Job Details

*The areas being served will include Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, Avery, and Watauga counties.

Summary

Practitioner will be responsible for providing direct social work services to each assigned client/client family as outlined by the Homebuilders ® program model under which the client is receiving services.

Primary Job Functions

1. Duties

• Behave with families in a way that reflects the program's values and beliefs.
• Conduct behaviorally specific, interactive, ongoing, holistic assessments that include family strengths, values, skills, problems, needs, and barriers to goal attainment.
• Collaborate with family members and referents to develop behaviorally specific, attainable intervention goals and corresponding service plans directly related to the risk of out-of-home placement.
• Incorporate research-based interventions that apply cognitive and behavioral principles and strategies to facilitate behavior change.
• Assess child, family, practitioner, and community safety throughout the family intervention and incorporate strategies to promote safety.
• Individually tailor services and maintain flexibility in schedules to meet the family members' needs, goals, values, culture, circumstances, learning styles and abilities.
• Incorporate varied teaching methods to help family members acquire, maintain, and generalize skills through tailoring teaching methods, teaching moments, and assigning homework.
• Develop and maintain a positive, collegial working relationship with family members.
• Assume responsibility for motivating family members by incorporating various motivational enhancement strategies.
• Collaborate and advocate with formal and informal community support and systems impacting the family, while teaching family members to self-advocate.
• Advocate and provide concrete goods and services that are related to goal achievement, while teaching family members to meet their needs independently.
• Provide transition planning with the family by assessing goal attainment, planning for maintenance of progress, addressing concerns, and collaborating with referring social worker to address ongoing service needs.
• Conduct aftercare follow-up contact with the client/client family as specified by the program service model.

1. Practitioner Responsibilities.

• Serves families in their home or their natural environment.
• Development of a comprehensive service plan and discharge plan based on client/client family strengths, needs and preferences.
• Develop a relationship with the client/client family that facilitates achievement of their service plan goals.
• Monitor the progress of each need area as identified in the service/person-centered plan and facilitate revisions as appropriate.
• Coordinate and oversee initial and ongoing service assessment activities and perform all social work, case management and aftercare functions in a manner consistent with the applicable program/service model and with cultural competence.
• Utilizes data from the homebuilder client information system to routinely self-evaluate performance for model fidelity and outcome attainment.
• Review agency consumer satisfaction, outcomes, and risk management data; follows supervisory suggestions for service modification and improvements based upon this data; and suggests ways services could be further improved in response to this data.
• Embraces Professional Development Plans, Quality Enhancement Plans and Quality improvement Plans for program improvement. Participates in required QUEST activities.

1. Contribute to a positive, engaging work environment.

• Demonstrate and work within the Homebuilders® model which clearly shows the values and beliefs that guide program design.
• Uses behaviorally descriptive, value-neutral language, and avoids the use of labels and inference when communicating with or about family members.
• Display sensitivity to the service population's cultural and socioeconomic characteristics
• Operate in a professional work environment.
• Perform other duties related to department goals and projects as needed.

Job Qualifications

Education, Licenses & Certifications:

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, counseling, or a closely related human services area.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years' experience working with children and families

Competencies

Knowledge of:

• Child welfare policies and programs, and local community resources

Skills and Proficiency in:

• Intermediate computer skills (Microsoft Applications as well as electronic data systems, time sheets, expense reports, use of virtual platforms for meetings)
• The ability to problem-solve barriers while being sensitive to maintaining professional relationships.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proven effective organization and time management

Ability to:

• Ability to work independently from a home office and maintain adherence to deadlines.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, clients, and other service providers
• Maintain a flexible schedule and live within proximity of families being served.
• Use of personal vehicle required to transport clients to resources deemed appropriate for services.
• Travel (1000 plus miles each month) with occasional responsibilities for overnight travel
• Maintain a valid North Carolina driver's license, adequate auto insurance, and have access to an operating vehicle to attend to CHS (Children s Home Society) business.
• Must pass a criminal background and central registry check

Schedule Expectations

This position is a salary exempt job that will require some weekends, and evenings work. Along with working our standard scheduled week. The ability to work flexible hours is required to meet business needs. If working remotely, it will be required to be available by telephone and email during specified hours as required. Frequent travel required to conduct business-related activities.

Is available for assigned families 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which may include making emergency visits to families' homes as needed.