Job Description
General Statement of Duties LINKS Coordinator. Completion of preservice training preferred. Experience in Foster Care and court testimony preferred. A. Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit The primary purpose of the foster care unit is to arrange and support substitute care and obtain permanence for children who are abused, neglected or dependent when the agency has been given placement responsibility, either through custody or a Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA) with the child's legal custodian/guardian. Additionally, the unit recruits, trains, licenses, and supervises foster homes. B. Primary Purpose of the Position The primary purpose of the social worker in this position is to execute the agency's mandate to arrange and support substitute care appropriate to a child's needs and work towards obtaining permanence by: 1.Providing services to children who are in agency custody or placement responsibility as a result of their parents or caretakers being unable or unwilling to provide adequate protection or care; 2.Providing services to biological families/caregivers that will help them improve the conditions that led to agency intervention, thus facilitating reunification; 3.Providing support to foster families or other substitute caregivers to ensure a positive experience for all involved; 4.Developing alternative options for permanence should reunification fail; and 5.Working towards a safe, permanent home within one year for children in agency custody/placement responsibility. C. Work Schedule The general work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 am. to 5:00 p.m. with an hour for lunch. The worker may sometimes have an early morning, late afternoon or evening appointment which may necessitate the eight-hour workday being managed differently. In such cases, supervisory approval is needed. Work requires radio coverage duty during the week on a rotating basis. The worker is occasionally on call for emergency child welfare issues and disruption of placement between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weeknights and also around the clock on weekends. This may include overnight stay in the agency with a foster child that has disrupted placement. D. Change in Responsibilities or Organizational Relationship None. Essential Duties and Tasks All responsibilities and duties described are essential to the effective performance of a Social Worker III in this position and are listed in ORDER OF IMPORTANCE. A. Case Management - 85% The social worker participates in Child and Family Team Meetings prior to children coming into care to help identify relatives and/or other options to prevent children from coming into care. The worker prepares children and families for separation and placement into substitute care, places and monitors children in foster care, and provides or arranges for counseling and other supportive services for children and their families. Prepares children and biological family/caregivers and foster families for re-entry into the home or other permanent plans. The social worker develops a case plan with input from the family and other members of the Child and Family Team meeting, identifying problems that lead to the need of substitute care. Worker will prepare written court studies and testify when needed in judicial reviews of children in foster care. Complete room and board payments for foster families and participation in the determination of eligibility for services for Medicaid, state foster home funding and or IV-E funding. Conducts group sessions with a focus on independent living issues for youth ages 16 and older. Coordinates/implements the LINKS program. The social worker keeps documentation of all casework current within 7 days of last contact. B. Conferences and Staff Development - 10% Supervisory conferences and staff development activities provide guidance, feedback and evaluation of the worker's interventions and an opportunity to upgrade skills and knowledge of substitute care. Such conferences also allow the opportunity to discuss program questions, agency mandates and monitoring issues as they arise. C. Community Liaison - 4% These duties include public speaking, participation on community boards and committees, and participation in community affairs relating to substitute care and child welfare. D. Other duties as required — 1% These duties include, but are not limited to, Disaster Relief and occasional on-call for emergency child welfare issues. E. Other Position Characteristics 1.Accuracy Required in Work The worker must gather information with great accuracy in order to determine if substitute care continues to be needed. This determination is important in that information directly affects children and families and becomes part of the agency's re