Social Worker, Family Advocacy & Support Services

This is advanced, professional level casework providing protective, investigative, counseling and case management services for children who at risk for neglect and/or abuse. Employees are assigned to local departments of Social Services and provide social work services including treatment and immediate response to crisis situations for at-risk children in the most complex cases in the departments. Work involves investigation of alleged neglect and abuse, substantiation of the alleged neglect or abuse as prescribed by federal and state guidelines, providing expert testimony in court hearings, and following-up with case management and preventive services for clients.

Employees analyze situations and determine appropriate courses of action immediately or in short time spans and often under very stressful conditions. Employees may provide group, family or individual treatment to clients of any age and any developmental, mental, medical, substance abuse, financial or family problem. Employees typically report to a Social Work Supervisor III under general supervision. Employees may have combined investigative and treatment roles or may have separate functions depending on the size and organizational structure of the departments of Social Services.

Duties & Responsibilities

Variety and Scope – Employees manage a caseload of clients in the most difficult and complex cases. Work may involve providing treatment in group, family or individual therapy to clients of any age and/or with any developmental, mental, medical, financial, substance abuse or family problem including abused, neglected or homeless children. Work includes clinical and social investigation, assessment of individuals and family dynamics, crisis intervention, referrals for treatment and placement in foster care or residential facilities.

Employees provide expert testimony.

Intricacy – Employees exercise considerable judgment in determining whether abuse or neglect has occurred, to what extent and how it occurred. The selection of appropriate treatment for the family and clients requires significant understanding of their personalities based on assessments and interviews. Employees must understand social work theory, techniques and practices, individual and group behavior, social problems, medical and mental illness, family dynamics, coping behavior, crisis intervention, and treatment of various medical and mental diseases and social issues.

Guidelines - Guidelines include state and federal laws, program rules, directives, policies and regulations, professional ethics and quality assurance standards.

Nature of Instructions – Work is jointly planned with members of multidisciplinary teams or protective services committees and supervisors. Legal precedents are used in some settings.

Nature of Review – Work is reviewed by unit supervisors, program managers or higher-level administrators, usually on a routine basis.

Scope of Decisions – Decisions affect children and their families and are often made under stressful and sometimes dangerous situations. Many decisions must be made immediately or with little time for consultation.

Consequence of Decisions – Assessments, interviews and service treatment decisions affect the safety and well being of children in abuse and neglect situations. Failure to follow-through on case management visits, remove a child from parent or foster custody or monitor treatment outcomes can lead to severe injury, neglect or child fatality.

Scope of Contacts – Contacts include clients and their families, foster families, a variety of medical and psychological professionals, law enforcement, legal services and social and community agencies.

Nature and Purpose – The purpose is to gather and share information, to determine the extent of abuse or neglect, to provide counseling, to arrange for services and to provide expert opinions to legal officials.

Work Conditions – Employees work in offices, but work involves visiting…