Social Worker II - Family Engagement Specialist

Buncombe County is hiring a Social Worker II - Family Engagement Specialist (FES) position. This individual will report to a variety of Social Work Supervisors dependent on the need, however this position will have one identified Social Work Supervisor to provide oversight as well as opportunities for career growth.

This individual will have one peer in the role of a Family Engagement Specialist and will work alongside a variety of social work staff to coordinate early engagement of services for families to reduce the need for further mandated services.

This position will start in-person. Over time, a hybrid schedule will be allowed depending on how quickly the employee becomes familiar with the role and demonstrates reliability. The employee must relocate or reside within a 2 hour drive from 40 Coxe Avenue, Asheville NC 28801 within 6 months of hire. Some travel is expected for this position in order to meet families in the community, their homes, or in the office. A typical work schedule will be 8am-5pm with occasional work outside of typical business hours.

The purpose of this position is to engage families early in our intervention to put services in place to reduce the need for further mandated services. In addition, this position's goal will be to avoid and reduce the need for out of home placements or use of a Temporary Safety Provider to help reduce the need for court intervention.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire): Bachelor's degree in social work (BSW) from an appropriately accredited institution; bachelor's degree in a human services field from an appropriately accredited institution and one (1) year of directly related experience; or bachelor's degree from an appropriately accredited institution and two (2) years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. English/Spanish bi-lingual speakers preferred. Certificate of completion of the NCDHHS Pre-Service Training: Child Welfare in North Carolina is preferred. A current, valid driver's license is required.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Assess clients for any medical, educational, social, and placement needs as well as other services for eligible clients; link clients with Agency and community resources.
• Engage in case planning activities with the case assigned social worker.
• Complete required documentation in regard to cases.
• Attend and/or facilitate meetings for families being served as needed to maintain open communication between the family, assigned social worker, and other community supports/systems involved with the family unit.
• Provide training, individual and group support, and partnerships with community programs to meet tangible resource needs.
• Evaluate available information to determine the appropriateness for intervention and level of services required.
• Research information to assess risk, determine service needs, and establish case history and eligibility.
• Identify, explore, and utilize community resources for the purpose of coordinating unmet client needs.
• Maintain current knowledge of resources available from public and private agencies to assist clients with problems and work closely to facilitate connection to such services.
• Report any concerns of abuse or neglect to supervisor immediately.
• Gather information for the purpose of documenting unmet needs and advocate to address unmet service needs.
• Demonstrate a commitment to culturally competent practice.
• Perform other related duties assigned for any of the following Social Worker II roles: Adoption Assistance, Intake, Kinship Support Specialist, Licensing, Neutral Facilitator, Placement, Prevention, Reunification Specialist, or Visitation Specialist.
• Provide mandated Child Protective Services alongside the case carrying Social Worker.
• Transport families to needed appointments
• Link Temporary Safety Providers with support services.
• Attend Child and Family Team meetings
• Engage in case planning activities with the case assigned social worker.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their application; knowledge and understanding of laws, regulations, policies, and procedures that affect Protective Services.
• Thorough knowledge of agency and community resources.
• Ability to use highly specialized interviewing skills to assess risk and voluntarily engage client in a situation that is emotionally charged and stressful to all involved, the ability to ascertain facts and information without imposing or adding information during an interview.
• Knowledge of casework principles, crisis intervention, and impacts of family structure dynamics on individuals.
• Skill in working with other professionals from different disciplines who may view client/problems differently.
• Ability to meet a client where they are and work with them to achieve their goal and support a client's right to self-determination.
• Ability to be flexible and maintain a calm exterior in the face of crisis, change and/or stress.
• Ability to orchestrate community services and to create resources where none are readily available.
• Ability to identify and prioritize problems under stress.
• Skill in crisis interviewing and counseling to allow worker to take charge, diffuse and manage the crisis.
• Ability to accurately observe human behavior and environmental condition, processing collected data in order to effectively recommend and implement a sound course of action in a minimal period of time, relying on self as a major resource, while operating in an isolated and stressful environment; and acting appropriately and effectively on the acquired information.

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, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected classes. In addition, the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.