Social Worker I

Merit Systems Llc; Quincy (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Merit System Services offers a Social Worker I position within Plumas County’s Department of Social Services. The role involves learning casework methods, managing a modest caseload, and receiving close supervision while developing skills in child welfare and adult services.

Training opportunities and potential progression to Social Worker II after a year are provided. The position emphasizes starting with non-complex cases, adherence to agency rules, and service referrals to meet client needs.

Qualifications

• Interviews with clients and families to assess needs and safety.
• Develops and carries out treatment plans for an assigned caseload.
• Maintains case records and communicates decisions to clients and providers.
• Adheres to NASW Code of Ethics and confidentiality guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Conducts client interviews in home, office, or by phone.
• Assesses safety of children/adults and determines treatment.
• Refers clients to community resources for additional services.
• Maintains and updates case records and related databases.
• Testifies in court as required.
• Participates in in-service training and supervision.

Skills

Interviewing

Case management

Caseload management

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in social services

One year of relevant social work experience (trainee)

Job description

Posting number: MSS06234

Department: Plumas County Department of Social Services

Job classification: Social Worker I

Posting type: Open

Categories: Social Services

Summary

Retention Bonuses:

$2500 bonus upon completion of hiring

$2500 one year after hire

$5,000 after second full year of employment

Performs basic social services casework; identifies client needs for more intensive casework services and provides referrals; carries a caseload of moderately difficult cases; manages a caseload of increasingly difficult cases; and performs other related work as assigned.

Working under close supervision, Social Worker I is the entry/trainee class in the professional Social Worker series. Employees in this class are learning casework methods, procedures, policies and carry a limited non-complex social services caseload under close supervision and receive in-service training; are given close and constant supervision while learning social work principles, social service programs, basic case work methods and techniques, and departmental rules, regulations and procedures. Typical assignments are within child welfare and adult services programs; however, at the agency's discretion positions may be assigned to employment services to perform social services case work for employment services clients as required by department needs. As requisite skill and knowledge is developed, greater independence and the full scope of responsibility is exercised. Unless a position is permanently allocated to the Social Worker I level due to the nature of the work, employees are expected to advance to the Social Worker II after one year of satisfactory performance at the trainee level.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED AND RECEIVED

Incumbents in the Social Worker I/II classification receive direct supervision from a Social Worker Supervisor, or other higher-level supervisor or manager.

Examples of duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(Note: For Social Worker I, duties are performed at the entry/trainee level.)

• Conducts interviews with clients, family members, and others in their home, in the office, or via telephone to assess the basic social, physical, and mental needs of clients and obtain health information in order to identify and provide social services
• Performs case studies and evaluates individual and family case information to assess the safety of children and adults; determines appropriate types and methods of treatment
• Assesses reports of suspected abuse; may be required to work on-call; may provide information to law enforcement or district attorneys
• Develops and carries out culturally sensitive non-complex to moderate treatment plans for an assigned caseload in conformance with agency, state and federal requirements; assists clients and family members to develop strategies to accomplish case plan goals
• Refers clients to other staff members, or to community resources for direct and intensive services and specialized counseling as necessary; advocates on the clients' behalf for most appropriate services including enabling services
• Assists applicants and recipients in utilizing available resources
• Interprets policies, rules, and regulations of the agency to applicants, clients and others within the scope of their responsibility
• Makes home visits in connection with casework assignments
• Prepares and maintains case records and databases; communicates decisions, timelines, recommendations and case plans to clients, families and service providers
• May testify in court
• May be assigned to specialized functions
• Participates in in-service training and other staff development activities to increase knowledge of the social work processes and achieve technical competence
• Receives casework consultation from professionally trained staff members
• Provides community outreach for various agency programs
• Maintains client confidentiality; performs all duties in conformance with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics
• Performs related duties as assigned

