CWS Team Leader - Foster Care / 61012035
State of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
Responsibilities
The Child Welfare Services Team Leader provides direct supervision to case managers in the Child Welfare Service area of Foster Care. The team leader ensures accountability by conducting case consultations, coaching, training and providing support in accordance with DSS policy, agency mission, and GPS practice model, and performs on‑call duties while supporting on‑call staff.
Promotes safety, permanency and well‑being by ensuring fidelity to policy and procedures, conducting case consultations and case reviews, facilitating meetings, reviewing data reports, monitoring policy changes, and ensuring staff attendance in mandatory trainings.
Ensures completion of Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) and Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST) assessments, Child and Family Team meetings, Family Permanency Plans, and referrals in accordance with DSS policy. The team leader maintains CAPSS with up‑to‑date case information and quality documentation, ensures timely referrals for services, applies least intrusive interventions, and ensures case managers facilitate or participate in child and family team meetings.
Ensures timely submission of court packets, monitors adherence to court orders, and identifies and addresses legal barriers that impact permanency and legal proceedings when safety concerns require court intervention.
Authentically engages and collaborates with child welfare staff, families, and other professionals with empathy, respect, and leadership; locates non‑custodial parents and kinship support; and responds promptly and professionally to constituent inquiries.
Provides case managers with EPMS planning and evaluation plans, participates in hiring and training of new employees, promotes equal opportunity, develops a diverse workforce, and ensures fair opportunity for all staff. The team leader completes performance and practice evaluations on direct reports bi‑annually and upon request for level ascension, and submits evaluations for level ascension and EPMS evaluation in a timely manner.
Maintains child welfare certification and completes 20 hours of yearly training, including required certifications.
Maintains an active routine of self‑care and pursues support when necessary to minimize the threat of secondary trauma to physical and mental health, and applies trauma principles to support families.
Ensures personal identifying information (PII) is properly used, accessed, gathered, shared, and disposed, and protects agency networks and applications by safeguarding systems, equipment, and data.
Performs Red Cross shelter duty or other emergency shelter duties/services as directed.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Behavioral Science, Social Science, or any other field with at least one year of related experience.
Valid driver’s license and access to a motor vehicle; ability to comply with necessary field work assignments.
Benefits
Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children
15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
15 days sick leave per year
13 paid holidays
Paid Parental Leave
State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs
Division
CWS - Foster Care / Georgetown County
Important Salary Information
With the recent implementation of the Child Welfare salary plan funded by the General Assembly beginning in July 2021, front line case managers and team leaders (supervisors) will not only earn higher starting salaries when joining DSS than in previous years, but will also enjoy supplements to their starting salaries upon completion of training and competencies, attainment of BSW/MSW degrees for front line case managers, annual increases for years of continuous service, and salary increases upon attainment of established competencies/certifications for moving into Level 2 and Level 3 salaries.
New Child Welfare case managers will earn a starting salary of at least $45,721 during initial certification, depending on education level and degree type, with up‑front starting salary supplements of 2.5% ($46,865) and 5% ($48,006) for candidates holding a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, and 10% ($50,293) for team leaders (supervisors), respectively. Following completion of training certification, assignment of caseloads with one year of completed experience, quarterly adjustments will be made to move successful trainees into the Level 1 salary bracket and will receive at least a 15% salary increase (adjusting their salary to $52,843, $54,165 or $55,400 depending on degree type), and $58,125 for team leaders (supervisors) at that time.
Annual salary increases of up to 0.50% per year will be awarded on a quarterly basis for each consecutive year a Level 1 case manager remains in his/her class/position.
In January of 2022, DSS rolled out additional opportunities for case managers to progress from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3, with increases in salary averaging 2.5% for each increase in the case manager’s level of expertise under the salary plan. Level 2 and 3 child welfare staff will also see accelerated annual increases of 1% to 1.5% per year awarded for each continuous year served in his/her class/position. Progression from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3 requires completion of specified requirements in the Advancement Pathway which include additional training, skill development, and practice model aligned competencies that increase in complexity as the career path progresses. Case reviews, data compliance reviews, field observations and employee self‑assessments are used by supervisors to evaluate eligible employees’ demonstration of competencies and skills prior to approval to advance to the subsequent level.
