Social Worker III (Placement Adoptions)
- Buncombe County
- Asheville, NC
- 7mo ago
- Full-Time
- Remote
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This job posting expires at 11:59PM on October 26, 2025. No applications can be submitted after 11:59PM on October 26, 2025.Job Title: Social Worker III (Placement Adoptions)Department: Social Services - Child WelfareExternal Hiring Range: $29.51 - $34.96Compensation Grade: 2009Pay Range: $29.51 - $42.55Posted Internally and Externally
This position will report to the Placement Supervisor who has a team of five including adoption assistance Social Workers. This team is part of a larger Permanency Division Team of fifty that include Permanency Planning Social Workers, Adoptions Social Workers, Licensing Social Workers and Visitation Social Workers. As part of your placement Social Worker duties, you will be supporting the Investigation and Family In-Home Social Work divisions with new custodies.
This is a Social Worker III position which will be divided between the Placement and Adoptions units. This position will perform Placement Social Worker duties and provide case management services for a reduced adoption case load.
Depending on the hire, this person ability to work from a home office will be assessed on when this hybrid schedule would be allowed. The employee must reside within a two (2) hour drive from 40 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801, in order to be considered for the position.
The anticipated start date is Monday December 1st, 2025, or earliest.
Purpose of the position:
The purpose of this position is to support the finalization of adoption paperwork and management of adoption cases after children are legally free and in an identified permanent placement, and to support functions of the Social Work Placement Team.
Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire):
Master's degree in Social Work; or a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and one (1) year of directly related experience; or a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, or Human Services and two (2) years directly related experience; or Bachelor’s degree in another field and three (3) years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. *BSW and Social Work Collaborative Students preferred.
Additional Training and Experience:
English/Spanish bi-lingual speakers preferred. Certificate of completion of the NCDHHS Pre-Service Training: Child Welfare in North Carolina is preferred.
License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation:
A current, valid North Carolina driver's license.
Essential Functions of the position:
Provide placement services for at least one Permanency Planning Team, including time-sensitive searches, eligibility and financial duties.
Be the lead liaison between the placement team line staff and the embedded Child and Family Specialty Program line staff.
Complete preparatory work to assist the Adoption Supervisor with the organization and facilitation of bi-monthly adoption committee as children are ready for review.
Provide services through which a plan for temporary substitute care appropriate to a child’s needs is evaluated, arranged, maintained, and supervised in Court sanctioned placement for children for assigned children who are legally free for adoption.
Provide direct services to children and their pre-adoptive caregivers to ensure the protection, safety, and permanency of the children.
Assess, prepare, place and monitor children legally free for adoption.
Provide State-mandated case management services for legally free children in DSS Legal Custody.
Develop and monitor service plans with adoptive families and provide or refer services as needed.
Make recommendations to the court, including services needed, progress and barriers to permanent plan.
Establish rapport with children, families, and appropriate professionals/non-professionals in the community to provide a strengths-based, family-centered approach in working with families until permanency is finalized on all assigned adoption cases.
Represent the agency in court for initial court proceedings for young adults entering the Extended Foster Care program.
Facilitate relinquishments to support the legal permanency of children through adoption.
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
Ability to prioritize, identify, and assess risks, problems and needs often in stressful situations with clients who are hostile, emotionally confused, and resistant; Ability to effectively de-escalate individuals.
Knowledge of medical, behavioral, and socio-economic problems and their treatment.
Knowledge of numerous funding sources and how to utilize them.
Knowledge of basic criminal justice procedures, elements of medical and mental disorders, personality theory, family systems dynamics, interpersonal relations, and cultural differences, values, and lifestyles.
Skills in establishing constructive relationships with resistant clients and utilizing family-centered SW practice.
Skills and counseling in interviewing and the ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to plan and execute work effectively; and skills in creating resources when none are readily available.
Thorough Knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their application to specific casework and community problems.
Thorough knowledge of agency procedures and resources, community systems and resources, manual material, state and federal regulations, permanency planning philosophy, and laws governing protective services for children.
In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions.
Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.
It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected classes. In addition, the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.
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