Case Worker – FCS – Foster Care
Purpose of Position
The purpose of this classification is to provide professional level duties and manage social services to children and families, child protection investigation access, alternate care for children and case management; and perform juvenile intake and dispositional duties according to applicable policies, regulations and statutes. The work is performed in accordance with applicable rules, regulations and laws under the supervision of the Family and Children’s Services Supervisor.
Essential Functions
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily and in a timely manner. The following duties are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all inclusive. Other duties may be required or assigned.
Focus Essential Function:
Determine relative eligibility for kinship care benefits. Maintain eligibility documentation, case records, and conduct home visit.
Foster Care Coordinator licenses’ relatives and non-relatives as foster homes utilizing a Structured Analysis Family Evaluation home study methodology and in compliance with DCF 56. Develop, provide or arrange for required foster parent training in accordance with DCF 56. Assist in developing and maintaining foster care manual, policies and procedures.
Participate as a team member of a Coordinated Service Team providing services to children and families.
Conduct screenings for step-parent adoptions and prepare reports and recommendations to the court.
Other Essential Functions:
Provide intake duties after hours on a rotating basis in compliance with WI Statute 48.067 and 938.067.
Conducts child protective service assessments in accordance with s. 48.981 to ensure the safety and well-being of children and families and determine the presence of maltreatment. Determines child’s safety within the family setting and takes required action to protect child as appropriate. Collaborate with District Attorney, Law Enforcement and medical personnel.
Provides the leadership role in developing family-based case management services and decision-making to maintain intact families or to keep out-of-home placement at minimum levels.
Prepares timely reports for the court recommending a plan of rehabilitation, treatment, care, and permanency in accordance with statute, juvenile court policy, Department of Children and Family policy, and agency policies with supervisory approval.
Coordinates with staff, families and providers to assess and develop goal oriented, time limited, family based service plans to meet identified needs. Explains the consequences of non-compliance with court orders to families and youth.
Exercise powers and perform intake duties under WI stats. 48.067 and 938.067. Provides intake services to individuals for the purpose of screening children taken into custody and not released under s. 48.20 and 938.20. Interviews children taken into custody and other parties. Determines whether children continue to be held in custody under s. 48.205 and s.938.205 and in accordance with juvenile court policies and with supervisory approval. Determines location of where child will be held under ch. 48 and 938. Provides screening and recommendations to court for youth referred to juvenile court.
Takes juveniles and children into custody under WI statute 48.19, 48.193, 48.195 and 938.19, 938.355(6d) with supervisory approval.
Identifies through family assessment and case management individual needs which include psychological, parenting, discipline, family functioning, substance use, daily functioning, and safety of child. Develops case plans including goals, objectives and services. Maintains safety plans to ensure child’s safety. Monitors family utilization of services, and informs the court of family/youth’s adherence to court orders. Maintain ongoing contact with parents and family members in the delivery of services.
Meets with families in their homes, and public locations to provide assessments, supervision and ongoing services.
Teaches families about available community resources and how to independently gain access to needed services. Provides leadership to achieve active involvement and participation of the child, family, schools, mental health providers, and other community resources in resolving problems.
Coordinates families’ access to services, monitors services to ensure services are provided timely and meeting family/child’s needs, evaluates progress and terminates services when goals are met. Meet with child and families in their homes to monitor progress.
Works to achieve services and treatment objectives without duplication of effort and with maximum effective use of staff time and available resources.
Maintains a complete record for all assigned cases; completes required written assessments and plans, court reports, client progress, and other related paperwork as required by statute, DCF and agency policy. Documents contacts and services, maintains files and data for reporting purposes, and prepares collateral dictation and other records and reports.
Assess and arranges needed safety services, out-home placements and other services. Provides and monitor services to foster parents. Assess out of home placements to determine if safe placement for child/youth. Provide ongoing face to face contacts to out of home care providers and child.
Supervise child and parents during family interactions when deemed necessary through safety evaluations and ongoing case management to ensure safety of child with parent and provide appropriate skill development.
Conduct Independent Living Skills assessment and arrange or provide appropriate services for eligible youth in out of home care.
Advocate on behalf of clients and provide leadership role in client and service staff meetings.
Participates in developing and delivering programs and services for families.
Recommend actions to District Attorney including petitions, sanctions, court order revisions, permanency plan hearings, termination of parental rights, and termination of orders with supervisory approval. Attend court hearings, testify and prepare for court.
Promote inter-agency cooperation between Trempealeau County Department of Human Services and area law enforcement agencies, hospitals and collateral agencies.
Maintain working knowledge of human services program policies and laws and case management and reporting requirements. Attend and participate in training and professional development.
Develops professional knowledge and skills by attending training events, conferences, and workshops.
Participate in staff meetings, supervision times, and other regularly scheduled meetings. Participate in collaborative efforts internally and outside of the agency.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Ability to analyze data information using established criteria, in order to determine consequences and to identify and select alternatives. Ability to compare, count, differentiate, measure, copy, record and transcribe data and information. Ability to classify, compute, tabulate, and categorize data.
Ability to utilize a variety of advisory data and information such as police reports, mental health assessments, criminal histories, referrals, a variety of forms, court documents/records, investigation reports, contact logs, client assessment reports, court schedules, service plans, court petitions, computer software operating manuals, statutes, procedures, guidelines and non-routine correspondence.
Ability to communicate orally and in writing with clients, juvenile offenders, family members, foster parents, law enforcement, other social service agencies, attorneys, Judges, Probation and Parole
Personnel, state agency personnel, medical care providers, service providers and mental health professionals. Ability to communicate with clients with language barriers.
Ability to communicate to diffuse escalating conversations and provide self-protection, communicate orally to elicit change in client behavior.
Ability to work in high stress, high demand situations and environments.
Ability to add and subtract, multiply and divide and calculate percentages, fractions, and decimals. Ability to interpret basic descriptive statistical reports.
Judgment and Situational Reasoning Ability
Ability to use functional reasoning in performing influence functions, such as supervising, managing, leading, teaching, directing and controlling, problem solving and reasoning.
Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory and/or judgmental criteria, as opposed to criteria which are clearly measurable.
Training, Experience and Other Requirements
Bachelor’s Degree in a Human Service related field. 1 year experience in providing services to children and families in a public agency setting and knowledge of child protective services, eWisacwis and juvenile court regulations and laws preferred. Valid motor vehicle operator’s license and/or available means of transportation required.
Physical Demands
The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Ability to operate, maneuver and/or steer equipment and machinery requiring simple but continuous adjustments such as motor vehicle, computer terminal, typewriter, telephone, fax machine, calculator/adding machine, computer printer and photocopier.
Ability to coordinate eyes, hands, feet and limbs in performing movements requiring moderate skill, such as typing.
Ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling.
Ability to recognize and identify degrees of similarities or differences between characteristics of colors, shapes, sounds and odors associated with job-related objects, materials and tasks.
Environment / Work Conditions
Ability to work under conditions which require exposure to environmental factors such as irate individuals, intimidation, odors, pets, traffic hazards and disease. This exposure may cause some discomfort and presents a risk of injury.
Deadline Note: