CWS Team Leader - Foster Care / 61015929

Full Job Description

Do you have a passion to provide meaningful work in the community? Would you like to be part of an organization whose central mission is helping to protect, stabilize and strengthen the lives of children, families, and vulnerable adults? Then the South Carolina Department of Social Services has the right job opportunity for you.


Job Duties:

The Child Welfare Services Team Leader provides direct supervision to case managers in Child Welfare Service area of Foster Care.

Ensures accountability of case managers by conducting case consultations, coaching, training and providing support in accordance with DSS Policy, Agency Mission and GPS Practice Model.

Performs on-call duties and provides support to on-call staff.

• Promotes safety, permanency and well-being by ensuring fidelity to policy and procedures and conducting case consultation and case reviews, facilitating meetings, reviewing data reports, monitoring policy changes, and ensuring staff attendance in mandatory trainings.

Ensures completion of Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS), & Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST) assessments, Child and Family Team meetings, Family Permanency Plans and Referrals in accordance with DSS Policy.

Ensures CAPSS reflects up to date case information and quality documentation.

Ensures timely referrals for services and least intrusive interventions are used with families to address needs identified and maintain the safety of children.

Ensures case managers facilitates and /or participates in child and family team meetings.

Ensures timely court packets are submitted, monitors adherence to court orders, identifies and addresses legal barriers that impact timely permanency and legal proceedings when safety concerns require court intervention.

Promotes timely permanency by providing case consultations per policy to assess ongoing risks and safety concerns and family engagement, works with case managers to ensure permanency resources are explored at the onset of agency involvement and ongoing.

• Authentically engages and works collaboratively with child welfare staff, families and other professionals with empathy, respect and leadership. Ensures concerted efforts to locate non-custodial parents and kinship support is ongoing. Responds timely and professionally to constituent inquiries.

Provides case managers with EPMS planning and evaluation plans.

Participates in hiring and training of all new employees, promotes equal opportunity, develops a diverse workforce, and gives fair opportunity to all staff.

Completes performance and practice evaluations on direct reports bi-annually and upon request for level ascension. Timely submits evaluations for level ascension and EPMS evaluations.

• Maintains child welfare certification. Completes 20 hours of training yearly to include certifications that are required yearly.

• Maintains an active routine of self-care and pursues support when necessary to minimize the threat of secondary trauma to physical and mental health. Understands the impact of trauma on families and secondary trauma on child welfare staff and applies principles to support families and staff.

• Ensures personal identifying information (PII) is properly used, accessed, gathered, shared and disposed. Protects the agency networks and applications by safeguarding systems, equipment and data.

• Performs Red Cross shelter duty or other emergency shelter duties/services as directed.

• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

A Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Behavioral Science, or Social Science.

A Bachelor's Degree in any other field and one (1) year experience in a related field.

Additional Information

This application for employment with the SC Department of Social Services must be completed in its entirety. A resume may be included; but shall not be substituted in lieu of the completion of this application in part or in whole. "See Resume" is not acceptable information for the completion of any part of the requirements of this application. If such is submitted, this employment application will be considered incomplete and may not be forwarded as eligible for consideration to hiring managers.

Must possess a valid driver's license and have access to and be able to operate a motor vehicle. Individuals must comply with necessary field work assignments.

If you certify, by completion and submission of this application, that you possess educational credentials that qualify you for the available DSS positions, you will be required to provide a certified official transcript, if you are selected for job offer.

The South Carolina Department of Social Services offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
• 15 days sick leave per year
• 13 paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs

DIVISION: CWS - Foster Care / Richland County

*Important Salary Information*

With the recent implementation of the Child Welfare salary plan funded by the General Assembly beginning in July 2021, front line case managers and team leaders (supervisors) will not only earn higher starting salaries when joining DSS than in previous years, but will also enjoy supplements to their starting salaries upon completion of training and competencies, attainment of BSW/MSW degrees for front line case managers, annual increases for years of continuous service, and salary increases upon attainment of established competencies/certifications for moving into Level 2 and Level 3 salaries.

New Child Welfare case managers will earn a starting salary of at least $45,721 during initial certification, depending on education level and degree type, with up-front starting salary supplements of 2.5% ($46,865) and 5% ($48,006) for candidates holding a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, and 10% ($50,293) for team leaders (supervisors), respectively.

Following completion of training certification, assignment of caseloads with one year of completed experience, quarterly adjustments will be made to move successful trainees into the Level 1 salary bracket and will receive at least a 15% salary increase (adjusting their salary to $52,843, $54,165 or $55,400 depending on degree type), and $58,125 for team leaders (supervisors) at that time.

Annual salary increases of up to 0.50% per year will be awarded on a quarterly basis for each consecutive year a Level 1 case manager remains in his/her class/position.

In January of 2022, DSS rolled out additional opportunities for case managers to progress from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3, with increases in salary averaging 2.5% for each increase in the case manager’s level of expertise under the salary plan.

Level 2 and 3 child welfare staff will also see accelerated annual increases of 1% to 1.5% per year awarded for each continuous year served in his/her class/position.

Progression from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3 requires completion of specified requirements in the Advancement Pathway which include additional training, skill development, and practice model aligned competencies that increase in complexity as the career path progresses.

Case reviews, data compliance reviews, field observations and employee self-assessments are used by supervisors to evaluate eligible employees’ demonstration of competencies and skills prior to approval to advance to the subsequent level.