Case Aide, Child Welfare

Are you looking for meaningful work? 
Interested in making a difference in your community?
Come work for the Sherburne County Child Welfare Unit of Health & Human Services!

Our Case Aide position provides administrative case management assistance for approximately 80% will be conducting supervised visits and providing client transportation, as needed, also arranging school transportation, ensuring the completion of placement paperwork, and obtaining Medical Assistance (MA) applications for children in foster care, and provide administrative/clerical support for the staff and supervisors of the Child Welfare Unit.



Our Mission: The mission of Sherburne County Health and Human Services (SCHHS) is to promote and protect the health, safety, well-being, and self-sufficiency of Sherburne County residents.           
Our Vision: It is the intent of the organization to provide human service programs to the residents of Sherburne County, designed to protect and enhance the lives of vulnerable populations (such as the developmentally disabled, children in need of protective services, vulnerable adults, mentally ill, and others).
The work of Sherburne County Health and Human Services is governed by the pillars of serving People, through collaboration and Partnership, to help resident achieve Prosperity, using an Equity Lens in all we do.

This position is located at the Government Center in Elk River, MN, however will also require work in the field. Our regular business hours are Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm, though the department provides staff with flexibility in effort to strive for a desired work/life balance. Sherburne County is one of the fastest growing counties in Minnesota, where you can find a nice blend of suburban and rural life. If you are interested in bringing your skill and talent to a dynamic department in a growing community, we encourage you to apply for this great opportunity.
Learn more about our workplace culture and a brief overview of our employee benefits.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
These examples of typical duties do not include all possible tasks for this classification and do not limit the assignment of related tasks. Regular attendance according to the departments approved work schedule is required for all Sherburne County positions.
 

• Assist Social Workers and Eligibility Specialists with various tasks that do not require Social Work expertise.
• Supports clients to ascertain what services will assist them in becoming self-sufficient and liaisons with clients to identify and verify documentation.
• Arrange and supervise visits.
• Provide transportation as deemed needed by the case manager, including providing school transportation until educational transportation is arranged, if applicable.
• Provides outreach to clients to ensure they follow through with the intake/application process to engage in requested program services.
• Collaborate with agencies and clients to determine eligibility, need, and level of service for identified clients.
• Assists professional staff and the general public with accessing assessments and treatments.
• Role models communications with state agencies, financial institutions, landlords, employers, daycare providers, other agencies, and staff.
• Interview’s clients, family members, and community resources to coordinate and establish services and to verify factual information for eligibility of services.
• Facilitate access to and integrate community resources on behalf of the client.
• Maintains records regarding client eligibility for programs and services.
• Obtains information, reports, and documents such as law enforcement, medical reports, income verifications regarding clients for various uses.
• Participate in agency unit and general staff meetings.
• Disseminate information learned at trainings/meetings and share resources.
• Works cooperatively and respectfully with coworkers and supervisor to create solutions.
• Develop and maintain respectful and cooperative working relationships.
• Regular and reliable attendance according to the department’s work schedule.
• Ensure that the out of home placement packet is completed with parents and foster parents.
• Complete the clothing inventory and follow agency Clothing Allowance Policy process, request an allowance as determined necessary, and ensure this is processed within 60 days of placement.
• Arrange for educational transportation for children in care and obtain supervisory approval for any county paid expenses.
• Complete service arrangements for foster care placements after the initial emergency placements.
• Complete service arrangements for social workers into SSIS within the unit.
• Enter completed MAPCY assessments into SSIS within 30 days of placement and send out notification letters to providers.
• Work with foster parents to ensure that all children in foster care obtain a physical within 30 days of placement when needed and when one has not occurred in the previous year and enter this information into SSIS.
• Complete MA applications with parents within 30 days of the placement.
• Assist with immediate communication between agency and foster parents to ensure that the child(ren) and foster parents needs are being met.
• Complete all MA recertification applications for all child(ren) who are in out of home placement and forward IV-E renewals to the IV-E Eligibility Worker.
• Initiate social/medical history packets with parents and relatives and work to complete and enter these through completion.
• Cases that result in a termination of parental rights, seek out child(ren’s) health history information for purposes of adoption.
• Completion of father registry checks as requested.
• Update MAPCY Assessments at their designated review date and send updated rate changes to foster parents.
• Providing oversite to the placing social workers to ensure that initial placement entries are being completed in SSIS and court reviews.
• Complete the Title IV-E determination process with all new placements.  

