Child Protective Services Casework Supervisor

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Opening Date: February 15, 2024

Closing Date: March 1, 2024

Job Class Code: 5078
Grade: 25 (Supervisory Svcs)
Salary: $71,344 – $91,291.20/yr.*

Position Number: 02022-7832, #02022-7600 & #02000-3634

Core Responsibilities:

As a Child Protective Services Casework Supervisor, you will plan, coordinate, direct, and monitor the activities of caseworkers and support staff in the areas of child protection, adoption, and substitute care assigned to your unit. You will assess and assign casework loads; and review, monitor and provide guidance to your staff concerning cases and service delivery. You will research and work with staff and peers to resolve critical and crisis situations. Your typical duties will include:
1. Ensuring established quality service standards are maintained.
2. Conferring with and counseling workers regarding casework in order to assist with difficult cases and caseload problems.
3. Reviewing and comparing work performance and/or products of staff with established standards to assess employee productivity levels and training needs.
4. Connecting with other agencies and community resources to coordinate services, promote necessary community resources, and monitor cooperative agreements.
5. Evaluating and recommending program-wide changes and establishing unit procedures and goals in order to upgrade the quality and continuity of services.
6. Coordinating activities between unit and service providers to effectively deliver social services to agency clients.
7. Authorizing service provision and client/caseworker expenditures.
8. Negotiating various contracts and agreements with service providers and others to ensure appropriate services are provided.
9. Analyzing and reviewing cases to ensure compliance with state and federal laws, standards, and requirements, and initiate and participate in court hearings.
10. Directing, coordinating, and/or participating in after-hours coverage to ensure appropriate staffing.

Minimum Qualifications:

To qualify, your background must include eight (8) years of education and/or professional experience in social work which includes at least two (2) years experience as a fully licensed social worker* (LSW). A Master’s degree is preferred. Preference will be extended to candidates possessing the following skills/experience:

1. Recent experience in professional child welfare casework.
2. A thorough knowledge of and recent experience working with MACWIS/Katahdin.
3. Four years experience as a fully-licensed social worker.

• An LMSW or LCSW automatically meets the two (2) years fully licensed social worker experience requirement.

Please submit a cover letter addressing your skills and/or prior experience in each of the three areas above.

Agency information:

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is dedicated to promoting health, safety, resilience, and opportunity for Maine people. The Department provides health and social services to approximately a third of the State's population, including children, families, older Mainers, and individuals with disabilities, mental illness, and substance use disorders. The Department also promotes public health, operates two state psychiatric hospitals, and provides oversight to health care providers.

Application Information:

Please submit all documents or files in PDF format.

For additional information about this position please contact Gretchen Ossenfort, Program Administrator at 207-596-4260. To apply, please upload a recent resume (if available) and cover letter addressing each of the three preferred skills/experience areas above.

To request a paper application, please contact Ashley.Smith@Maine.gov .

Benefits

No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:

• Work-Life Balance – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
• Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($10,150.80-$11,942.16 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.

• Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements.

• Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($350.40 annual value).

• Retirement Plan – The State of Maine contributes 13.41%of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.
• Gym Membership Reimbursement – Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense.
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts – Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses.
• Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness – The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid office.
• Living Resources Program – Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.

• Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including fathers and adoptive parents—receive six weeks of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Voluntary Deferred Compensation – Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions.
• Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.

There's a job and then there's purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.

As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics.

If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Thinking about applying?

Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.