Under supervision and utilizing a team approach, provides direct casework services to children, birth families, kinship caregivers, foster families, and community providers in situations involving abuse, neglect, dependency, risk to harm, and/or families in need of services. Positions in this classification will play an active role in investigations, assessing child risk and safety, and/or providing ongoing, direct casework services to ensure the well-being and permanency of children. Employees will exercise independent judgement within established policies, procedures, and legal guidelines. Work will include direct interactions and face-to-face contact with children, families, caregivers, and/or community partners, often in complex and high-risk situations. Caseworkers are responsible for developing and implementing service plans, coordinating resources, and monitoring progress towards safety and permanency goals. Work is performed in a combination of office and field settings and is subject to strict, regulatory, legal, and documentation requirements.
- Maintains accurate case records, documentation, reports, and data entry in SACWIS or other required systems.
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Attends court hearings, meetings, case conferences, trainings, and other required proceedings.
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Collaborates with internal staff, community partners, service providers, schools, courts, medical professionals, and other stakeholders.
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Assesses client, child, family, placement, or service needs and coordinates appropriate services or referrals.
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Communicates regularly with families, caregivers, providers, and agency personnel regarding case progress and needs.
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Supports child safety, permanency, placement stability, and well-being.
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Ensures compliance with agency policy, state regulations, and applicable procedures.
If assigned to Intake/Ongoing
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Provides direct casework services to families in which children may be dependent, neglected, or abused, and secures protection for children from potentially unsafe environments.
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Conducts home visits with parents, children, kinship caregivers, and foster families to ensure the safety and well-being of children.
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Assesses family functioning, risk factors, and available supports to develop service plans that reduce safety concerns and improve family stability.
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Assesses client needs and implements services that promote family preservation, placement stability, reunification, concurrent planning, and permanency.
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Collects relevant information for possible legal action and presents factual evidence in court proceedings.
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Develops and supports a team-based approach when working with birth families, kinship caregivers, and foster families.
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Ensures youth receive educational and independent living services.
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Assists families and children in accessing appropriate community resources.
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Develops and maintains professional relationships with agencies serving children and families.
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Maintains regular contact with treatment specialists, educational providers, medical providers, and other service team members.
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Provides support to foster families to maintain placements and facilitate timely reunification, while pursuing alternative permanency plans when necessary.
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Prepares written assessments, reports, and related documentation.
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Provides foster families with guidance regarding the placement process, roles, responsibilities, child needs, and reunification efforts.
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Advocates for both natural families and foster families.
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Participates in placement matching decisions and coordinates pre-placement and post-placement activities.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Intake – Rapid Response
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Conducts Specialized and Third-Party investigations.
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Completes Rules Violation investigations involving agency foster homes.
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Sends required notifications to licensing agents regarding Specialized Investigations and Rules Violations.
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Sends required notifications to licensing agents regarding specialized investigations and rule violations.
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Investigates new referrals of abuse and neglect for open, ongoing, and 90-day cases. Facilitates conferences with all parties involved, including weekly Thursday morning meetings to review outcomes of specialized investigations
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned
If assigned to Adolescent Services – Special Placement
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Travels frequently out of state and throughout Ohio to residential treatment facilities.
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Participates in ongoing, intensive communication and frequent team meetings/conferences to support youth with complex diagnoses, including medication management, specialized education planning, and step-down transitions
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Attends residential committee meetings.
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Works with youth in various custody statuses.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Adoptions
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Provides adoption readiness services for youth in permanent custody of Montgomery County Children Services.
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Prepares adoption finalization reports.
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Attends adoption finalization hearings.
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Develops and updates adoption recruitment information for Adopt US Kids and A Child Is Waiting.
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Prepares youth and prospective families for adoption.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to After Hours
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Works second and third shifts, weekends, and holidays as scheduled.
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Responds to community crisis situations.
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Answers the child abuse hotline and identifies referrals requiring urgent or emergency supervisory review.
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Completes referrals in SACWIS.
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Searches for placements when youth enter the custody of Montgomery County Children Services.
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Receives and documents calls regarding AWOL youth, treatment or medication consent, and contacts the administrator on-call when required by policy and procedure.
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Responds to walk-in reports of abuse, neglect, dependency, and general inquiries.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to After Hours (Third Shift)
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Provides telephone intake services as scheduled and documents all referrals in SACWIS.
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Works cooperatively with law enforcement, hospitals, and community professionals to coordinate emergency responses after normal business hours.
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Dispatches emergency/crisis workers to investigate and coordinates with the administrator on-call.
