Casemanager Interview Assignment

I interviewed Julie Clarkson from Taylor County Human Services Department in September at her office because she is a social worker that I know of that is what may interest me in a career down the road. They promote and encourage the well being, safety, independence, and self-sufficiency of all Taylor County individuals and families through the provision of supportive services. She is a social worker in the Children and Family Services Unit. She acquired the position by replying to an ad in the local newspaper. She works with abused and neglected children and their families doing case management. She monitors the safety of children, relative or foster care placements, providing appropriate services to the family and collaborating with all of the service providers to assure needs of the family are being met. Julie also works with Delinquent and Juvenile in Need of Protection and Services cases. She is the “go-to” person for our Wisacwis system. The issues her clients face are the same issues in all units (Mental Health, Long Term Support, Economic Assistance, Children and Family Services and Developmental Disabilities.) She had to learn how to read what the limitations and obligations were according to state statute. She learned training in safety, how the court process worked, and how to write court reports. Julie had to learn to trust her instincts and be very observant to time, place, facial and body gestures, words, inflection in voice, environment, pets, home exits and the mood of clients. She had to learn appropriate and thorough documentation of what she saw, heard and smelled. Her days start out “unknown.” Every day is different and there are always things that pop up to deal with that you aren’t expecting, such as a child taken into custody the night before, etc. She has days where she sits and does paperwork most of the day. She may have some home visits to clients’ houses or see kids at school. She has supportive co-workers that work cooperatively together and have flexible schedules.

In the agency, Managed Family Care is occurring over the next few years which will offer services to elderly and developmentally disabled clients. It may impact clients by offering different programs (better or worse). There are funding cuts, which make it even more difficult to provide needed programs to clients, such as in-home counseling and in-home parent education, AODA services for juveniles, respite care services for families, etc. The county is requiring them to take furlough days. This takes time away from the clients who can be very needy. This can lead to increased inpatient mental health placements, suicidal clients, placement in juvenile detention or foster care. She says their management is very supportive of the staff. Her co-workers can separate their personal feelings from work feelings. Ethical Dilemmas can be very straightforward at times and others can be open interpretation. Probably the most common that they run into is handling cases with people that they know personally. They try to avoid that if all possible. They may have to request an outside agency to do an investigation or supervision because of conflict of interest. It is a dilemma when a client needs something, like a couch and you may have one, but are not supposed to give it to them. Or they have a pet they are not taking care of and want to give it to you personally, but you cannot take it from them.

In the past ten years, staff turnover at the agency has been minimal, hiring maybe one person a year. Other agencies that she knows have approximately three people a year. Julie recommends a Bachelor or Master’s Degree because that is what most employers are looking for right now. She recommended that I do as much volunteering or field placement as I can in the area I want to practice. She said the average entry level wage is $18.55-$24.66 per hour. The higher is a Medical Assistance Certified MSW, which is their therapist. Positions within the agency start with union postings and then are advertised with the local newspaper and websites. The typical interview process is to interview with the Human Resource Manager, the Human Services Director and the direct Supervisor of the position. All three interview at once. She told me to run seriously. She would go into a different field or at least continue her education to get a MSW or PHD to do counseling. They don’t have enough psychologists in the area. She enjoys what she does for the most part and it is important work, but it is very taxing on a person to be disliked by the majority of the clients and not having resources to meet their needs.
I still am interested in this field even after hearing the negative side to this profession. The positive’s out way the negatives by giving back or helping some family, child, or adult receive the best care available to them. I will have to get my Bachelor’s degree for sure in this economy as jobs are hard to come by these days. The more education the better your chances are for a better qualified career in this field. I realize I may need to actually move as well. It is tough to find a job in a small community in this field. As they usually hire within and I think not knowing people that I know from my local community will be the best idea. The idea of moving somewhere new excites me but also kind of freaks me as well. I think anything new that gets someone out of their comfort zone will though. I look forward to finding a career in this profession down the road. I hope to make a small difference in someone’s life someway. In these struggling times the need for Human Services has risen in the past couple of years. So hopefully when I finish all of my schooling there will be some great jobs available for me. I am interested in the Psychology aspect of this field so far.

1. What is the purpose or mission of this agency and/or program?


2. What is your role and/or position within the agency and how did you acquire the position?

3. What are the major issues facing your clients that this agency serves? What did you need to learn more about after you were hired to be effective in your job?


4. What is the typical day like for you? How would you describe the work environment?

5. What changes do you expect will occur in this agency’s services or programs in the next few years (or what are the trends that will impact your clients in the future)?


6. What do you like most about working in this agency? What ethical dilemmas are common in working with the population this agency serves?

7. What recommendations (e.g. education, experience) would you have for someone who wants to be employed in this agency (or field)? What are the career prospects for individuals interested in this area?


8. What is the average salary range of an entry level position within this agency? [You are not asking for his or her salary.]

9. How are the positions within the agency typically advertised? What is the typical interview process for a position within this agency?


10. If you had your education and experience to do all over again, what would you do differently?