START Social Worker III/ or Trainee

This job posting expires at 11:59PM on November 20, 2026. No applications can be submitted after 11:59PM on November 20, 2026.

• Job Title: START Social Worker III/ or Trainee
• Department: Social Services - Child Welfare
• External Hiring Range: $29.51 - $34.96
• Compensation Grade: 2009

Posted Internally and Externally

Buncombe County offers in-office, hybrid, and remote positions. Employees in positions that are approved for remote work must live at a location within a 2-hour drive from the position's assigned Buncombe County facility.

Buncombe County is hiring a START Social Worker III. This individual will report to a START Social Work Supervisor III. The Social Work START team consists of 3 START Social Work III positions, and 3 START Family Mentors. This START Social Worker III will be partnered with a START Family Mentor to co-work child welfare cases that have been identified to need mandated Child Protective Services. This position will work Foster Care cases.

The START model is an intensive intervention model for substance-abusing parents and families. This model integrates addiction and recovery services, family preservation, community partnerships, and best practices in child welfare and substance use disorder treatment. START aims to address system issues that prevent families access services. Specialized training or experience working with families with young children impacted by Substance Use Disorder is preferred.

This position will start in-person. Over time, a hybrid schedule will be allowed. The selected candidate must relocate or reside within a 2-hour drive from 200 College Street, Asheville NC 28801 within 6 months of hire. Typical work schedule: M-F 8:00 am to 5:00PM, and some evenings and weekends with time-and-a-half leave accrued for hours worked over 40.

This position will be hired as a fully-qualified Social Worker III or a Social Worker III Trainee depending on candidate qualifications. Salaries are calculated based on education and experience above minimum qualifications.

The Pay Range for a Social Worker III is $29.51 - $35.50 an hour

The Pay Range for a Social Worker III Trainee is $25.77 - $31.01 an hour

Candidates hired as Social Worker III Trainees are expected to advance to a Social Worker III position once the employee becomes fully qualified. At that time the selected candidate will be promoted and compensated as a qualified Social Worker.

Purpose of the Position

The purpose of this position is to provide mandated services to children and families affected by parental substance use and to ensure safety, permanency, and well-being of children in our community.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire): Master's degree in Social Work; or a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and one (1) year of directly related experience; or a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, or Human Services and two (2) years directly related experience; or Bachelor’s degree in another field and three (3) years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. *BSW and Social Work Collaborative Students preferred.

Additional Training and Experience: English/Spanish bi-lingual speakers preferred. Certificate of completion of the NCDHHS Pre-Service Training: Child Welfare in North Carolina is preferred.

License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation: A current, valid North Carolina driver's license.

Essential Functions of the Position

Ensure children who cannot safely return to their birth families achieve a safe and legally secure placement via adoption or guardianship.

Provide services through which a plan for temporary substitute care appropriate to a child’s needs is evaluated, arranged, maintained, and supervised in Court sanctioned placement or a licensed facility when the child’s own family is unable to care for him/her adequately due to safety/risk factors.

Provide direct services to children and their pre-adoptive caregivers to ensure the protection, safety, and permanency of the children.

• Assess, prepare, place and monitor children cleared for adoption.
• Provide state mandated case management services for children in DSS Legal Custody.
• Develop and monitor service plans with families and provide or refer services as needed.
• Make recommendations to the court, including services needed, progress and barriers to permanent plan.
• Establish rapport with children, families, and appropriate professionals/non-professionals in the community to provide a strengths-based, family centered approach in working with families throughout child welfare involvement.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

Ability to prioritize, identify, and assess risks, problems and needs often in stressful situations with clients who are hostile, emotionally confused, and resistant; Ability to effectively de-escalate individuals.

• Knowledge of medical, behavioral, and socio-economic problems and their treatment.
• Knowledge of numerous funding sources and how to utilize them.

Knowledge of basic criminal justice procedures, elements of medical and mental disorders, personality theory, family systems dynamics, interpersonal relations, and cultural differences, values, and lifestyles.

Skills in establishing constructive relationships with resistant clients and utilizing family-centered SW practice.

Skills and counseling in interviewing and the ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to plan and execute work effectively; and skills in creating resources when none are readily available.

Thorough Knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and their application to specific casework and community problems.

Thorough knowledge of agency procedures and resources, community systems and resources, manual material, state and federal regulations, permanency planning philosophy, and laws governing protective services for children.

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law.

EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected classes. In addition, the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.