Social Worker I/II (Limited Term)

County of Orange; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Orange’s Public Defender's Office seeks a Social Worker I/II for an in-person limited-term assignment supporting the ACCESS program. The role involves psychosocial assessments, crisis support, and linkages to treatment services for justice-involved individuals with housing, substance use, or mental health needs.

Applicants must be fluent in English and Spanish and/or Vietnamese. The position emphasizes collaboration with court, city/county, and community resources and requires strong

Qualifications

• Ability to assess clients and provide case management support.
• Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced office environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication for reports and interviews.
• Experience with court-related processes and collaboration with multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Identify clients for ACCESS program from existing and new cases.
• Facilitate in-court referrals and program evaluations.
• Conduct psychosocial, substance abuse, and risk/needs assessments.
• Meet with clients in person and at the jail prior to release.

Skills

Critical thinking

Multitasking

Interpersonal skills

Documentation

Communication

Education

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Job description

SOCIAL WORKER I/II (LIMITED TERM)

Bilingual Only in Spanish and/or Vietnamese

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

NOTE: Limited Term positions are intended to be occupied for a specific period. Limited-term positions do not have layoff rights or rights back to a previous position. The current limited-term position is approved through June 30, 2028, subject to ongoing County approval and State Budget Act grant funding.

This recruitment is being held to establish an open eligible list to fill current and future vacancies in the Public Defender's Office. The Public Defender will begin advertising on Saturday, November 14, however, online applications will be accepted beginning on Friday, November 20, 2026 until a maximum of fifty (50) applications are received. Qualified applicants are strongly encouraged to apply without delay as the recruitment may close on Friday, November 20, 2026 or anytime once the needs of the department are met.

SALARY HOURLY:

• Social Worker I............... $29.91 to $40.07
• Social Worker II ..............$32.35 to $43.45

BILINGUAL PAY

An additional $1.15 per hour is paid for this position to bilingual employees fluently speak, read, and write in Spanish and/or Vietnamese (in addition to English). Employees must pass the bilingual exam and be certified to be eligible for supplemental pay.

Offices of the Public Defender

Orange County Public Defender's Office is a law firm of highly dedicated and skilled attorneys, investigators, paralegals, and support staff who work to advance a more humane and compassionate justice system by protecting the constitutional rights and freedoms of the diverse communities of Orange County through inspired, client‑centered advocacy in the courtroom and the community. In addition to clients in criminal cases, counsel is appointed to represent children in Juvenile Court Delinquency cases, parents in Dependency cases, and a variety of persons in Mental Health cases.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Limited Term Social Worker I/II position is responsible for assisting criminal defense attorneys by performing a variety of mandated legal casework under Proposition 47. The assignment supports the Anaheim Collaborative Court: Evaluating Strategies and Solutions ("ACCESS") Program under the department's Recidivism and Reduction Unit. ACCESS is a collaboration between the Orange County Superior Court, City of Anaheim, and the Orange County Public Defender to provide diversion opportunities to justice‑involved individuals at the intersection of homelessness, substance abuse disorder, and/or mental illness. With a holistic approach, the Limited Term Social Worker I/II will tackle the underlying social and behavioral health needs of the client by providing high quality proactive assistance with respect to whole person care.

This is an in‑person assignment, and the duties cannot be performed remotely/virtually.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify clients for the ACCESS Program from existing and impending Public Defender cases
• Facilitate in‑court referrals and program evaluations
• Conduct psychosocial, substance abuse, and risk/needs assessments
• Meet with clients in person and at the jail prior to release from custody/treatment
• Support clients by linking them to substance abuse treatment
• Provide clients with reentry resources, create personalized strategies to ensure clients' specific needs are being met as well as prevent problems from being overlooked
• Continue to meet and communicate with clients in order to address their unique struggles and prevent certain individuals from slipping through the cracks
• Work collaboratively on a team including a multitude of County and City stakeholders
• Provide support to the Recidivism and Reduction Unit

Social Worker I is the entry level position of the Social Worker occupational series. There is no permanent status in this classification. Incumbents are expected to acquire the experience and knowledge as a Social Worker I in order to promote to the Social Worker II level at the end of their probation period. Incumbents who do not promote to Social Worker II by the completion of the probationary period will be subject to termination.