Minimum Qualifications
Education: High school diploma or equivalent

Experience: 4 years of relevant administrative, direct customer service with the public or human services work experience or equivalent education plus work experience. Preferred experience in a Federal, State, County, or City human services department.

Licensure:  Valid MN driver's license.
 
Other training/experience which is desirable for the position: 
Skills:

• Interviewing
• Conflict resolution
• Customer service

Experience using:

• AdobeSign  (e-signature application)
• Zingtree 
• Microsoft Office Software: SharePoint, Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• MMIS (Medicaid Management Information System) 
• SSIS (Social Services Information System) 
• MAXIS (used by state and county workers to determine eligibility for public assistance and health care) 
• METS (Minnesota Eligibility Technology System) 
• MEC2 (Minnesota Electronic Child Care system) 

Supplemental Information
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• Knowledge of the mission, policies, and procedures of the unit to which assigned.
• Developing and maintaining a thorough working knowledge of all department and County-wide policies, protocols and procedures that apply to the performance of this position.
• Knowledge of Federal, State and County requirements, regulations, policies, and community resources related to Human Services programs.
• Knowledge of laws and ethics related to data privacy.
• Knowledge of general office procedures, data entry and electronic filing and record keeping.
• Knowledge of available and appropriate client resources.
• Ability to operate a variety of office equipment.
• Ability to remain objective, rapidly process detailed information, communicate clearly and effectively.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively work with clients, co-workers, and management.
• Critical thinking skills with ability to understand and follow complex oral and written instructions.
• Ability to analyze and prepare spreadsheets.
• Ability to utilize effective interviewing skills and techniques.
• Ability to organize and prioritize a high-volume workload in an efficient manner and meet deadlines for court and federal regulation requirements.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to remain objective and non-judgmental.
• Ability to remain current on all position appropriate training.
• Ability to use state systems such as SSIS, MMIS, MAXIS, METS, MEC2, PRISM, CSIS, ELICI, CURAM, PH Doc, Hubert, CATCH, and other state/federal computer information systems.
• Ability to use software including software programs such as: Word, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint, Alertcast, IV-E, Zingtree, Finesse, Compass, OnBase and other specialized software packages.

Accountabilities Shared by All Employees                       

• Perform job responsibilities in a manner consistent with the County's vision, mission, and values.
• Develop and maintain a thorough working knowledge of all department and county-wide policies, protocols and procedures that apply to the performance of this position.
• Develop respectful and cooperative working relationships with co-workers.
• Inform immediate supervisor of all-important matters pertaining to assigned job responsibilities.
• Seek opportunities for further personal growth and development.
• Represent the County in a professional manner to all internal and external contacts when doing the County's business.
• Comply with all rules and policies in order to maintain a safe work environment.

2024 Hiring Salary Range
$22.82 - $27.39/hour
 
Hours of Work
This position has a usual work schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; may include occasional evening and weekend hours.



Union: Teamsters
Interview: Selected candidates will be notified via email on January 28th, to self-schedule a 10-minute phone interview on January 29, 2025.
Physical Requirements: Must be able to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work. May involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (up to 25 pounds). Must be able to operate office equipment, scanner, calculator, computer, and telephone system; requires manual and physical dexterity. Many hours of computer and phone related work. Hand eye coordination and visual acuity are necessary to work between paper documents and the computer monitor.
Work Environment: 40% - 100% Inside Work*  Work is normally performed in an office environment.  Headaches, eyestrain, and other related occupational hazards reflect the most common potential for injury in the office. This position is subject to moderate office noise levels. There is some mental stress involved resulting in inconvenience and frustration. May have required attendance at evening/off hour’s meetings. Direct contact with the public (supplying or seeking information) on specialized matters. Contact may include clients, co-workers, lead workers, management, hospitals and clinics, and other agencies. Travel to client homes, places of work and other settings may be required. Work that requires direct service with client may include some disagreeable human interactions with clients who are angry, uncooperative, hostile or have mental illnesses. 
*This is typical, but subject to change depending on assigned unit