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Locates emergency placements for children when needed.
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Assists with open cases or on behalf of assigned workers during crisis situations.
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Documents activities in accordance with agency policy.
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Participates in departmental and agency meetings, trainings, and required activities.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to CANS
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Tracks all youth age 13 and older entering agency custody.
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Schedules and completes CANS assessments within 30 days to determine Qualified Residential Treatment Program eligibility and needs.
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Attends Family Team meetings as required by DCY QRTP rules.
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Works with Finance to address IV-E eligibility barriers.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to CARE House
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Serves in a co-located role at CARE House under Dayton Children’s Hospital.
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Attends weekly multidisciplinary team meetings.
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Observes forensic interviews.
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Collaborates daily and shares cases with the multidisciplinary team.
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Attends case huddles, briefings, law enforcement interviews, and criminal court proceedings as needed.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Education
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Coordinates Best Interest Determination meetings, ESSA coordination, and ongoing communication with school districts.
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Facilitates school enrollments and withdrawals for all children in agency custody, including preschool, special education, and residential placement educational coordination.
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Prepares for and attends expulsion hearings, manifestation hearings, IEP meetings, 504 meetings, and ETR meetings.
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Attends weekly multidisciplinary team meetings at Juvenile Court and assists with crossover truancy matters involving CSD and JJC.
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Attends school district meetings and provider meetings.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Family Treatment Court (FTC)
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Maintains daily communication and coordination with Juvenile Court case managers, peer support staff, substance use disorder (SUD) providers, mental health providers, and drug screening agencies to provide updated progress reports to the court.
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Attends community resource fairs and recruitment events within and outside the agency to support Family Treatment Court referrals and transfers.
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Maintains current knowledge of new and changing substance use disorder providers and conducts on-site visits to new and changing facilities and providers
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for service coordination.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to FINS (Family in need of Services)
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Serves in a one-worker model in which the assigned worker completes intake functions and maintains the case until permanency is achieved through reunification, kinship, PPLA, or permanent custody.
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Attends court frequently, including juvenile hearings, detain meetings, and related proceedings.
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Coordinates with agency units regarding criminal matters, unruly and delinquency issues, placement concerns, placement prevention, and case troubleshooting.
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Attends 10 and under program meetings, interventions, and hearings.
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Completes ACEs screenings on all new cases and uses results to address trauma-related needs in case planning when applicable.
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Completes additional referrals and 90-day referrals as required.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Foster Care
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Completes foster home recertifications, including review of safety audits, medical and medication documentation, and training compliance.
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Monitors annual foster parent training compliance.
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Attends and presents families for adoption matching consideration.
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Develops and implements corrective action plans for rule violations.
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Addresses foster parental violations and compliance concerns.
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Conducts monthly safety audit compliance reviews.
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Prepares and submits foster parent mileage documentation.
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Conducts monthly and bi-monthly foster home visits.
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Completes kinship assessments.
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Maintains certified relative foster homes through required visits, safety audits, and training compliance.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Health Services
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Assesses each child’s history and needs and aligns Managed Care Plan selection to best meet physical, behavioral health, vision, and dental needs.
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Receives, processes, tracks, files, and monitors payments, appeals, grievances, and denied claims.
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Reviews invoices and ensures Medicaid benefits are maximized before recommending local agency payment.
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Coordinates with caseworkers, foster parents, and clerical staff to ensure completion of required medical, dental, behavioral health, vision, and other assessments in accordance with Ohio Administrative Code.
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Monitors performance and makes recommendations to the supervisor to improve outcomes for youth in agency custody.
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Coordinates with Managed Care Plan providers to ensure youth are assigned Care Coordinators.
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Serves as liaison with Managed Care Plans.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Home Assessment & Training
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Monitors completion of required pre-service training hours prior to foster home certification approval.
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Completes initial foster parent home studies.
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Responds to adoption inquiries for youth awaiting adoption and provides Child Study Inventory information as requested.
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Completes out-of-state ICPC home studies.
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Completes kinship assessments.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Human Trafficking Intervention
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Investigates allegations of dependency, neglect, physical and sexual abuse where there are also allegations of human labor and/or sex trafficking, to determine the nature of the crisis, the safety of the child(ren), the need for immediate service and the need for alternate placement of the child(ren).
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Assesses child risk, family functioning, and available supports to develop plans for services which ameliorates the conditions which place children at risk for human trafficking.
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Provides crisis intervention services and supportive counseling.
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Implements services that promote family preservation, placement stabilization, and family reunification when appropriate.
