Job Title: Social Worker III – Aging and Adult Services
Department: Health and Human Services
Pay Grade: 70
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
AGENCY MISSION, YOUR MISSION
Haywood County Health and Human Services’ mission is to enhance the health, safety, and full potential of our community. In the Social Services Division, you would serve the most vulnerable in the community, assisting families and individuals. All members of our team must uphold the confidentiality of Haywood County's citizens, safeguarding their privacy and dignity at all times.
HOW WILL WE KNOW YOU’RE “THE ONE”?
- Maintain social, ethical, and organizational norms.
- Firmly adhere to codes of conduct and ethical principles.
- Build and maintain positive, productive relationships with peers, colleagues, managers, providers, the community and other professionals.
- Deal with others in difficult and complex situations to achieve resolution or adherence to laws and/or regulations.
- Use appropriate interpersonal skills and methods to reduce tension and resolve conflict.
- Make decisions without regard to personal prejudices, biases, and experiences.
- Stay with a job or plan until the desired objective is achieved or is no longer reasonably attainable.
Recognize and respect the value of individual differences at all levels of the organization.
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JOB SUMMARY
The Aging and Adult Services Unit provides specialized services necessary to fulfill the legal mandates of North Carolina in assuring that adults who are disabled and/or aged, fragile, or vulnerable are protected and receive services to remove the factors placing them in danger.
Primary Purpose of Position: The Social Worker in this position will provide services to disabled and elderly adults with the following services: Adult Protective Services, Guardianship, Representative Payee, In Home Aide, Special Assistance In-Home, At-Risk Case Management, Individual and Family Adjustment, and Placement.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Complete a thorough intake report from community members on individuals that may be experiencing abuse or neglect or need services or protection.
- Evaluate the protective services report using considerable judgment in conducting the individual assessment, determine urgency through staffing with supervisor or assigned intake worker, evaluate the extent of the neglect or abuse; making on-site visit to alleged victim within time limits established in NC DSS Family Services Manual Volume V, Chapter III based on severity of report and danger of further harm, immediate to 72 hours.
- Evaluate the need for protective services, investigate all allegations in the report, assesses client’s mental health, physical health, activities of daily living skills, social, environmental, and economic resources, and needs by means of formalized written assessment tools adopted from outside and developed from within the agency.
- Administer mental status exam to assess client’s mental functioning and capacity to consent to protective services (i.e. ability to make informed decisions regarding health, environment, and ability to manage affairs)
- Determine type and degree of immediate intervention needed to safeguard client and meet client’s emergency needs based on combination of all presenting factors.
- Determine and identify resources needed to remedy crisis as required.
- Use considerable judgment in conducting individual assessments, selecting, and providing treatment strategies to reach goals of service plan.
- Assess the appropriateness of providing thorough assessment/evaluation to determine the need for additional services to maintain freedom from further abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
- Determine type and degree on ongoing treatment and/or intervention needed based on combination of all presenting factors.
- Develop treatment/intervention plan utilizing all available resources to meet client’s essential and ongoing needs with client input when at all possible.
- Initiate legal action when necessary to authorize and implement the protective services such as regular, emergency or emergency ex parte petitions, orders to freeze assets and/or enjoin caretakers from interference, guardianship petitions, and involuntary commitments to state and private psychiatric hospitals, etc.
- Complete social work evaluation from which the attorney draws the petition from to be submitted to the court.
- Testify as a witness at court hearings.
- Provide and arrange for services required to carry out treatment/intervention plan and/or court orders.
- Coordinate and interact closely with other service workers/DSS agency staff/disciplines/providers to assure client needs are met.
- Access other agencies and community services and coordinates client needs expeditiously and intensively.
- Create and develop necessary resources to meet un-met needs not addressed by available and traditional means.
- Explore with, counsel, and encourage client to accept services if competent.
- Counsel family members and significant others regarding client needs, client rights, consequences of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, how to assist and/or provide for the client.
- Counsel clients and their significant/responsible others regarding issues relating to long term care placement.
- Monitor client cases to ensure stabilization and that goals are met, and services provided.
- Consultation is provided to other service agencies such as home health/Hospice, local physicians, and other community partners, regarding appropriate treatment/intervention plans for clients who originate in those agencies.
- Consultation is provided to medical professionals to assist them in determining the client’s functioning level and in evaluating the client’s ability to utilize medical resources and treatments based on educational, familial, environmental, and other considerations.
- Consultation and education to other staff and community professionals is done primarily for joint case planning and information purposes.
- Community liaison is performed for the purpose of educating, developing resources, and promoting positive public relations for the program and the agency.
- Represent agency in court. This position is responsible for thorough and accurate investigation and evaluation of facts to determine the need for court action. Responsibility includes gathering evidence, documentation, and case building to prepare case. Responsibility also includes preparation of protective services evaluations (and guardianship or involuntary commitment petitions when identified as a direct service under the Protective Service Plan, to alleviate the danger of further abuse, neglect, or exploitation) to provide sufficient information to the Agency Attorney in the preparation of the protective services petition.
- Coordinate and consult with the Agency Attorney, Guardian ad Litem, private attorneys, Clerk of Court, District Attorney, and other members of the judicial system are required.
