JOB TITLE: CHILDLINE CASEWORKER

JOB CODE: 40010

SERIES NATURE OF WORK: The ChildLine job series describes work facilitating the reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect in the commonwealth.

DEFINITION: This is professional work receiving, evaluating, and processing reports of suspected child abuse and neglect for Pennsylvania’s mandated child protective services program.

An employee in this job analyzes and refers reports of suspected child abuse and neglect to the appropriate investigative agency. Work involves receiving verbal and written referrals from the ChildLine hotline; interviewing and counseling callers regarding alleged child abuse and well-being concerns; analyzing and categorizing referral information consistent with the Child Protective Service Law (CPSL); and forwarding reports to the appropriate county children and youth agencies (CCYA) or regional Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF), law enforcement offices, and other public agencies. Work includes informing mandated reporters of their duties and rights under the CPSL; providing callers with referrals and contact information for community social service agencies; retrieving previous inquiries related to current referrals and sending the information to the investigative agency; and updating case outcomes in the database. Work is performed independently under an administrative supervisor for achievement of program outcomes and adherence to established laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (NOTE: The examples of work are representative of the work, but every position classified to this job may not perform all examples of work listed. Conversely, this is not an all-inclusive list of work examples.)

• Evaluates phone calls and written referrals from mandated reporters and the public concerning allegations of child abuse or concerns for a child’s well-being.

• Obtains sensitive and confidential information from callers and enters enter it into a database.

• Advises callers of confidentiality and informs mandated reporters of their legal responsibilities and right to know investigative outcomes.

• Determines if allegations meet the CPSL definition for Child Protective Services (CPS) and refers them to the applicable CCYA, licensing, and law enforcement agencies.

• Refers non-CPS reports to the appropriate child welfare and law enforcement agencies for assessment and follow-up services.

• Reviews completed investigations to ensure documentation is compliant with CPSL reporting requirements.

• Counsels emotional, anxious, or reluctant callers to deescalate situation, alleviate fears, and obtain clear and accurate information.

• Searches the central database for reports of previous child abuse referrals and provides requested information to county CCYA organizations.

• Refers callers to appropriate social service agencies for assistance.

• Performs related work as required.

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of social and economic conditions which influence human behavior.

• Knowledge of interviewing techniques used to obtain information from individuals.

• Knowledge of the use and functionality of Microsoft Office Suite software.

• Ability to analyze and interpret laws, policies, procedures, and regulations

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

• Ability to communicate effectively orally.

• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: (NOTE: Based on the Entry Level Knowledges,

Skills, and Abilities)

• A bachelor’s degree;

or

• An equivalent combination of experience and training.