Foster Care/Licensing Social Worker

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Job description

As a Foster Care/Licensing Social Worker with Orchards Children’s Services, you will have the opportunity to conduct initial and ongoing assessments in regards to the needs of the family and the child in order to move toward a permanency plan in a timely manner. You will receive extensive training that will allow you to understand the needs of the program as well as become proficient in your ability to assess the needs of the child and family, address resources and develop an effective treatment plan that also addresses the petition allegations. You will also have opportunities to continue to grow within the organization through ongoing trainings as well as working as a team.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

As a Foster Care/Licensing Social Worker, you will be very involved in the case planning and service delivery needs of the families serviced in order to move toward a permanency plan in a timely manner. You will complete initial and ongoing assessments as well as treatment plans with the families. You will also make reasonable efforts to locate resources and connect the family to those resources. You will assess and meet the needs and/or requests of foster parents in a timely and efficient manner. As a Foster Care/Licensing Social Worker, you will participate in any trainings as required by State licensing standards or as required by the Agency. You will document all case-related activities in the Michigan Statewide Automated Child Welfare System (MiSACWIS) according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) policy. The Foster Care/Licensing Social Worker also completes and submits all case-related documents. All reports accurately reflect activity on the case and are submitted in a timely manner. You will become proficient in the ability to complete contacts and progress notes, foster and birth home forms, court reports, replacement reports, termination summaries and any other required reports are completed as necessary. You will engage in foster and birth home visits in order to continue to assess the progress and needs of the families. This position requires effective communication skills in both written and verbal communication as information is presented to the court in written reports as well as verbal testimony and information is provided to the Orchards team as well as external sources such as parents, foster parents as well as the DHHS. You will be responding to any and all crisis situations in a calm and professional manner and demonstrate the ability to effectively meet the needs of the parties involved. You will be given the opportunity to engage in Family Team Meetings in order to address case status information as well as engage as back up for staff as needed. As a Foster Care/Licensing Social Worker, you will also be given the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to effectively prioritize and manage various tasks and appointments in a manner that allows for flexibility and timeliness.

You will be expected to establish and maintain positive, professional working relationships with external and internal customers, and maintain appropriate professional relationships with foster parents. You will be able to participate in scheduled staff meetings as well as learn additional tasks related to the role.

YOUR GROWTH
Orchards Children’s Services supports your success at each step. We ensure manageable caseloads to enable you as a Social Worker to have a deeper and more creative engagement with your clients. We provide ongoing training and career development opportunities that include trauma training, training through the MDHHS CWTI respective to specific programs, Motivational Interviewing, and Community Resiliency Model training. In addition, you will engage in individual face-to-face supervision, as well as supportive group engagement with your team members.

As a Child Welfare Agency, Orchards Children’s Services provides endless opportunities for social workers to build a long and varied career path. If you have the desire to gain additional skills, you could grow into supervisory or program management roles. And there is plenty of room for advancement, both in the county and, because Orchards Children’s Services engages with children and families throughout the State of Michigan.

YOUR REWARDS

Orchards Children’s Services offers a fair market rate salary, an exceptional team-based environment, and a benefits package that includes employer-paid healthcare, dental, and vision. Orchards Children’s Services provides the opportunity to make an important difference in your community.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS
A Master degree in social work is highly preferred. If you have a Bachelor degree in social work, sociology, psychology, family ecology, family studies, or family and/or child development, plus experience working with children and families, we encourage you to apply today.

OUR MISSION

Orchards Children’s Services leads Michigan’s efforts in keeping children and youth safe by strengthening families, preventing child abuse, neglect and exploitation, mitigating the harmful long term effects of childhood abuse/neglect, and promoting child and family well-being that is sustained over time. This is accomplished through the delivery of services by our Community Based, Family Preservation, Foster Care, and Adoption program staff. Adhering to our mission to “Strengthen the community through quality services to children and families”, ensures that we are building on the strength and resiliency of families and communities.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $35,600 – $37,000 per year