Child and Family Services internship opportunities
Child & Family Services is a public child welfare agency with the responsibility of responding to community concerns about child safety, child well-being, and family stability. We are very interested in engaging families in a partnership to ensure the safety & well-being of their
children.
Olmsted County has a diversified child welfare system that combines public & private services into a network of options for best addressing the individualized needs of a respective family. The county offers access to targeted early intervention services in an effort to respond to risk factors early by increasing family capacity to meet the developmental needs of their children. Specialized responses are available for families with troubling teens, children & youth struggling with emotional disturbance, and youth that are truant from school.
Child Welfare and Early Intervention Programs
Olmsted County offers early intervention and child welfare services in an effort to respond to risk factors early and to provide supports to build family and child well-being.
The Family Support Team works with first time parents, pregnant and parenting teens, families of color with young children, and families with young children experiencing complex challenges. This team offers long term child welfare services.
The Parents and Children Excel (PACE) team works to address disparities and disproportionality that manifests in the form of negative educational outcomes for children of color. PACE social workers partner with families to foster a positive working relationships with schools and support families through case management and mentorship programming.
Parent Support and Outreach (PSOP) is a voluntary program offering short term services. They offer targeted support for families when parents are struggling with substance abuse or when parents are worried about how previous child protection involvement may influence future parenting.
The Child Adult Relationship Enrichment Program (CARE) is a voluntary two-year intervention and prevention program designed to work on improving family stability, parent-child attachment, and safety in homes where a parent has been diagnosed with a severe and persistent mental illness.
Child Foster Care and Child Care Licensing
Social workers in the Foster Care Licensing Unit work directly with individuals and families providing foster care to youth. They
recruit and provide information to potential foster care homes, complete licensing requirements (background studies, home safety check, home study), and provide ongoing support to providers to develop collaborative relationships with families.
Similarly, the Child Care Licensing team supports family childcare homes. They provide information and support to interested childcare providers, complete licensing and ongoing monitoring requirements, and support childcare providers in meeting the health.
After-hours Social Work
In Olmsted County, a unique team of social workers supports the department and our community outside of business hours. Nights, weekends, and holidays the After-hours Social Work team are available to complete child welfare and child protection face to face visits, complete drug screening tests with clients, and respond to emergencies. They do not carry a caseload, which allows them to support staff and families in a variety of ways.
Youth Behavioral Health
Youth Behavioral Health (YBH) serves youth ages 3-18 and their families when there are mental health concerns, behavioral concerns, serious parent-child conflicts, truancy, or substance abuse. They provide case management services on a voluntary basis. Case managers act as advocates and assist in coordination of community-based services designed to help the youth and their family gain access to needed social services, mental health, educational, health, vocational, recreational and other related services.
In addition to case management and coordination services, YBH has staff that are able to provide family therapy, parent coaching, and neurofeedback.
Child Protection
Child Protection Intake and Assessment ensures that reports of child maltreatment are appropriately responded to. This unit conducts interviews, makes home visits to identify needs, challenges, and strengths of individuals and families, advises families and individuals of possible resources and support services, and assists them in accessing identified services. They work collaboratively with the family,
providers, schools, law enforcement, and other partners to promote child safety, well-being, and permanency.
When a case has been identified as meeting child protection criteria for a child at risk of harm due to being within sight or sound of a domestic violence incident, the Domestic Violence Response Team provides specialized supports. DVRT incorporates Olmsted County child protection practices alongside evidence based domestic violence interventions. The goal of the DVRT is to make sure children are safe, secure, and well cared for, while reducing risk by working directly with the offending parent to provide education and skills.
When initial assessment has resulted in a need for longer term child protection involvement, a social worker with Ongoing Child Protection will be assigned. Ongoing child protection works with families for the life of the case. The ongoing team works with both in home and out of home cases and utilizes a strength based and solution focused model.
Gain hands-on learning experience
As an intern in one of these areas, you can expect to shadow and learn from members of the team as they partner with families in their homes, the office, and other community settings. You will be part of completing paperwork, assessments and case plans, and will attend case consults with the team do discuss family progress, next steps, and decision making. If interested, you will have opportunities to experience other areas of Child and Family Services as well as other departments within Health, Housing, and Human Services. Not all areas are able to accommodate interns each semester, but please let us know what your interests are, and we will work with you to find a good fit.