CPS Social Worker – Investigations/Assessments

Salary Range:  $54,401.90 - $89,763.13 (Compensation negotiable within the salary range for fully qualified applicants. Salary rates are based on education, skill, and experience level as well as internal equity and market rates.) Catawba County Social Services is committed to making living better through serving children and families with multiple and complex needs. We are seeking individuals who share our common core values: Doing what’s right:

• Assessing families and children while maintaining integrity, respect, transparency, and professionalism through the completion of thorough investigations of identified children to assess for child safety, risk and well-being needs.

Doing what matters most:

• Serving families, children, and our community by providing support and comprehensive family-centered, solution focused assessments and interventions that will support a parent’s capacity to protect and nurture their children.

Doing it together:

• Working cohesively with families, children, community and in-agency partners, and other child welfare entities to support and strengthen families.

Doing it well:

• Striving for excellence in meeting all mandated standards in a fast-paced and mandated, but rewarding environment that ultimately seeks to assure child safety and develop and reinforce protective family units.

Trainees, those with a Master’s or Bachelor’s degrees in other areas of human services, but do not have the required experience, may be considered.   Trainee salary is $51,681.80. RESPONSIBILITIES SPECIFIC TO CPS SOCIAL WORKERS: 

• Initial response to abuse (physical and/or sexual), neglect and dependency reports on children
• Completion of thorough assessments, including use of strong interviewing and documentation skills, and making immediate decisions regarding the safety of children
• Establish protection plans
• Apply crisis intervention techniques
• Provide services up front to assure the maximum safety of children, which could include court action
• Continuously assess the safety, risk, and well-being of identified children
• Will receive approximately 10 new CPS families each month

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master’s degree from an accredited school of social work with Child Welfare Collaborative; or
• Master's degree from an accredited school of social work and 1 year of social work experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited school of social work with Child Welfare Collaborative and 1 year of social work experience; or
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work and 2 years of social work experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree in a human services field and 3 years of social work experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree in a non-human services field and 4 years of social work experience

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• A valid Driver’s license with a safe driving record
• This is considered light work; lifting up to 20 pounds

PREFERENCES:

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Social Work
• Direct social work experience in child welfare services or similar experiences
• Experience in interviewing caretakers, children, and other sources soliciting specific details of child maltreatment to obtain thorough and comprehensive assessment of alleged child maltreatment
• Persons with bilingual ability (English/Spanish) are encouraged to apply.