers by conducting case consultations, coaching, training and providing support in accordance with DSS Policy, Agency Mission and GPS Practice Model. Performs on-call duties and provides support to on-call staff.

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  Promotes safety, permanency and well-being by ensuring fidelity to policy and procedures and conducting case consultation and case reviews, facilitating meetings, reviewing data reports, monitoring policy changes, and ensuring staff attendance in mandatory trainings.

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  Ensures completion of Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST) assessments, Child and Family Team meetings, Family Permanency Plans and referrals in accordance with DSS Policy. Ensures CAPSS reflects up to date case information and quality documentation. Ensures timely referrals for services and least intrusive interventions are used with families to address needs identified and maintain the safety of children. Ensures case manager facilitates and/or participates in initial child and family team meetings.

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  Promotes timely permanency by providing case consultation per policy to assess ongoing risks and safety concerns and family engagement; works with case managers to ensure permanency resources are explored at the onset of agency involvement and ongoing. Ensures timely court packets are submitted, monitors adherence to court orders, identifies and addresses legal barriers that impact timely permanency and legal proceedings when safety concerns require court intervention.

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  Authentically engages and works collaboratively with child welfare staff, families and other professionals with empathy, respect and leadership. Ensures concerted efforts to locate non-custodial parents and kinship support is ongoing. Responds timely and professionally to constituent inquiries.

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  Provides case managers with EPMS planning and evaluation plans. Participates in hiring and training of all new employees, promotes equal opportunity, develops a diverse workforce, and gives fair opportunity to all staff. Completes performance and practice evaluations on direct reports biannually and upon request for level ascension. Timely submits evaluations for level ascension.

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  Maintains child welfare certification. Completes 20 hours of training yearly to include certifications that are required yearly.

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  Maintains an active routine of self-care and pursues support when necessary to minimize the threat of secondary trauma to physical and mental health. Understands the impact of trauma on families and secondary trauma on child welfare staff and applies principles to support families and staff.

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  Performs Red Cross shelter duty or other emergency shelter duties/services as directed.

*Important Salary Information*

With the recent implementation of the Child Welfare salary plan funded by the General Assembly beginning in July 2021, front line case managers and supervisors will not only earn higher starting salaries when joining DSS than in previous years, but will also enjoy supplements to their starting salaries upon completion of training and competencies, attainment of BSW/MSW degrees for front line case managers, annual increases for years of continuous service, and salary increases upon attainment of established competencies/certifications for moving into Level 2 and Level 3 salaries.

New Child Welfare case managers will earn a starting salary of at least $41,200 during initial certification, depending on education level and degree type, with up-front starting salary supplements of 2.5% ($42,230) and 5% ($43,260) for candidates holding a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, respectfully. Following completion of training certification, assignment of caseloads with one year of completed experience, quarterly adjustments will be made to move successful trainees into the Level 1 salary bracket and will receive at least a 15% salary increase (adjusting their salary to $47,380, $48,564 or $49,749 depending on degree type) at that time.

Annual salary increases of up to 0.50% per year will be awarded on a quarterly basis for each consecutive year a Level 1 case manager remains in his/her class/position.

In January of 2022, DSS rolled out additional opportunities for case managers to progress from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3, with increases in salary averaging 5% for each increase in the case manager’s level of expertise under the salary plan. Level 2 and 3 child welfare staff will also see accelerated annual increases of 1% to 1.5% per year awarded for each continuous year served in his/her class/position. Progression from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3 requires completion of specified requirements in the Advancement Pathway which include additional training, skill development, and practice model aligned competencies that increase in complexity as the career path progresses. Case reviews, data compliance reviews, field observations and employee self-assessments are used by supervisors to evaluate eligible employees’ demonstration of competencies and skills prior to approval to advance to the subsequent level.