Social Services Worker - State of Wyoming - Sheridan, WY

Under close supervision provides investigative, protective, and social service intervention to children involved in neglect, abuse, or delinquency problems. May work directly with high-risk juvenile probation cases and families of youth involved in the juvenile court system.

Human Resource Contact: 307-777-5826 Kitty.Cornils@wyo.gov

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: The listed functions are illustrative only and are not intended to describe every function performed at the job level.

• Provides non-clinical crisis intervention services.
• Determines client needs for basic social services for children and adults.
• Carries a caseload and keeps all case file documentation current.
• Works directly with the institution or facility to develop and monitor a comprehensive plan of treatment for youth in the community (home) and/or placement, including foster care and residential.
• Monitors, assesses, and addresses community service and restitution needs and maintains a schedule of restitution responsibilities.
• Provides group educational sessions in cognitive skills and to help develop pro-social behaviors.
• Develops discharge plans with facility, youth, and family prior to discharge from the facility.
• Prepares for and testifies in court, preliminary hearings, multi-disciplinary team meetings, family partnership meetings, and court hearings.
• Appears and represents high-risk juveniles during pre-adjudication hearings, three months/quarterly reviews, status hearings, and revocation arraignments.
• Interviews clients, periodically reassessing client needs and referring clients to community resources or other agency personnel.
• Prepares assessments, designs case plans, evaluate the progress of participants, and monitors appropriate placements.
• Prepares court reports for foster, adoptive, and social studies.
• Performs investigations.
• Provides aftercare services to help families successfully transition with children coming out of placement.
• Provides intensive supervised probation and ensures compliance with conditions of probation as ordered by the court.
• Ensures compliance with court orders through random chemical screening for substance abuse, home and office visits, employment checks, curfew, school attendance checks, and weekly meetings with high-risk juveniles and families.

PREFERENCES:

Preference may be given to applicants with a Bachelor's Degree in social work, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, or administration of justice.

KNOWLEDGE:

• Knowledge of mental illnesses, medications, capacity, and competency.
• Knowledge of available resources in the community.
• Knowledge of accepted best practices of social services.
• Knowledge of State and Federal laws pertaining to Social Work, including ICWA, ICPC, AFCARS, ASFA, and others.
• Knowledge of the court system, juvenile protection laws, federal and state laws.
• Knowledge of Department of Family Services' policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of human development, family dynamics, human behavior psychology, child psychology, aging, child abuse, and neglect.
• Computer skills, including word processing and the WYCAPS database.

NOTES:

• FLSA: Non-exempt
• All positions within the Department of Family Services will require a background information check, Including the taking of fingerprints, which will be completed through the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Family Services, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for every successful applicant.

049-Department of Family Services - Field Operations

Click here to view the State of Wyoming Classification and Pay Structure.

URL: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/wyoming/default.cfm

The State of Wyoming is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively supports the ADA and reasonably accommodates qualified applicants with disabilities.