Job Title: Social Worker / Social Worker Trainee
Department: Health and Human Services
Hiring Range: $26.77 - $33.45
Posted Internally and Externally
Buncombe County's Recruiting Division has multiple Social Worker vacancies. We are looking for team members who are ready and willing to grow with us! This posting is for ongoing recruitment in the Foster Care & Adoptions and Family In-Home Social Work divisions.
This position will be hired as a fully-qualified Social Worker or Social Worker Trainee depending on candidate qualifications. The pay rate for Social Worker Trainee is $26.77/hour and Social Worker is $28.65/hour to $33.45/hour depending on education and experience above minimum qualifications.
As Social Worker Trainee, candidates will be hired with the expectation that to continue employment the selected candidate will successfully advance to a Social Worker position once the employee is fully qualified. At that time the selected candidate will be promoted and compensated as such.
We are committed to building an inclusive workforce that is representative of our diverse community. If you are interested in this position but are not certain if you meet the exact qualification requirements, we encourage you to apply. Buncombe County uses a substantial equivalency standard to determine if applicants are qualified.
Transcripts are required to be submitted with your application in order to be considered for Social Work positions.
Social workers are required to work in the office (no teleworking) for their first 6 months of employment to ensure they receive the appropriate level of support and training.
Purpose of the position:
The primary purpose of this position is to provide direct adoption & Foster Care services to children and resource families to ensure a safe and permanent placement of children in agency custody. Family In-Home Services provides direct services to children and families to ensure safety and prevent removal from families.
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.
Social Worker Trainee Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience: To be qualified as a Social Worker Trainee a candidate will have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, or Human Services or related field from an accredited college or university.
Social Worker III Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience: 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.
License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation: A current, valid North Carolina driver's license.
Successful FIH/Permanency Planning Social Workers:
Engage and work collaboratively with children and family members who have often experienced significant trauma, are angry and/or scared.
Promote and demonstrate competency and respect for cultural diversity among clients, coworkers, and all other work-related contacts.
Demonstrate the ability to work in an emotionally charged environment and conduct home visits in isolated or high crime areas, involving exposure to substandard and unsanitary living conditions.
Assess protective capacities of caretakers, develop Family Service Agreements, and identify and advocate for resources and community supports to minimize risk and provide for safety of the child. Assist parents to identify behaviors that led to child abuse and/or neglect and support parents to identify ways to make the necessary behavioral changes.
Document all relevant and appropriate information gathered during services and complete all required forms accurately and in a timely manner.
Utilize critical thinking skills to identify and address immediate threat to the child which may include:
Working with families to identify family supports who can assist with keeping the child safe
Testifying in court to seek emergency protective services
Placing children in substitute care
Supervise Visits to maintain connections between children and Caretakers
Removing child from caretakers.
Applicants will be given credit only for information provided in response to this announcement. No additional information will be solicited or considered by this office; therefore, persons who submit incomplete applications may not receive full credit for their education, training, and experience. Applicants will not automatically be given credit based on their position title. If work history involves part time work, you must state the number of hours per week to receive credit. All applicants will be considered for both day and night hours.
Additionally, Buncombe County has a very rich benefits package, including an 8% contribution to our 401(k), which is a free contribution, not a match. We also have a state pension, to which Buncombe County contributes about 11%, and has a 5-year vesting period. In addition we have first-in-class health insurance and generous paid time off plan including 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave that roll over each year, and vacation accruals starting at 10 days per year which increases with service.
Other resources, services, and opportunities for appreciation, engagement, and support:
No-cost physical therapy
Employee & Family Health clinic
Buncombe County University internal training program
Free preventive screenings for employees and family members on the health insurance plan
Employee Assistance Program
Autoimmune program
Condition care program
Financial resources
Lunch and learn series
Financial Fridays – Learn about everything from best practices for car buying to debt management
Employee Spotlights
Annual employee service awards
Lake Julian Festival of Lights employee appreciation night
Employee 5K at Owen Park
Up to eight weeks of paid parental and family care leave
16 hours of Community Service Leave
2 annual PTO days with the opportunity to earn two additional days by joining our voluntary wellness program
In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions.
Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.
It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. In addition, Buncombe County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.
Applicants for employment are invited to participate in the affirmative action program by reporting their status as a protected veteran or other minority. In extending this invitation, we advise you that: (a) workers (applicants) are under no obligation to respond but may do so in the future if they choose; (b) responses will remain confidential within the human resource department; and (c) responses will be used only for the necessary information to include in our affirmative action program. We are a company that values diversity. We actively encourage women, minorities, veterans and disabled employees to apply. Refusal to provide this information will have no bearing on your application and will not subject you to any adverse treatment.