- Act as a Representative Payee for those who need assistance in paying monthly expenses.
- Prepare social work portion of multi-disciplinary evaluations for presentation to the court in agency cases and as ordered by the court in cases originating from other agencies.
- The social worker is assigned to provide intake assessments for Aging and Adult Services on a rotational basis. Assessment, Eligibility Determination and Service Delivery: Adult Protective Services, Guardianship, Representative Payee, In Home Aide, Special Assistance In-Home, At-Risk Case Management, Individual and Family Adjustment, Placement, Adult Day Care or Adult Day Health, Meals on Wheels and/or Health Support.
- Monitor and follow state policy for Guardianships, in which the Agency has been appointed by the Clerk of Court. Monthly face-to-face contacts with the clients, contacts with placements, ensuring all medical needs are being met, completion of Annual Reviews, as well as other case management duties.
- This position will serve rotationally as the Adult On-Call worker for Crisis Intervention/Adult Protective Services for all after hours, weekends, and holidays that fall within assigned week.
- Attending training provided by Regional, State, or County staff.
- Completion of day sheets timely and accurately.
- Employees are required to maintain compliance with all State and Federal laws and program requirements including but not limited to confidentiality laws (HIPAA, Juvenile Code, PII, etc.). Employees are expected to adhere to Agency, Countywide and Departmental policies and procedures regarding information security and confidentiality, and to report any suspected unauthorized disclosure or loss of information immediately. Employees must ensure security of all County data, equipment, and information in both electronic and paper form that is accessed as part of job duties to minimize risk of improper disclosure or data breach.
- Emergency Response, including but not limited to support of the Federally mandated and State statutory responsibilities including, but not limited to Public Health and Mass Care duties.
Perform other related duties as assigned.
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MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM WORK:
- Master’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work;
- Or Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field and one (1) year of job-related experience;
- Or Bachelor’s degree in any Human Services degree and two (2) years of job-related experience;
- Or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
- Completion of the NC Child Welfare Education Collaborative (CWEC) traineeship can be substituted for 1 year of experience.
- Applicants who meet the required minimum education; however, lack the required social work experience may be considered, and if hired, will be paid at least the trainee rate. The worker will then gain experience annually, until fully qualified.
- Valid state driver’s license. Must have no more than three (3) points showing on current DMV records in order to operate county vehicles.
- Special Note: This is a generalized representation of positions in this class and is not intended to identify essential functions per ADA. Examples of work are primarily essential functions of the majority of positions in this class but may not be applicable to all positions.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Thorough knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices, and their application to complex casework, groupwork, and community problems.
- Considerable knowledge of a wide range of medical, behavioral, and/or psychological problems and their treatment theory.
- Considerable knowledge of family and group dynamics and a range of intervention techniques, governmental and private organizations, and resources in the community, laws, regulations, and policies which govern the program.
- General knowledge of the methods and principles of casework supervision and training.
- In certain settings, considerable knowledge of medical terminology, disease processes and their treatment as they relate to decision regarding clinical interventions and appropriate therapies based on medical or psychological diagnosis.
- Skill in establishing rapport with a client and in applying techniques or assessing psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological aspects of client’s problems.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of case load and their families, as well as civic, legal, medical, social, and religious organizations.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to plan and execute work effectively.
- Ability to establish relationships and communicate effectively with other employees and the general public.
- Knowledge of state and county ordinances, policies, and procedures.
Skill in the use of computers and applicable software programs.
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PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Requires sedentary work that involves sitting or standing virtually all the time and may involve exerting up to ten (10) pounds of force occasionally to move objects, or considerable skill, adeptness, and speed in the use of fingers, hands or limbs in tasks involving repetitive motions and the use of standard office equipment.
The job requires normal visual acuity and field of vision, hearing and speaking abilities, depth and texture perception, and color perception.
WORK SCHEDULE:
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., however an alternate work schedule (40 hours per week) may be considered upon request. When assigned as the Adult On-Call worker for Crisis Intervention/Adult Protective services, coverage is provided Friday 5:00 p.m. through the following Monday at 8:00 a.m. for all after hours, weekends and holidays that fall within this assigned week. The supervisor must pre-approve any overtime. In cases of a community emergency or disaster, the worker will be required to be available to work in an emergency response, and the hours worked in emergency response could vary from hours worked in the office.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Nature of Working Conditions - Employees work in settings which range from human services agencies, clinics, hospitals, or offices, but often involve visits to a client’s home or contacts in institutions or correctional facilities.
Hazards - Includes contacts with clients and/or family members who may be hostile, resistant, and violent.
EMPLOYER BENEFITS PACKAGE:
- Employer paid Health & Dental Coverage
- Participation in the NC Retirement System
- 401(k) and 457(b) plans available
- Employer paid Life Insurance
- Competitive Vision Insurance
- Annual Performance Pay Increases
- Vacation, Personal, and Sick Leave
- Free Employee Assistance Network
- Free Employee Wellness Clinic
- Discounted Gym Membership
- Paid Holidays
Longevity Pay
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To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.
Haywood County has the right to revise this position description at any time and does not represent in any way a contract of employment.
Haywood County is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
