Social Worker III (Policy & Practice Model Coach -Youth and Family Services)

Please apply by 3/27/2026

Salary Range: $63,080.00 to $78,850.00. This is an exempt, salaried position. Please note: Pay rates are based on education, skill, experience level and internal equity. Internal equity considerations include an assessment of the applicant’s salary history and qualifications in comparison to the market rate and requirements for the job.

At Mecklenburg County, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are with support, inclusive culture, and technology to become the best version of you. We’re counting on YOUR unique voice and perspective to help Mecklenburg County become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

Youth and Family Services Division (YFS) of the Department of Social Services (DSS) provides a variation of services to safeguard children by strengthening the protective capacities of families whose children’s health, safety and well-being are at risk. The mission of DSS is to strengthen families and communities through a safety-net of services, collaborations, and hope. The Department’s vision is to define and cultivate an organizational culture that is more compassionate and understanding with each other and our clients. YFS firmly believes the people who do this work are our most important resource. As such, children and families deserve trained, skillful professionals to engage and effectively assist them. If you have a passion for social work and making a difference in your local community, come join our Youth and Family Services team!

Position Summary
The Social Worker III is responsible for serving as a key support to frontline & supervisory staff in enhancing cross-agency service delivery in the following areas: Family Search & Engagement, Comprehensive Assessment, Shared Parenting, Child & Family Teaming, Supervisory Practice, and Racial Equity & Inclusion.

This position will be located at 720 E. 4th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. This position may require after-hours (after 5 pm) and weekend work as needed.

All services delivered in this capacity are geared towards the achievement of the following outcomes:
Increased placement stability
Increased % of children and older youth placed with kin
Increased % of all youth with timely exits to permanence
Increased % of youth with timely adoption
Decreased number and rate of entries into out-of-home care
Reduction in the occurrence of repeat maltreatment
Decreased length of stay for youth in out-of-home care

Essential Functions
Key components of this role include, but are not limited to, the following:

May be required to support front-line service areas within Youth and Family Services for limited temporary timeframes based on business needs

Develop training curriculums and deliver trainings to adult learners

Provide pre- and in-service training to staff around the practice model, associated competencies, and policies/procedures underpinning child welfare practice across all service areas

Provide coaching and technical assistance to frontline staff around their adherence to the practice model, as well as the underlying mission, vision, and values. This will be achieved through a variety of means, including one-on-one or group meetings, shadowing of frontline workers in the field, and phone or email consultation, with at least one observation being required to occur within the context of a Child and Family Team meeting. Coaching will be provided to frontline staff for a period of up to 90 days.

Utilize a standardized format to document all coaching session observations, thus providing the foundation for feedback to be shared with frontline staff and their supervisors

Serve as an additional layer of support to supervisory staff in their work to embed the model in their team’s practice.

Responsible for the development, review, revision, and dissemination of county-level child welfare policy to ensure that agency policy and procedure meet or exceed the minimum standard set by the state

Responsible for the review and dissemination of state-level child welfare policy and procedure

Serve as a key resource for frontline, supervisory, and managerial staff, representing both pre- and post-custody service areas, around the interpretation and application of policy and practice supports

Assist in the development, execution, and tracking of the various methods used to embed the practice model into all service areas

Regularly attend staff meetings associated with their assigned district/service area and any requested stakeholder meetings

Work with frontline, supervisory, and managerial staff representing such areas as Legal, Continuous Quality Improvement, Training, and Data to assist in bridging identified gaps between policy and practice

Serve as an active member of policy, practice model, and other quality improvement-related workgroups

Serve as a champion for policy and practice alignment within the agency

Serve as a champion for the practice model within the district/service area of assignment, the agency as a whole, and the community at large

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

Bachelors of Social Work from an accredited school of social work and three years of social work experience; or a qualifying internship; or successfully completion of the NC Child Welfare Collaborative program; or a bachelor's degree in a related field with 15 hours of social work/counseling courses and four years of social work experience; or Master's degree from an accredited school of social work; or a master's degree in a related field with three years of social work experience.

Education: Please see experience.

Combination of relevant education and relevant experience accepted?: No

Licenses and Certifications

Requires a valid North Carolina or South Carolina Driver's License

Requires County Driving Privileges

Preferred Qualifications
Training and Coaching experience preferred
Child Welfare experience preferred
Bilingual applicants with (Spanish and English) proficiency preferred. Will be required to pass the County’s Bilingual Assessment in order to receive a paid Bilingual Premium.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of
General social work principles and available resources
Social services procedures, practices and methods
Social services related federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations relating to provision of public assistance, and social welfare
Case management methods and techniques
Services offered by the county and other local public and private community-based service agencies

Skills
Prioritizing work
Managing and executing multiple tasks
Maintaining various confidential records
Evaluating records to ensure accreditation standards are met
Using computers and related software applications
Exercising judgment and discretion

Abilities
Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures
Building Customer Loyalty: Effectively meeting customer needs; building productive customer relationships; taking responsibility for customer satisfaction and loyalty
Building Partnerships: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals
Building Trust: Interacting with others in a way that instills confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization
Care Management: Having the knowledge and skills to secure relevant patient care data and identify key issues and relationships in the management of patient care; understanding the relationships among assessments, interventions, and patient responses; skilled in documentation of assessments and adjusting physical and cognitive prescriptions as needed
Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the information provided
Customer Focus: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customers’ and own organization’s needs
Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences
Inspiring Others: Using interpersonal styles and methods to inspire and guide individuals toward higher levels of performance
Managing Conflict: Dealing effectively with others in an antagonistic situation; using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension or conflict between two or more people
Work Standards: Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed

Computer Skills
Proficient in applicable computer programs

Reasonable Accommodations Statement
To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Disclaimer Statement
This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, requirements or working conditions. Other duties may be assigned based on business need and the supervisor’s request. Mecklenburg County reserves the right to revise the job description at any time. Designated positions may be required to assist in emergency and/or disaster situations.