Kimberlee Nichols

Oversees, directs, and staffs case actions related to safety, risk, and permanency daily. Ensures timely contact is made on all cases and staff are continually assessing child safety throughout the investigation by reviewing case records to ensure documentation reflects all contacts are accurately entered. Evaluates unit performance through case readings, review that safety assessments and reassessments are completed timely, and referrals to community resources or services are provided when the caseworker determines such resources will reduce danger to a child, support protective actions, and mitigate factors placing the child at risk of future harm. Reviews cases submitted for closure in accordance with Department policies and procedures. Confers with program leadership when an unresolved danger indicator in the family or factors contributing to high risk occur.

Implements program guidelines, performs administrative functions for staff, and conducts unit meetings. Reviews abuse/neglect intakes routed to the unit on a daily basis, by evaluating case readings and providing case consultation in order to assess and mitigate child safety and risk related issues and works with staff to ensure timely contact with the family is established. Ensures all time and leave is entered into the Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System and provide oversight, regulation, and manage all overtime accumulated by staff. Provides training and conducts monthly meetings with staff to convey important communications pertaining to policies and procedures, address trends and patterns in productivity and quality of the work, discuss day-to-day operations, provide CPI updates, and support team cohesiveness.

Interviews, selects, hires, manages, and develops staff. Conducts field visits with staff, reviews performance data, holds monthly conferences, trains, and completes performance appraisals. Evaluates unit performance through case readings, computer reports, and observation of unit operations to ensure unit compliance with policy, procedure, and service control requirements. The Supervisor works to educate and develop competent staff that can engage, support, and empower families to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of the children and families we serve. Provides guidance and direction on policy, procedures, best practices, and on-going support through professional development.

Consults with unit staff and interprets program policy and procedures to agency staff, parents, children, youth, caregivers, volunteers, advocates, judges, educational, juvenile justice, other stakeholders, and the general public. Develops and maintains effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure coordination, quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the unit’s performance. Represents the program at meetings, conferences, workgroups, hearings and other events.

Responds quickly in crisis situations. Provided time limited in-home services to meet the specific needs of families by identifying insufficient protective capacities, developing treatment plans, and using appropriate and necessary resources to minimize risk and provide for safety of the child; and maintains contact with parents and children to achieve treatment goals.

Assessed child safety and takes the necessary actions to protect the child as appropriate. This could include removing a child from their family.

Interacted objectively with “caretakers” who have abused and/or neglected children in their care. Discussed issues with families related, but not limited to income, money management, and personal relationships that they will probably consider personal and private.

Encountered family members who are angry and/or scared and worked diligently to de-escalate the situation. Helped identify resources and community support available to the family. Assisted parents to recognize behaviors that lead to child abuse and/or neglect and empower parents to identify ways to make the necessary behavioral changes. Determined action to be taken to remove or to reduce an immediate threat to the safety of a child to include working with families to identify family members who can assist with keeping the child safe, testifying in court to seek emergency protective services, placing children in substitute care, referring family for immediate crisis intervention therapy or other community resources.

Gathered family and kinship information to support the child in a placement, should the child be placed in DFPS custody.

Documented all relevant and appropriate information gathered during the investigation and completing all required forms accurately and in a timely manner.