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of organization, workload management and time management
• Principles and practices of note taking, report writing, English composition, grammar, punctuation, and spelling
• Phone etiquette and interview techniques
• Socio-economic conditions and trends
• Basic principles of individual and group behavior
• Current issues in the field of social welfare
• Role and responsibilities of social workers
• Principles of interviewing and problem-solving methodology
• Basic public welfare programs on the Federal, State, and local level
• General principles of public assistance policies and programs
• Developing and preparing court report, case plans, case narratives and safety plans in automated computer systems
• Entering and retrieving data and narratives from automated computer systems
• Basic principles and techniques of interviewing and recording of social casework
• Laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of the public welfare agency and the role of a social worker
• Community organization and the social problems calling for the use of public and private community resources
• Basic principles involved in the nature, growth, and development of personality and in-group processes
• The medical, legal, economic, and social management needs of individuals and families with special medical needs such as HIV disease, drug dependency, the medically fragile child, Alzheimer's, and the terminally ill
• The strategies and protocols surrounding crisis intervention techniques such as voice modulation and assessing the potential for suicide
• Basic psychopathology, the different types of mental illness diagnoses, how mental illness affects human behavior and mental health services and treatments utilized by clients

Ability to:

• Understand and learn the agency programs, policies, and procedures
• Obtain facts and recognize the relevance and significance
• Organize and maintain work detail
• Establish and maintain effective client rapport and professional working relationships with agency staff, clients, and others
• Communicate effectively, both orally (phone and in person) and in writing
• Analyze situations and adopt effective courses of action
• Interpret and explain to the applicant, recipient, or others public social service programs, policies, rules, and regulations
• Develop skill in interviewing case recording and interpretation
• Work within a community setting and effectively use appropriate resources and services
• Maintain confidentiality in accordance with legal standards and/or county regulations
• Work effectively in emotionally charged or stressful settings/emergencies
• Operate a personal computer and other office equipment and software
• Analyze data, interpret and apply directions, rules, policies, procedures and regulations, and develop appropriate responses
• Accept and use constructive feedback
• Interact professionally and respectfully with clients including difficult, hostile, or distressed clients
• Respect cultural differences
• Work with cases varying in difficulty /clients including clients with dual diagnoses, potentially dangerous clients or legally complex cases
• Analyze data from multiple sources, interpret and apply complex directions, rules, policies, procedures and regulations, and develop appropriate responses

Qualifications

Pattern 1: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university;

OR

Pattern 2: Successful completion of thirty (30) college semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units from an accredited college or university, including fifteen (15) semester units or twenty-two and a half (22.5) quarter units in social welfare, social/human services, sociology, or other social or behavioral science*;

AND

One (1) year of full-time experience in the Social Service Aide, Eligibility Specialist II, Employment and Training Worker II or comparable classification; OR Three (3) years of full-time experience providing direct client services to disadvantaged adults or children in a private or public agency.

*Examples of acceptable social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, human services, law, nursing, nutrition, psychology, public health, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women's studies.

Supplemental information

TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EXAMINATION – WEIGHTED 100%

The Training & Experience Examination is designed to elicit a range of specific information regarding each candidate’s knowledge, skill, abilities, and potential to effectively perform the duties relative to the classification. Responses to the questionnaire will be assessed based on pre-determined rating criteria. All applicants must complete the entire examination to receive a score.

In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination.

MSS is accepting applications on a continuous basis. Qualifying candidates will be notified via email with instructions for completing the examination within 30 days of the date of application.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION

A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Plumas. The list will be utilized for 12 months after it is established unless the needs of the service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.

RETEST PERIOD

Once you have taken the examination, you may not retest for SIX (6) MONTHS from the established eligibility date.

SPECIAL TESTING ARRANGEMENTS

Special testing arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants for disability, military, or religious reasons. If you require such arrangements, please contact CalHR at [e-mail] or 916-909-3701 upon notification that your application has been approved. Documentation from medical, military, school or church officials outlining the accommodation request must be received by our office a minimum of five business days prior to a scheduled examination.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTS

If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications, you must attach your transcripts to your application. Applicants with foreign transcripts must provide a transcript evaluation that indicates the number of units to which the foreign course work is equivalent. Transcripts and evaluations may be unofficial; official transcripts may be required upon appointment. Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

GENERAL INFORMATION

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.
MSS reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the recruitment if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all competitors will be notified.
If you meet the requirements stated on this bulletin, you may take this examination. Your performance in this examination will be rated against predetermined rating criteria. All competitors who pass will be added to the eligible list. Meeting the entry requirements does not ensure success in the examination or placement on the eligible list.

General Qualifications

Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgement, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. As part of the hiring process, a background investigation may be required.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Merit System Services program is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.