Social Worker Supervisor I

County of Mendocino; California (MO); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Mendocino County’s Family and Children’s Services seeks a Social Worker Supervisor I to plan, organize, and supervise staff delivering information, referral, and protective services. You will work on emergency response, investigations, and court reports, guiding teams and ensuring compliance with NASW ethics.

The role emphasizes supervision, policy guidance, and collaboration with community partners, with duties including staff development and program evaluation.

Qualifications

• Pattern 1: 1 year of advanced level social work case management.
• Pattern 2: Bachelor's degree in social welfare/social work; 2 years advanced case management.
• Pattern 3: Bachelor's degree with 30 semester units in social welfare; 3 years advanced case management.

Responsibilities

• Plans, assigns, supervises, coaches, mentors, and reviews the work of employees engaged in the delivery of employment and social services.
• Consults with and guides social workers in providing counseling and guidance to clients with complex needs.
• Develops and maintains case records, court reports, case plans and safety plans in computer systems.
• Represents the agency at conferences and communicates department expectations and activities.

Skills

Supervision

Casework coaching

Note taking & report writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in social welfare/social work

30 semester units in social welfare or related field

Job description

The current vacancies are with Family and Children's Services in Ukiah.

Pursuant to current bargaining unit agreements:

• Social Worker Assistants, Social Workers and Social Worker Supervisors whose regular full-time assignment is Family and Children's Services in the Social Services Department shall receive a ten percent (10%) premium.
• Employees regularly assigned to the coastal region or in Covelo are eligible to receive a 5% assignment premium.

Under general direction, the Social Worker Supervisor I plans, organizes, and supervises social service and employment staff engaged in providing information and referral services, adult protective services, in-home supportive services, home placement services, child protective services, and/or employment services; performs other related work as assigned.

Social Workers in Family & Children's Services handle everything from emergency response and investigations to writing court reports with recommendations and participating in court hearings. They work independently to support families through assessment, service linkage, ongoing case management, and reunification efforts.

Supervisor Academy is mandatory for all supervisors and consists of nine courses that must be completed within two years. Participation is required and completed during work hours.

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Plans, assigns, supervises, coaches, mentors, and reviews the work of employees engaged in the delivery of employment and social services.
• Consults with and guides social workers in providing counseling, support, and guidance to clients with complex or specialized needs.
• Reviews and approves forms, applications, court reports, placements, reports of abuse and other documents to verify information or determine proper course of actions; reassesses and modifies case plan.
• Reviews and approves reports of abuse; suggests or approves placements; may provide information to law enforcement or district attorneys; may testify in court.
• Documents and addresses clients' concerns and complaints.
• Selects, trains, evaluates, and disciplines subordinate staff.
• Discusses or interprets regulations, rules, policies and programs to clients, applicants, staff and the general public.
• Oversees the development of community resources for various programs.
• Participates in the development of in-service staff development programs.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of policies and procedures.
• Represents the agency at conferences and address' community groups.
• Facilitates communication between staff and management; communicates department expectations and activities, policy changes, and regulatory changes; evaluates and recommends service delivery improvements.
• Authorizes the provision of social and employment services through the department, provides services, and makes referrals to other agency staff and community agencies.
• Provides social services for sensitive or confidential cases, in the absence of assigned social workers or to meet workload demands.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships and trust with staff, clients, family members, community organizations and the public; collaborates with service providers; facilitates a work environment favoring teamwork, collaboration and mutual respect.
• Provides peer support for coworkers facing case related stress.
• Develops and prepares court reports, case plans, case narratives and safety plans in computer systems.
• Enters and retrieves data and narratives from computer systems; researches information using the Internet and computer resources.
• Prepares and maintains case records and databases; communicates decisions to all pertinent parties.
• Receives, approves and prepares correspondence and reports.
• Ensures all services are delivered in a respectful, culturally sensitive and appropriate manner and in conformance with agency, state, and federal requirements.
• Maintains written chronological narrative reflecting personal or other contacts with the client and reasons for the social worker's actions; prepares and maintains case records and databases; communicates decisions, timelines, recommendations and case plans to clients, families and service providers.
• Maintains client confidentiality; maintains confidential information in accordance with legal standards and/or County regulations; performs all duties in conformance with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics.
• May be responsible for social workers involved in the provision of the full range of social services including advanced services.
• Participates in after hours on-call emergency response.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications Required

Education and Experience

EITHER

Pattern 1: One (1) year of full-time experience performing advanced level social work case management, as defined below, at the level, or the equivalent in education and experience, of the Social Worker IV classification in Mendocino County.

