BLOG

Finding the best placement the first time for a child coming into care is every foster care or kinship social worker’s mission. But that’s easier said than done when you only have a partial understanding of the child’s story. What if you could uncover a complete history of previous placements, medications, behavioral issues, and other key information to shape your decision? 

Maybe you’re new to the case or an on call social worker required to immediately find a safe place for a child to stay the night. With little time and a lot at stake, you need a complete understanding of the family and case in a moment’s notice. What are the important medical and emotional needs? What can help minimize trauma? 

Imagine if a child's case file could talk to you. Imagine if you could gain immediate insights from a wealth of historical knowledge to make quick decisions about safety and lessen the hurt just a little.

Here at Northwoods, we’re big believers that our past should always shape our future. This week, we’re sharing a little piece of Northwoods’ history—as told by our executive vice president and chief operating officer, Chris Carlson—to give you a glimpse into where we’ve been and where we’re heading. This is chapter 4 (here are chapter 1, chapter 2, and chapter 3 in case you missed them).

Here at Northwoods, we’re big believers that our past should always shape our future. This week, we’re sharing a little piece of Northwoods’ history—as told by our executive vice president and chief operating officer, Chris Carlson—to give you a glimpse into where we’ve been and where we’re heading. This is chapter 3 (here are chapter 1 and chapter 2 in case you missed them).

Here at Northwoods, we’re big believers that our past should always shape our future. This week, we’re sharing a little piece of Northwoods’ history—as told by our executive vice president and chief operating officer, Chris Carlson—to give you a glimpse into where we’ve been and where we’re heading. This is chapter 2 (here’s chapter 1 in case you missed it).

Here at Northwoods, we’re big believers that our past should always shape our future. This week, we’re sharing a little piece of Northwoods’ history—as told by our executive vice president and chief operating officer, Chris Carlson—to give you a glimpse into where we’ve been and where we’re heading. This is chapter 1.

You may have heard us talk before about the amazing results our friends at Cabarrus County Department of Human Services (DHS) have seen since redesigning their lobby, upgrading technology, and modernizing business processes. Now, we’re also sharing the nitty gritty details behind how Cabarrus County made the project—and its resulting success—happen.

Social workers often spend so much of their time advocating and standing up for children and families that they sometimes overlook the importance of taking care of themselves. While the rewards of being a social worker are plentiful, the job can take its toll – mentally and physically.

Here are 10 simple ways social workers can practice self-care, manage stress and burnout, and boost their well-being even on the most difficult days.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW) launched this year’s Social Work Month campaign – Social Workers Stand Up! – “to educate the public about contributions of social workers and why the professional title of social worker is so important.” What better way to honor the amazing things social workers accomplish than by sharing the stories of the children and families they stand up for every day?

In honor of Social Work Month 2017, social workers from Carver County Health & Human Services and Sherburne County Health & Human Services told us about the children and families that have stuck with them over the years.

Human beings make mistakes. Period. And even though we’re big believers that social workers and caseworkers are super heroes, we know they make mistakes sometimes too.

Ever lost or misplaced a document? Skipped a step when scanning it into the system? Filed it in the wrong place? Overlooked a key piece of information when reviewing a case file?

Mistakes happen. While it may not be likely to eliminate errors completely, there are many changes a human services agency can make to reduce the possibility of errors being made. It all starts with simplifying processes—and in doing so, creating less opportunity for errors to occur.

Keeping case initiation rates high and turnover low are two big priorities for Child Welfare program managers; however, without the right tools and processes in place, both are much easier said than done. Just ask Lenoir County Department of Social Services (DSS).

In 2006, the turnover rate for Lenoir County’s Child Welfare unit was 73% because documentation requirements and emotional stress were taking such a big toll on social workers. Inefficient processes affected case initiation rates too, which hovered below the 95% state standard at 80-85%.

Now, workers have access to office-based and field-based document management solutions designed for Child Welfare that give them more time to focus on engaging clients, building trust, and delivering quality service. As a result, turnover has decreased to 17% and social workers are consistently exceeding the state standard for case initiation with a 97% rate.