POSITION: FOC Caseworker - Gladwin WAGE: $21.39 - $26.12
SUMMARY:
Performs a variety of tasks relating to custody, parenting time, change of legal residence, and intergovernmental support matters. Responds to complaints regarding domestic relations cases. Acts as conciliator to resolve disputes. Drafts pleadings, orders and correspondence on case specific matters. Responds to inquiries from parties, attorneys, other court offices and agencies regarding procedural information and case status on cases.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Assists the FOC/Referee in early intervention of domestic relations cases.
- Schedules appointments, conferences, hearings and court dates in the Friend of the Court and before the judge.
- Maintains calendar, anticipates duration of hearings for scheduling, and ensures efficiency in calendar flow; controls all docket flow, rescheduling, and deletion of court-scheduled matters.
- Provides procedural information to parties, attorneys, agencies and the court on newly filed domestic relations cases.
- Drafts, finalizes, and processes court orders on child support, spousal support, parenting time, custody, change of domicile and legal residence, medical support, and other matters as required.
- Drafts orders and correspondence and prepares all orders as a result of non-formal action, as statutorily required.
- Monitors all orders submitted from attorneys that need Court approval, including the tracking of all 7-day orders.
- Reviews and approves proposed orders on family support and paternity cases; consulting with the Prosecuting Attorney's office for further action.
- Responsible for Medical Enforcement, specifically uninsured medical bills.
- Creates and updates forms and documents for general use by staff members, upon approval of the FOC.
- Proofreads all work as to content, spelling, punctuation, grammar, format and ensuring proper statutory language is included in all orders.
- Acts as CEO (Certified Electronic Operator) on all referee court hearings and assist attorney referee as required; keeps log notes and record findings of in court proceedings in real-time, including specific orders of the court.
- Compiles daily statistics for State reporting, including a log of all IV-D activity.
- Reviews, distributes, and takes appropriate action on miscellaneous orders and correspondence delivered to the Friend of Court.
- Assists customers, agency representatives, and attorneys at the counter; communicates with other court offices, agencies and individuals, as required.
- Conducts informal meetings on custody, parenting time, make-up parenting time, and change of domicile, legal residence or other matters through conciliation so as to prevent disputes in an attempt to resolve.
· Assist families with reaching consent agreements on parenting time, custody and child support matters and ensuring orders enter consistent therewith.
- Diffuse confrontational clients and handle emotional situations.
- Refers to formal mediation as necessary.
- Communicates with parties, verifies information, and determines if further enforcement action is needed.
- Advises and educates parents on the effects of divorce and the skills necessary to resolve areas of difficulty, including appropriate methods of communication and cooperation.
· Assists the Friend of the Court in the development of policies and procedures to improve service and to ensure that operations are in compliance with applicable statutes and court rules.
· May be required to represent the Friend of the Court in a variety of meetings, committees and professional associations, boards and/or other related groups; attends conferences, workshops and seminars as appropriate.
· May be required to research and analyze changes in OCS policy and procedure and other matters affecting FOC operations.
· Must stay abreast of IV-D memorandums and any changes to OCS policy and procedure; must inform and advise the FOC of changes and impact to services.
· May be required to assist in the investigation of statutory grievances filed by clientele and may be required to prepare grievance responses for consideration by the Friend of the Court upon final approval.
· May be required to assist FOC staff with cases answering complex questions and interpreting court orders using court rules, policies and procedures.
· May be required to meet with co-workers to disseminate policy and procedural information and to discuss case related issues.
· Coordinates assistance on difficult and complex office matters such as interstate, liens, probate, foster care, bankruptcy and intergovernmental legal matters.
· Oversees special projects at the direction of the Friend of the Court.
· As assigned, may serve as the medical enforcement investigator with a specific focus on medical enforcement. Assists clients in settling disputes regarding unpaid health care expenses.
· May be required to complete Domestic Relations Mediation Training specified in the Friend of the Court Act MCL 552.513 and MCR 3.216 within 24 months of the date of hire.
· May be responsible for oversight, implementation and training for mandated confidentiality rules and requirements for all staff; runs reports and monitors FOC staff for compliance on quarterly confidentiality training (if no Operations Officer).