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The Child Welfare Services Team Leader provides direct supervision to case managers in the Child Welfare Service area of Foster Care. The team leader ensures accountability by conducting case consultations, coaching, training and providing support in accordance with DSS policy, agency mission, and GPS practice model, and performs on‑call duties while supporting on‑call staff.
Promotes safety, permanency and well‑being by ensuring fidelity to policy and procedures, conducting case consultations and case reviews, facilitating meetings, reviewing data reports, monitoring policy changes, and ensuring staff attendance in mandatory trainings.
Ensures completion of Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) and Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST) assessments, Child and Family Team meetings, Family Permanency Plans, and referrals in accordance with DSS policy. The team leader maintains CAPSS with up‑to‑date case information and quality documentation, ensures timely referrals for services, applies least intrusive interventions, and ensures case managers facilitate or participate in child and family team meetings.
Ensures timely submission of court packets, monitors adherence to court orders, and identifies and addresses legal barriers that impact permanency and legal proceedings when safety concerns require court intervention.
Authentically engages and collaborates with child welfare staff, families, and other professionals with empathy, respect, and leadership; locates non‑custodial parents and kinship support; and responds promptly and professionally to constituent inquiries.
Provides case managers with EPMS planning and evaluation plans, participates in hiring and training of new employees, promotes equal opportunity, develops a diverse workforce, and ensures fair opportunity for all staff. The team leader completes performance and practice evaluations on direct reports bi‑annually and upon request for level ascension, and submits evaluations for level ascension and EPMS evaluation in a timely manner.
Maintains child welfare certification and completes 20 hours of yearly training, including required certifications.
Maintains an active routine of self‑care and pursues support when necessary to minimize the threat of secondary trauma to physical and mental health, and applies trauma principles to support families.
Ensures personal identifying information (PII) is properly used, accessed, gathered, shared, and disposed, and protects agency networks and applications by safeguarding systems, equipment, and data.
Performs Red Cross shelter duty or other emergency shelter duties/services as directed.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Behavioral Science, Social Science, or any other field with at least one year of related experience.
Valid driver’s license and access to a motor vehicle; ability to comply with necessary field work assignments.
Benefits
Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children
15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
15 days sick leave per year
13 paid holidays
Paid Parental Leave
State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs
Division
CWS - Foster Care / Georgetown County
Important Salary Information
With the recent implementation of the Child Welfare salary plan funded by the General Assembly beginning in July 2021, front line case managers and team leaders (supervisors) will not only earn higher starting salaries when joining DSS than in previous years, but will also enjoy supplements to their starting salaries upon completion of training and competencies, attainment of BSW/MSW degrees for front line case managers, annual increases for years of continuous service, and salary increases upon attainment of established competencies/certifications for moving into Level 2 and Level 3 salaries.
New Child Welfare case managers will earn a starting salary of at least $45,721 during initial certification, depending on education level and degree type, with up‑front starting salary supplements of 2.5% ($46,865) and 5% ($48,006) for candidates holding a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, and 10% ($50,293) for team leaders (supervisors), respectively. Following completion of training certification, assignment of caseloads with one year of completed experience, quarterly adjustments will be made to move successful trainees into the Level 1 salary bracket and will receive at least a 15% salary increase (adjusting their salary to $52,843, $54,165 or $55,400 depending on degree type), and $58,125 for team leaders (supervisors) at that time.
Annual salary increases of up to 0.50% per year will be awarded on a quarterly basis for each consecutive year a Level 1 case manager remains in his/her class/position.
In January of 2022, DSS rolled out additional opportunities for case managers to progress from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3, with increases in salary averaging 2.5% for each increase in the case manager’s level of expertise under the salary plan. Level 2 and 3 child welfare staff will also see accelerated annual increases of 1% to 1.5% per year awarded for each continuous year served in his/her class/position. Progression from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3 requires completion of specified requirements in the Advancement Pathway which include additional training, skill development, and practice model aligned competencies that increase in complexity as the career path progresses. Case reviews, data compliance reviews, field observations and employee self‑assessments are used by supervisors to evaluate eligible employees’ demonstration of competencies and skills prior to approval to advance to the subsequent level.
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