Social Worker III

Merit Systems Llc; Crescent City (CA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Merit System Services in Del Norte County, CA, seeks a Social Worker III to manage a challenging caseload, perform in-depth assessments, and develop comprehensive treatment plans. The role involves independent action, resource coordination, and potential lead responsibilities for other workers.

The incumbent conducts investigations, prepares court reports, and ensures culturally sensitive service delivery while maintaining NASW-aligned ethical standards.

Qualifications

• Experience handling high‑needs caseloads and complex families.
• Ability to assess, plan, and implement social services with independence.
• Knowledge of NASW Code of Ethics and confidentiality requirements.
• Strong written communication and report preparation skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a difficult caseload with advanced social work skills.
• Investigate abuse reports and protect vulnerable adults and children.
• Develop and monitor social treatment plans and coordinate services.
• Provide counseling and guidance to individuals and families with complex needs.
• Make home visits and prepare court reports and safety plans.
• Maintain confidentiality and comply with agency policies.

Skills

Communication

Case management

Crisis intervention

Documentation

Education

Pattern 1: 1 year journey level social work experience

Pattern 2: 2 years experience + higher ed

Pattern 3: BA + MSW coursework + 12 months experience

Job description

Posting number: MSS06278

Department: Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services

Job classification: Social Worker III

Posting type: Open

Categories: Social Services

Summary

Under general direction, the Social Worker III carries a difficult caseload involving the determination of need for basic social services functions for applicants or clients; performs social studies and assignments involving individualized treatment and specialized application of casework methods and skills; provides comprehensive casework services of a tangible nature; and performs other related work as assigned.
Social Worker III is the advanced journey level in the Social Worker series. Incumbents are normally assigned a selected caseload of the more difficult cases and when needed are given supervisory consultation in development of treatment plans. They may also be assigned to a specialized function requiring a high degree of perception such as a special problem caseload or they are assigned to a specific geographic or functional area such as Court Investigations, Family Maintenance/Reunification, Emergency Response, Child/Adult Protection, or Foster Care. A Social Worker III may act as a lead worker to other social service workers. Incumbents are expected to work independently.
Social Worker III differs from Social Worker II in that the former receives the more difficult assignments requiring greater skill and depth of job knowledge in assessing problem situations and formulating plans for services. Incumbents normally work with a high degree of independence of action in administering services and in making use of agency or community resources. Social Worker III differs from Social Worker IV-A/B in that the latter is the most experienced worker and requires both advanced education and social work experience.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED AND RECEIVED

Incumbents in the Social Worker III classification receive general direction from a Social Worker Supervisor or other higher-level manager or deputy director, and may act as lead worker to lower classification working in the same program area.

Examples of duties

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

• Carries a caseload of more difficult types of social services cases requiring a high degree of technical competence, such as situations where environmental forces affect family life
• Receives and responds to reports of suspected abuse; obtains information from reporters; personally investigates and assesses situations to protect vulnerable adults and children and recommends alternate placement; may provide information to law enforcement or district attorneys; may be required to work on-call; may testify in court
• Performs case studies evaluates individual and family case information to assess the safety of children and adults; determines appropriate types and methods of treatment
• Develops and carries out social treatment plans for an assigned caseload; ensures all services are delivered in a respectful, culturally sensitive and appropriate manner and
• Counsels or provides guidance and support to individuals and/or families with more complex or specialized needs including Adult Protective Services, crisis intervention, special medical or legal needs, and other social services
• Refers clients to other staff members
• Makes a diagnosis of client problems and follows through with the social treatment plans with a high degree of independence
• Interprets policies, rules, and regulations to client, applicants, and others
• May act as a lead worker to a small group of social service workers or service employees
• Assists applicants and recipients in utilizing available resources for individual needs
• Makes home visits in connection with casework assignments
• Develops and prepares court report, case plans, case narratives and safety plans in automated computer systems
• Enters and retrieves data and narratives from automated computer systems
• Prepares and maintains case
• 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
• May be required to testify in court
• Works with community organizations and makes referrals to outside resources
• Provides self-help information, education, and services; works with clients and caregivers to develop and improve caregiving and independent living skills
• Obtains and evaluates police, medical, and psychological reports
• 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, and 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
• Principles of analysis and problem-solving methodology
• Basic public welfare programs on the Federal, State, and local level
• General principles of public assistance policies and programs
• 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 and responsibilities of a social worker
• Community organization and the social problems calling for the use of public and private community resources
• Current problems and methodology in the field of public social services
• 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
• Strategies and protocols surrounding crisis intervention techniques such as voice modulation and assessing the potential for suicide
• Psychopathology, the different types of mental illness diagnoses, how mental illness affects human behavior and mental health services and treatments utilized by clients
• Signs, stages and dynamics of abuse, and the effects of abuse on child/adult development and behavior
• Signs and symptoms of alcohol and drug use/abuse in adults and children and the effects on families
• Standards for maintaining clients safely in home; options for placement; effects of removing clients from unsafe situations