Social Worker II is the journey level classification.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES

The Offices of the Public Defender is seeking an individual who is self‑motivated, capable of multi‑tasking with frequent interruptions, and within definitive timelines, in a fast‑paced office, courtroom, and/or jail facilities environment. The ideal candidate will possess professional work experience and/or knowledge in the following core competencies:

Technical Knowledge/Experience

• Develop, use and collaborate with Court, City/County and community resources to meet the needs of the clients
• Use of critical thinking to plan, organize, prioritize and process work and meet deadlines in a demanding environment
• Meet deadlines and organize case work
• Assess clients
• Case management and records requests
• Maintain accurate records to account for department funds and resources
• Proficient utilizing Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook

Relationship Building

• Establish rapport with and gain cooperation of people from diverse groups and widely varying backgrounds
• Interact with department staff, clients and collaborate in a way that gives them confidence in one's motives and representations and those of the organization
• Develop relationships and maintain regular contact with various treatment programs and shelter providers
• Maintain and safeguard client's information and communication

Communication

• Possess excellent written communication skills for gathering, evaluating, and preparing well organized reports, correspondences and other written documents using proper English grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Possess excellent oral communication skills to interact, communicate and function under stressful situations that require instructing or persuading, and conduct client interviews
• Utilize various management information systems and automation tools to maintain and access case file information and electronic communications via desktop/laptop computer systems and computer networks

Ability to

• Drive to and from court and other locations as required.

BACKGROUND VERIFICATION / SANCTION SCREENING

All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of a background check consisting of employment history, professional references, conviction history, criminal check and education verification (i.e., certificate, degree, license, and official transcript). State Bar membership must be attained, and candidates will be required to provide proof of successful admission to the State Bar of California prior to appointment/conditional job offer.

Special Requirements: Appointees must pass a background investigation to the satisfaction of the County of Orange Public Defender's Office (for all levels), including a fingerprint check though Live Scan and a jail security clearance. Applicants will also be required to answer a conviction questionnaire as part of the background process. A clean driving record may be required while employed in this classification (see minimum qualifications and classification description for required license).

Note: Foreign degrees require an evaluation of U.S. equivalency by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services (N.A.C.E.S.).

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Public Defender Human Resources screens all application materials to identify candidates with qualities that meet minimum and/or desirable qualifications. Application materials and supplemental responses will be screened to identify qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this position based on the skills required to meet the needs of the County. Only those applicants that meet the qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.

A panel of job knowledge experts will evaluate the responses to the supplemental questions for job knowledge, competencies, and related experience described above.

Each candidate's rating is solely based on the candidate's responses to the supplemental questions; therefore, candidates should be thorough, detailed, and complete in their responses to the supplemental questions. The information you provide will be rated, so please be descriptive and thorough in your response. 'See Resume' is not a qualifying response and will not be evaluated in lieu of the required information. Clarity of expression, grammar, spelling and your ability to follow instructions may also be considered in the evaluation process.

This is a competitive process. Please note that the panel will also be evaluating written communication skills. Only the most successful candidates will be placed on the eligible list.

ELIGIBLE LIST

After the competitive procedures listed above have been completed, an eligible list of qualified candidates will be established. Candidates will be notified of their standing. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to an in‑person selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.

Please note: To ensure case confidentiality, please do not provide specific identifying case names and/or case numbers within the application, all supplemental responses and in all attachments to the application.

Based on the Agency/Department's needs, modification to the selection procedure listed above may occur. If changes in the selection procedure should occur, all candidates will receive notification.

Veterans Employment Preference Policy, Effective 09/15/2020

The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please review the policy.

QUESTIONS

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Jennifer Yo at [phone].

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FOR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES

The County of Orange provides a comprehensive, balanced, and competitive benefits package as part of the employee total compensation.

The County offers a competitive benefits package which includes a choice of several health plans, annual leave (includes paid vacation) and paid holidays. Additionally, the County provides a retirement plan. Participation in a deferred compensation plan is available.

RETIREMENT RECIPROCITY

Current employed members of accepted reciprocalsystems who have not retired from those systems, may be eligible for reciprocity.

ORANGE COUNTY AMENITIES

• 24 Parks and Trails: OC Parks & Trails
• 17 Beaches/Harbors: OC Beaches
• 7 Historical Sites: OC Historic Sites

EMAIL NOTIFICATION

Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply. Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with 'governmentjobs.com,' 'oc.gov,' and 'ocpubdef.gov.' If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For additional information regarding employment with the County of Orange, please visit OC Human Resource Services.

Orange County, as an equal employment opportunity employer, encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.