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Transports displaced families to shelter or emergency housing may be required, as well as providing specific information and referral services to families and instructions on where the community resources are located.
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Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with the Child Advocacy Center, Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Ohio Department of Public Safety, law enforcement, prosecutors, hospitals, Juvenile Court, and other community agencies to aid in anti-human trafficking against children.
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Collects appropriate data for legal action and presents factual evidence in court proceedings.
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Secures protection for children from unsafe environments and prepares placement packets, reports, summaries, forms, and statistics.
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Ensures cultural considerations are addressed in client case plans, while consulting with other knowledgeable staff and Third-Party Agencies as needed.
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Supports foster families regarding placements, reunification efforts, and child needs.
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Advocates for both natural families and foster families.
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Participates in placement matching decisions and coordinates pre-placement and post-placement activities.
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Collaborates on local and state initiatives and committees.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Independent Living
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Attends scheduled supervision meetings, Independent Living team meetings, unit meetings, and department meetings.
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Provides intensive aftercare services to youth ages 18–21 to support successful emancipation and adult independence.
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Develops and implements Independent Living and Emancipation Plans and maintains regular contact with youth and caregivers.
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Provides individual and/or group training and support to 14–21-year-old youths to implement life skill areas. Life skills include budgeting and money management, job seeking skills, job maintenance skills, educational and vocational planning, obtaining and maintaining housing in the community, home management, awareness and use of community, health and legal services, and other identified areas.
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Completes SAIL assessments.
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Collaborates with caseworkers and participates in team decision-making, meetings, and conferences.
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Tracks youth turning age 14 for pre-independent living engagement and course eligibility.
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Schedules and facilitates transition planning meetings.
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Administers and scores Daniel Memorial Inventory assessments.
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Coordinates transitions from Independent Living to Aftercare Services and refers eligible youth to the Bridges program.
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Organizes college and career seminars, Independent Living courses, and orientations for youth entering foster care.
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Evaluates Independent Living programs in congregate care settings and provides feedback regarding youth participation.
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Coordinates financial assistance requests, stipends, purchase requisitions, and transition-related funding.
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Maintains face-to-face contact with youth in aftercare and oversees stipend distribution.
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Provides annual foster parent training on Independent Living and emancipation services.
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Facilitates emancipation conferences and readiness orientations.
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Completes annual training requirements.
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Serves as liaison to designated community agencies.
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Develops emancipation plans to support successful transitions from foster care.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Phone Unit
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Answers the child abuse hotline and identifies referrals requiring urgent or emergency supervisory review.
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Completes referrals in SACWIS.
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Receives and documents calls regarding AWOL youth and children needing consent for treatment or medication.
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Responds to walk-in reports of abuse, neglect, dependency, and general inquiries.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to Placement Unit
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Uses listserv to distribute ICCAs to external resources, foster homes, group homes, and residential facilities.
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Contacts providers to search for and secure difficult placements and manages multiple placement searches simultaneously.
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Identifies urgent placement requests and adjusts workload priorities accordingly.
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Utilizes specialized SACWIS functions, including IV-E status review, provider contact and rate schedules, provider records, and redacted or unredacted ICCAs.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
If assigned to SACWIS Help
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Provides 1:1 assistance to staff regarding SACWIS system errors and issues.
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Reviews Financial Payment Rosters to prevent SACWIS errors from interrupting IV-E reimbursement and Medicaid eligibility.
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Assists with staff training related to SACWIS functions and processes.
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Provides requested reporting data.
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Completes person merges, case merges, and case associations.
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Works with the Ohio SACWIS Help Desk to resolve case errors.
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Resolves report data discrepancies.
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Performs other related duties as required and assigned.
CWC 1 – Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Education, or related field; OR alternative, equivalent evidence of the Minimum Class Requirements.
CWC 2 – Master’s Degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Education, or related field. Preference given to candidates with field placements or volunteer experience involving casework responsibility with families and children; OR Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Education, or related field and at least two (2) years of related experience preferably in Child Welfare; OR alternative, equivalent evidence of the Minimum Class Requirements.
CWC 3 - Master's Degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Education, or closely related field with two (2) years of experience in Child Welfare, OR Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Education, or closely related field plus five (5) years of Social Work experience in Child Welfare; OR alternative, equivalent evidence of the Minimum Class Requirements.
Driving Requirement:
Must maintain a current, valid United States driver’s license with an acceptable driving record and proof of valid auto insurance.
Training and Development:
First Aid, Defensive Driving, Car Seat Installation & Safety