Ability to:

• Communicate effectively with others in writing, in person and over the telephone
• Analyze data, interpret directions, procedures and regulations, and develop appropriate responses
• Perform job duties under stressful conditions
• Respond appropriately to situations
• Maintain confidential information in accordance with legal standards and/or county regulations
• Understand and apply the agency program, policy and procedures
• Obtain facts and recognize the relevance and significance
• Organize and maintain work detail
• Establish and maintain effective working relationship with agency staff, clients, and outside organizations
• Analyze situation and adopt effective courses of action
• Apply the principles of psychology and family relationships to engage individuals and families in social services
• Recognize signs of abuse for children, elderly and dependent adults; assess risk factors and potential dangers to clients
• Apply existing laws, rules, and regulations to welfare department operations
• Interpret and explain to applicants, recipients, 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
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Operate a personal computer and other office equipment and related software
• Act appropriately in emergency and stressful situations
• Interact professionally and respectfully with clients including difficult, hostile, or distressed clients
• Respect cultural differences
• Work with difficult or complex cases/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: One (1) year of full-time experience performing journey level social work case management in the Social Worker II classification in an Interagency Merit System (IMS) county;

OR

Pattern 2: Two (2) years of full-time social work case management experience in a public or private agency; AND Thirty (30) 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;

OR

Pattern 3: Bachelor's degree and successful completion of twenty-four (24) semester or thirty-six (36) quarter units of a master's degree program in Social Work, or a Counseling program from an accredited college or university, emphasizing Marriage, Family and Child Counseling or Marriage and Family therapy, Gerontology or Clinical Psychology; AND Twelve (12) months of social work case management experience.*

*Qualifying social work case management includes direct case work management, such as: assessment, evaluation; conducting investigations of abuse and neglect; preparing court reports; responsibility for a long term caseload, monitoring compliance through home calls and other personal contact; collaboration with other agencies and linking clients to resources and programs; development of a case plan, modification of case plans as needed/required; and authority to impose sanctions or implement actions that impact services.
Examples of acceptable social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, law, human services, nursing, nutrition, psychology, public health, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women's studies.

Supplemental information

EXAMINATION 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.
Examination administration and processing time is approximately two weeks after the closing date of the job bulletin.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION

A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Del Norte. 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 TEST 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.

APPLICATION 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

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 assure 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.

Is this number being monitored by a designated staff person?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• A valid driver's license may be required at the time of appointment and employees may also be required to drive their own car, provide proof of car insurance, and a DMV clearance. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• As a condition of employment, the County of Del Norte will require proof of ability to work in the U.S.
• This recruitment will be used to fill full-time, part-time, and extra-help positions as vacancies occur.

ABOUT DEL NORTE COUNTY

Del Norte County, where the redwoods meet the sea, is located in the northwest corner of California along the Pacific Ocean and adjacent to the Oregon border. The substantially rural county is notable for forests containing coast redwoods, some over 350 feet tall. These redwoods are the tallest living things on Earth, dating back over 2,000 years. Notably, the County is located in one of the few rain forests in the temperate region. The County is home to a multitude of unique plants and flowers, coastal bird and fish species, rocky primitive beaches and sea stacks, pristine rivers, and historic lighthouses. Del Norte County is home to several fun rivers and ocean activities, a variety of food festivals, including local seafood, a sanctioned BBQ cook-off, raft races on the beautiful and wild Smith River, and the very popular ocean stand-up paddleboard race. There are numerous hiking trails located within the national and state parks, as well as sponsored park events throughout the year. Star Wars enthusiasts will also recognize the County as being the location of some of the forest scenes used in Return of the Jedi.