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48 <br />Social Services — Existing Time Limited Child Protective Services Social <br />Workers <br />Request: Convert two full -time permanent CPS Social Workers to permanent status. <br />Purpose: To continue to provide adequate child protective services for children and <br />families. <br />Job Functions: <br />❑ Receives child protective services referrals and investigates reports of child abuse and <br />neglect. <br />❑ Conducts an assessment of client/family needs by identifying areas of deficit and strength <br />regarding all facets of the family. <br />❑ Provides individual and family counseling, therapy and crisis intervention using <br />techniques /methods that are most appropriate to client. <br />❑ Develops comprehensive treatment plan to remedy abusive and neglectful behavior and <br />conditions in families. <br />0 ❑ Prepares written case material and plans court strategy with agency attorney. Prepares <br />witnesses, testifies in hearings as an expert witness and prepares written court reports. <br />Reason for Request: <br />In July 1997 these positions were established as permanent time limited CPS Social Workers <br />with an ending date of June 30, 1999 to address workload and high turnover among Child <br />Protective Services Social Workers. These positions are responsible for providing adequate <br />protective services for children and families. <br />It is essential that these positions be continued to: <br />❑ Comply with minimum State staffing standards. The State staffing standards are one <br />Investigations CPS Social Worker for every 12 families in the investigations caseload and <br />one Treatment CPS Social Worker for every 15 families in the treatment caseload. In the <br />Orange County Social Services Investigations unit the average caseload currently is <br />between 10 and 12 cases. In the Social Services Treatment units the average caseload <br />currently is 18 cases. <br />❑ To respond to increases in the workload partly due to changes in the N.C. General Statute <br />7A -544. Effective October 1, 1997, the N.C. General Statute requires Social Services to <br />ascertain immediately after a report is received whether other children live in the reported <br />child's home and if so, initiate an investigation on all children in the home. All children <br />living in the same household (including group homes and multi - family households) with <br />