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Group II Appeal Outline for DSS Social Workers

Jan Imonti

I. IntroductionName, Job title, Years of state service and date of entry into current job title (Social worker, supervisor, social worker tech, foster care reviewer. Chose what applies to you and adapt the outline to fit your job duties). Include regular working hours, including having to respond to unexpected crises that extend beyond 5:00pm as well as attending meetings/home visits that occur before 8:45am or after 5:00pm (again, only if this applies to you).

II. Current CaseloadExplain for whom you are currently responsible. For example, you might say "I am responsible for a caseload of ____ (number) of families. My caseload includes:"
  1. ____ (number) of children. Of this number, ____ (number) are in the custody or care of the DSS and are in placement.
  2. ____ (number) of parents.
  3. ____ (number) of court involved families, including Children in Need of Service (CHINS) children.
  4. ____ (number) of collaterals involved (Here you may want to use a particular family as an example). If you do so, do not use their name. Refer to "Family # 1" or use the first letter of their last name, ie: the "B" Family. For example, in the "B" family, there are two parents and four children who are involved with one doctor, two therapists, one psychiatrist and two attorneys, etc. I meet with these family members regularly. I also meet with or at least make periodic contact with the professionals with whom this family is involved.
  5. If there are parents and/or children who have mental health issues, children involved in the Department of Youth Services (DYS) and/or CHINS children in your current caseload, make this known. Also, if applicable, make known that adult clients in your caseload have significant CORI histories, including having served time in prison and/or jail.
III. Inherent risk of the JobExplain why child welfare social work is a dangerous profession: you are mandated to go to the home of a family who may not want to meet with you and the risk to the social worker (you) when removing a child from her/his home. Some of your clients may be involved with substance use/abuse and domestic violence; others may be mentally ill and without treatment. Still, others may be delinquent and gang involved. Whatever risk your caseload may entail, mention it. If you have been assaulted or threatened, state so.

IV. Regular and Major Duties. Explain what your regular and major duties are, such as:
  1. Assessing risk to children and changes in parental functioning on an ongoing basis;
  2. Identifying and arranging for the provision of appropriate services for parents and children, including placement services for children to minimize risk to children;
  3. Writing and monitoring service plans for family members and participate in service planning, together with parents and other household members;
  4. Monitoring the progress of each individual by:
a) Arranging and making routine family home visits and parent/child visits, some of which are supervised by you. Also note if you arrange and supervise visits between siblings in placement, visits between children and relatives as well as placement visits. (Provide the # of supervised visits and how often they occur if you can. Estimate to the best of your knowledge, the percentage of time you spent in face to face contact with clients).
b) Contacting/meeting with collaterals. (If you transport children in DSS custody to medical, therapy or other appointments such as CORE's, court, etc. and discuss/decide medical, emotional, educational care/needs of these children with professionals, please state so.) Estimate the percentage of time spent face to face with children in your caseload.
c) Monitoring service plans of parents and children to access their progress or lack thereof.
  1. Assessing and responding to crisis situations when they arise. This may require the emergency removal and placement of children.
  2. Transporting children in DSS care/custody in your personal vehicle. (If you have not already done so, explain in general terms to where you transport and why.)
  3. Referring children in DSS custody/care for immigration services, 766 (special education), SSI-DA (disability), and/or 688 (adult) services and other necessary services and provide the necessary documentation.
  4. Responding to emergencies on co-workers caseloads (Duty Day). Note that these families do not know you and you are not familiar with them. Hence, the greater risk.
V. Responsibilities and Decision-makingYou also:
  1. Determine when the level of risk to children warrants legal and supervisory consultations.
  2. Determine, in conjunction with your supervisor, whether or not a child is at imminent risk or sufficient risk to warrant removal from the family and when to reunite with the family.
  3. Help children being placed away from their parents talk about and understand what is happening to them and why; provide counseling and information to clients.
  4. Arrange and transport children's belongings to placement and when they return home.
  5. Arrange for school transfers and sometimes transport to and from school until the transfer occurs.
  6. Discuss with child's physician and decide the routine or extraordinary medical care a child in DSS custody receives.
  7. Accompany children in need of emergency psychiatric evaluations/hospitalizations. Sign child into hospital and participate in discharge planning.
  8. Determine the best permanency plan for each child in care or custody and work toward that goal while simultaneously working with parents to strengthen their parental skills.
  9. Initiate court action, testify and submit written reports and recommendations to the court.
  10. Periodically attend and participate in clinical case conferences at which families may be present.

VI. Administrative Tasks Estimate the percentage of time spent:
  1. Attending and participating in weekly supervision, staff and unit meetings.
  2. Writing reports, including court reports with recommendations.
  3. Attending and testifying at court hearings.
  4. Completing documentation using Microsoft Windows that interfaces with the Department's intranet.
  5. Keeping accurate and updated case records.