Seeking purpose, meaning and support in your social work career? When you spend time serving children and families in your community as part of the KVC West Virginia team, you find all this and more. At KVC, we know we all need connection — our team members included. Get a behind-the-scenes look into social work careers at KVC, and what makes KVC a great place to work.

KVC West Virginia is looking for team members across all of our departments. In our foster care, behavioral/mental health therapy, in-home services and administrative support departments, you’ll empower children, teens, adults and families. We’re actively hiring across the state for these crucial roles! Find a full list of opportunities and apply here.

Work that Makes a Difference

Maureen R., Home Finder

Few people who retire return to the workforce. But for Maureen R., the opportunity to serve foster families through her work at KVC was one she simply couldn’t pass up.

Maureen previously worked for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources for more than 30 years. When she retired from that job, she had no plans to go back to work. After she officially retired, she enjoyed taking time to rest her mind and master her own wellbeing. 

“But then, I was ready,” Maureen shares. “I wanted to get back into the workforce because I wanted to be a positive influence for [youth in] foster care.”

Why KVC? It was all about the organization and the opportunity to make a difference. “I knew what a top-notch organization KVC West Virginia is,” Maureen explains. “KVC shares a lot of my own common values. I was ready to re-enter the workplace somewhere where I knew I would make a difference, and I would be appreciated.”

Today, Maureen is a Home Finder at KVC West Virginia and has enjoyed being part of the team for nearly four years. “I make sure that the families who choose to become foster parents are taken care of in a courteous, professional manner,” Maureen shares. “I try to make sure that my work is done expediently because it’s so important when people are ready to foster, I’m ready to meet their needs.”

A Supportive & Trusting Team

Kishia J., Wraparound Facilitator

KVC West Virginia is committed to being a great place to work. To follow through on that commitment, KVC builds trust with team members through biannual Town Halls and frequent team meetings to ensure everyone has the support they need to succeed. We help employees feel energized in their jobs and lives by recognizing their accomplishments. We ensure team member voices are heard with Gallup’s research-based Q12 employee engagement survey twice per year. Then each team discusses the survey results together and makes an action plan based on their conversations.

KVC proudly offers an open-door policy. This allows employees to share their ideas, opinions and concerns with the understanding that leaders will listen and address them.

Maureen finds management strong at KVC West Virginia, with leadership who bring active listening skills to the table. “It is so important to find the support you need, especially if you feel a little discouraged sometimes,” she says. It’s all about encouragement, support and understanding. 

A Fun & Rewarding Place to Work

Brent Lemon, KVC West Virginia President

With the many challenges of social work careers, a shared commitment can make all the difference. At KVC, Maureen has found colleagues and supervisors with a wealth of knowledge, always available to be part of her support system. “We really provide each other with the tools we need to be effective in our daily work to help children.”

Maureen and her KVC West Virginia colleagues serve children and families during seasons of great challenge and difficulty, but that doesn’t mean every day is dark. In fact, Maureen has found her KVC work atmosphere to be bright, even when working through difficult challenges.

“The team on all different levels are supportive, professional people with a great sense of humor,” Maureen says. “It’s so important to keep a sense of humor to take the edge off some of the serious issues we deal with, and it allows us to do things with joy.” 

Building Dream Careers

Amanda K., Wraparound Facilitator, and Donna E.

To encourage professional growth, KVC often promotes from within – allowing team members to achieve their career goals. KVC offers a tuition reimbursement benefit, encouraging employees to continue their education with less worry of how to pay for it. We also provide frequent training opportunities to help our social workers, therapists and other team members improve their professional skills and cultivate dedication to continuous learning. 

“KVC has given me a career with meaning and extraordinary flexibility so I’m able to accomplish my goals and provide for my family,” said Rachel C., a KVC West Virginia Therapist.

KVC’s mission unites our team and creates meaningful career satisfaction and work happiness in seeing how impactful their jobs are for so many children, adults and families. 

Involved in Something Bigger Than Yourself

Feeling like you belong within your organization is key to enjoying your work. At KVC, we’re committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) efforts that unite our team members and empower our clients. “There is a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose when you’re involved in something bigger than yourself,” Maureen relates. “Your peers share the same process. It is bigger than you as an individual.” 

KVC leadership has enacted numerous initiatives to welcome everyone who enters our organization. Some of these efforts include addressing racial disparities in foster care, participating in diverse community groups, training team members and communicating with clients and supporters in regular feedback surveys.

“Our team reflects our different cultures,” Maureen says. “We support each individual’s own culture, systems, values and individuality that they bring to the table.”

Diverse Perspectives Drive KVC

Tiffany N., Foster and Adoptive Care Case Manager

KVC focuses on cultivating a healthy, inclusive and supportive culture. Every day, we strive to show our appreciation for our team members with our Kindness Changes Lives initiative, and create an environment of inclusion and belonging for team members and the families and individuals we serve with an intentional focus on DEIB.

One of our values is “Diverse perspectives are key to our progress.” By putting DEIB in the foreground, we are having important conversations that spark innovation and healthy change in KVC culture. Our local DEIB council meets frequently to discuss urgent and strategic needs and initiatives to ensure that our commitment to DEIB efforts remains a top priority. Earlier this year, KVC West Virginia joined KVC Health Systems’ family of nonprofit organizations in signing the CEO Action for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Pledge. This pledge solidifies KVC’s deep commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in our workplace.

Making a Difference

The KVC West Virginia team finds their work with the children and families incredibly fulfilling. “It’s heart-warming knowing that you are individually part of a bigger system that’s helping children deal with the trauma they’ve endured in their short lifespans,” Maureen shares. “We help them find loving, caring homes, and can help them get through probably the most difficult time in their life.” Here, a job well done means a child’s life is changed for the better. KVC team members educate caregivers to help them create a safe, nurturing environment, and children gain the safe and stable care they need. 

“I am so very thankful for the opportunity to foster hope,” said Valerie N., a KVC West Virginia Therapist.

To those considering a social work career at KVC West Virginia, Maureen has some encouragement. “If you’re on the fence about working with KVC, all I can say is that at KVC you’re part of a team and what you do matters,” said Maureen. “There’s a strong support system here that will help you become the very best that you can be because we always strive for excellence.”

Apply Now: Open Social Work Careers at KVC

Maureen isn’t alone: a national survey shows people who work at KVC are significantly more engaged and satisfied than the average worker. We believe that’s because of our meaningful mission, DEIB efforts, workplace flexibility, welcoming culture and so much more. 

We understand the importance and the many challenges of social work careers. That’s why we seek to create a positive environment that uplifts and empowers those who work with us. What does that look like? We’re proud to offer competitive pay and a 403(b) Retirement Plan with immediate company match and only a one-year vesting period requirement. Plus, you’ll enjoy generous PTO and holidays, tuition reimbursement and more. Here you’ll find hybrid jobs, free dental insurance, generous employer contribution on medical plans and employer-paid group life and disability coverage because your health matters. 

The team at KVC is expanding! See what open social work careers we have available now. When you join the KVC team, you’ll see that we believe your opinions matter and we’re committed to a supportive culture where everyone belongs. Could KVC be the right place for you? Learn more about social work careers at KVC today.