· Responsible for monitoring and reporting FOC staff leave time to the Court Administrator each pay period.
· Serves as Chriss Administrator; serves as back-up LOA; serves as back-up bank administrator.
· Responsible for preparing referee orders after hearing, which includes tracking objections and generating a schedule for referee opinions to be typed as an order, obtaining the judge’s signature, filing with the court and certifying a mailing to clients and their attorneys.
· Pulls files as they are needed for court hearings; ensures that files are complete and in order for proceedings.
· May be responsible for coordination of the SMILE, or a similar, program, verifying attendance, maintaining attendance records, and processing payment for services.
· Provides oversight of child support review chain activity and receives alerts for issues involving this function; provides guidance to enforcement specialist in the area of support reviews and enforcement.
· Responsible for Opt Out review of case with the assistance of the financial specialist.
· Train other staff, if needed
- Acts as back-up to enforcement, financial, and/or reception desk.
- Other duties as assigned.
EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, AND EDUCATION:
- Bachelor Degree from a regionally accredited college or university in psychology, social work, business, accounting or related behavioral or business degree required.
- 3 to 5 years of previous work-related skill, knowledge or experience is required. The court, at its discretion, may consider an alternative combination of formal education and/or work experience.
- Writing, reading, mathematical principles; proficient computer skills; exercise sound judgment and decision making in accordance with policies and procedures; ability to research and problem solve independently; knowledge of County operations and functions; ability to prioritize and time manage; handle stressful situations, provide effective and friendly customer service; ability to think critically where necessary.
- Knowledge or understanding of basic administrative tasks: operate standard office equipment; document management; prepare and maintain records, various correspondences and reports; answer general inquiries and refer as necessary; answer telephone calls, attend meetings; maintain calendars, arrange meetings, schedule rooms and equipment as necessary.
- Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with management, co-workers and clients; obtain and communicate accurate information; apply common sense understanding to complex instructions and respond accordingly.
ESSENTIAL ABILITIES FOR ALL FOC JOB CLASSIFICATIONS:
· Ability to demonstrate predictable, reliable, and timely attendance.
· Ability to read, write, and communicate in English; follow written and verbal instruction; and understand basic mathematics and figure checking.
· Ability to interpret and apply procedures, rules, technical information, instructions, or manuals to complete tasks accurately and on schedule.
· Ability to learn from directions, observations, and mistakes; and apply procedures using good judgment.
· Ability to use discretion and maintain sensitive and confidential information.
· Ability to work independently or part of a team; ability to interact appropriately with others such as County officials, employees, vendors and the general public.
· Ability to work under supervision, receiving instruction/feedback, coaching/counseling and/or action/discipline.
· Adaptability to change in the work environment, managing competing demands and ability to deal with frequent changes, delays, or unexpected events.
· Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer service including customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for service, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- Prior to starting employment, the candidate must complete a satisfactory background check. The background check will encompass all forms of pre-employment screening, including but not limited to: drug screen, criminal background, driving record, sex offender registry, education, employment history, credit check, and professional and personal references.
- Must possess a valid State of Michigan operator license and maintain this license throughout employment in this position.
- All Title IV-D workers are required to be fingerprinted prior to employment.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job with or without accommodations. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:
· Speak to others to convey information effectively.
· Read, interpret, and understand procedures, rules, instructions, and manuals.
· Hear and understand information presented through spoken words and sentences.
· Specific vision requirement includes close vision, distance vision, color and depth perception.
· Use hands to operate a computer, handle materials, and operate office equipment.
· Push or pull carts, reach with hands and arms forward, above and below shoulder level.
· Lift, move or carry objects, equipment and supplies weighing up to 25 pounds.
· Sit, bend, stoop, crouch, crawl and kneel in an ergonomically correct manner. Stand and walk.
· Normal office hours.
· Generally, works in a normal office environment.
· The noise level in the work environment is moderate with many interruptions.
Disclaimer: The statements contained in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed. Furthermore, the job description is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the FOC office change.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $21.39 - $26.12 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Loan forgiveness
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
Work Location: In person
