SENIOR SW-IAT

Job Title: Senior SW-IAT

Job Type: Full-Time

Location: Cabarrus County, NC

Job Number: FY26-01326

Department: SOCIAL WORK SERVICES - DSS

Opening Date: February 16, 2026

Closing Date: Continuous

Description:

Applicants are encouraged to apply early. The application review process will take place immediately and continue until the position is filled. This recruitment may close any time after the first review or when a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.

Make a difference where it matters most. Cabarrus County DSS is seeking a highly skilled child welfare professional to serve as a Senior SWIAT within CPS. This advanced role is designed for experienced social workers who thrive in complex investigations, crisis response, and collaborative safety planning.

Responsibilities:

As a Senior SWIAT, you will:

• Conduct comprehensive child protective services assessments
• Manage high-risk and sensitive cases
• Provide support to team members
• Partner with community stakeholders to ensure child safety

Requirements:

This position is safety-sensitive and requires occasional after-hours work and participation in an on-call duty rotation. If you are ready to bring expertise, sound judgment, and dedication to protecting children and strengthening families, we invite you to apply.

Hiring Range: $60,569.60 - $72,384.00

Pay Grade: 22

Trainee Level: At the discretion of Management, applicants who do not meet the full qualifications for the Senior SWIAT role may be considered for employment at the trainee level and corresponding pay grade. Any candidate hired at the trainee level would be required to meet the full Senior SWIAT standards within one year.

General Definition of Work:

Role Overview:

This is a highly specialized professional position focused exclusively on the most complex and sensitive child protective service cases in Cabarrus County. The Senior Social Worker acts as the lead investigator on critical cases, works in close partnership with law enforcement and the court system, and carries a highly specialized caseload.

Reports To: Social Work Supervisor IV

Essential Functions/Typical Tasks:

I. High-Risk Investigations & Legal Expertise

• Serve as a first responder to high-risk child abuse and neglect reports, immediately assessing the safety and risk to children in crisis situations.
• Conduct thorough, evidence-based investigations by interviewing children, families, and collateral contacts (e.g., schools, medical professionals, law enforcement).
• Manage a caseload focused primarily on high-complexity, high-sensitivity investigations.
• Specialize in cases involving sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, human trafficking, cases of irreparable harm, and child fatality.
• Act as a dedicated liaison and partner with the District Attorneys Office, local law enforcement, and the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) to coordinate investigations and information-sharing.
• Prepare detailed and complex court summaries and reports to support legal proceedings.
• Provide professional expert testimony in court hearings and potentially serve as a subject matter expert witness.
• Work with the court system to initiate the placement of alleged perpetrators on the Responsible Individuals List (RIL).
• Conduct complex interviews and analysis to substantiate alleged neglect and abuse.

II. Advanced Assessment & Intervention

• Lead the intervention and immediate response to crisis situations for children in the most critical cases.
• Quickly analyze highly stressful and potentially dangerous situations to devise and implement immediate Safety Plans.
• Apply advanced case management techniques to establish rapport and motivate highly resistant or involuntary clients.
• Engage families, support systems, and partners in Child and Family Team meetings and other conferences/meeting to manage extremely sensitive case planning.
• Regularly monitor the familys progress, adjusting the case plan as necessary to meet established goals and time limits.
• Maintain accurate, detailed, and complex case documentation detailing timelines and activities.
• May provide group, family or individual counseling and education in conjunction with mental health experts.
• Provides some behavior modification alternatives and interventions.

III. Leadership & Support

• Assigned caseload specifically focused on the most difficult and sensitive cases in the department.
• May assist supervisors with case reviews or closures for peer cases.
• Independently respond to crisis situations in a calming, de-escalating manner.
• Contribute to community education and training initiatives.
• Performs related tasks as required to potentially include but not limited to emergency shelter operations.
• Requires travel to homes, schools, health and mental health facilities, training and other service agencies.

What Youll Bring:

• Advanced knowledge of social work principles, complex casework, family dynamics, and crisis intervention.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and effectively with high-level legal, law enforcement, and medical professionals.
• Demonstrate expertise in court testimony.
• Ability to analyze tense family situations and make critical, high-stakes decisions about child safety and devise safety plans with families as prescribed by federal and state guidelines.
• Comprehensive knowledge of federal and state child welfare laws, policies, and professional ethics.

Minimum Education / Experience Requirements:

• SWIAT (Trainee) Education and Experience:
• Bachelor's degree in Social Work AND one of the following: one year of social work experience; qualifying internship; successful completion of the NC Child Welfare Collaborative program or; Master's in Social Work or; Bachelor's Degree in related Human Services major AND 2 years of social work experience or; Master's Degree in related Human Services major AND 1 year of social work experience or; Bachelor's Degree AND 3 years of social work experience OR Master Degree AND 2 years of social work experience.
• Senior SWIAT Education and Experience:
• This role requires specialized experience in Child Protective Services (CPS) Family Assessment and/or Investigations.
• All degrees must be from an accredited college or university.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Supplemental Information:

Cabarrus County selects applicants for employment based on job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation or political influence. Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions. Transcripts, degree evaluations and cover letters may be uploaded with your application. Applicants who obtained their education outside of the United States and its territories are expected to assume responsibility for having their academic degrees validated as equivalent to a degree conferred by a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Please be sure to complete the application in full. Resumes may be uploaded with your application, but will not be accepted in lieu of a fully completed application and will not be considered for qualifying credit.