Pattern 2: Bachelor's degree from an accredited four year college or university with a major in social welfare/social work, social/human services, sociology, or other social or behavioral science; AND two (2) years of full-time experience performing advanced journey level social work case management, as defined below, at the level, or the equivalent in education and experience, of the Social Worker III classification in Mendocino County.

Pattern 3: Bachelor's degree from an accredited four year college or university with a major in any field with successful completion of 30 semester units (45 quarter) in social welfare, social/human services, sociology, or other social or behavioral science; AND three (3) years of full-time experience performing advanced journey level social work case management, as defined below, at the level, or the equivalent in education and experience, of the Social Worker III classification in Mendocino County.

Social work case management is defined as: case management performed by a professional Social Worker or Protective Services Worker, as opposed to healthcare (or other non-social work) case management, with direct responsibility for assessing and evaluating clients; conducting investigations of abuse and neglect; preparing court reports; responsibility for a long term caseload, monitoring compliance through home calls and other personal contact; collaborating with other agencies and linking clients to resources and programs; developing a case plan, modifying case plans as needed/required; and having authority to impose sanctions or implement actions that impact services.

Licenses and Certifications

• Valid Driver's License

Incumbents must possess and maintain, or obtain and maintain, all licenses, certifications, registrations, and/or other requirements identified in the minimum qualifications, as applicable, and within the timeframes specified. These requirements are conditions of continued employment and minimum qualifications for the position. Failure to possess, obtain, or maintain any required license, certification, registration, or other requirement within the specified timeframe may result in rejection during the probationary period, or disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of supervision, training, mentoring, motivating, casework consultation, and peer counseling,organization, workload management, and time management.
• Principles and practices of note taking, report writing, and English composition, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Functions of public social services agencies and the principles of public social service administration.
• Casework concepts, techniques of interviewing, and record keeping in social casework.
• Laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of public social services agencies and the role and responsibilities of a social worker.
• 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 the home; options for placement; effects of removing clients from unsafe situations.
• Principles and methodologies of research, analysis, problem solving, and decision making
• Techniques of supervision, training, and casework consultation.
• Computers, software, and Internet research.
• Resources available in the community for referral or utilization in employment or social service programs.
• Principles of community organization.
• Principles, methods, and resources in the field of public health, mental health, education, corrections and rehabilitation as they relate to public social services.

Skillto:

• Exercise sound judgment when organizing, directing, and prioritizing unit activities.
• Select, train, coach, supervise, evaluate, and discipline subordinate staff.
• Mentor, counsel, and collaborate with staff and foster an environment of teamwork, mutual respect and professionalism.
• Classify case problems and evaluate the effectiveness of effort in solving problems.
• Apply effective interpersonal and interviewing skills.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with agency staff, clients, and outside organizations.
• Write clear and concise narrative reports, correspondence and other materials.
• Present oral and written reports concisely and clearly.
• Analyze a situation accurately and adopt an effective course of action.
• Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Maintain confidentiality in accordance with legal standards and/or county regulations.
• Recognize signs of abuse for children, the elderly and dependent adults; assess risk factors and potential dangers to clients.
• Interact professionally and respectfully with clients including difficult, hostile, or distressed clients.
• Respect cultural differences.
• Use computers and related software.

Mental and Physical Abilities:

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, clients and those encountered in the course of work.
• Organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines and follow up on assignments with a minimal direction.
• Work effectively in emotionally charged or stressful settings/emergencies.
• Analyze, evaluate and diagnose situations and adopt effective courses of action.
• Effectively speak and make presentations before public groups and respond to questions.
• Effectively handle problems involving several variables in non-standardized situations.
• Read, analyze and interpret professional periodicals and journals, technical procedures and government regulations.
• While performing the essential functions of this job the incumbent is regularly required to use sound and odor perception and discernment.
• While performing the essential functions of this job, the incumbent is regularly required to: walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects; reach with hands and arms; speak and hear; and push, pull, move, or lift above and below the neck objects weighing up to 40 pounds.
• Incumbents may, in the course of their work, be required to occasionally lift and / or carry children, including children in car seats or infant carriers weighing up to 40 pounds.

Learn more:

• E-Verify Notice of Participation (Download PDF reader)
• Right to Work (Download PDF reader)

The County of Mendocino is an Equal Opportunity Employer