Social Worker Ii/Trainee (Spanish Bilingual)

Arlington County•Arlington *METRO-accessible*, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This professional bilingual social worker position is on a Family Services Team in the Child and Family Services Division. The team serves a culturally and ethnically diverse population, including Spanish-speaking people who have difficulty communicating in English. The work involves crisis situations and short-term intervention as part of a process designed to establish, stabilize, and maintain a better quality of life for clients. The position may be filled at either the trainee or full-performance level. If hired as a trainee, a training period based on qualifications will last no longer than the equivalent of two years. By the end of the training period, the employee must meet the experience, training, and proficiency requirements for the journey-level position; the probationary period begins once the candidate qualifies. The employee receives language pay of $0.65 per hour on hours worked and paid leave hours. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with after-hours and weekend emergency on-call coverage for approximately one week in every 28 weeks. Daily travel within Arlington is required to private homes to investigate child abuse or neglect allegations, to court to testify on specific cases, and to public or community centers to present training sessions. Regular travel within and outside the Washington metropolitan area to foster homes and residential treatment sessions is also required. The selection process may include a training and experience evaluation, written and oral examinations, a personal interview, a performance test or work sample, and/or a physical examination. Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process.

Requirements

Proficiency in speaking and understanding Spanish; an assessment of oral Spanish proficiency using social work terms is required before appointment.
Trainee level: Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or another directly related clinical discipline requiring a clinical practicum involving diagnostic, treatment, and case management services.
Full-performance level: A qualifying master’s degree and two years of post-master’s experience providing professional clinical social work services involving diagnostic, treatment, and case management applications.
Directly related higher-level clinical degrees may substitute for the master’s degree requirement and one year of experience; any remaining qualifying work experience must have been gained after the higher-level degree was awarded.
Possess, or obtain by appointment, a valid motor vehicle operator’s license from the applicant’s place of residence.
Authorize Arlington County to obtain, or provide a copy of, the official state or district driving record; an offer may depend on a favorable review.
Strong communication skills and the ability to work as a team member.
Knowledge of child welfare issues and regulations, child development, family dynamics, and clinical treatments.
Selected candidates must undergo a pre-hire background check, which may include criminal and driving records, education, professional licensure, and credit history; candidates may be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain background information.

Nice To Haves

Child welfare experience, including foster care, adoptions, and/or child protective service investigations.
Experience with clinical treatment methods, including individual and family therapy and play therapy.
Experience working with or within the court system.
Coursework in child development and/or family dynamics.

Responsibilities

Screen referrals and assess family situations that pose risks to children.
Determine and supervise appropriate placements for children.
Develop permanency plans for children in foster care.
Counsel children and families.
Represent children’s needs accurately at court hearings.
Design and implement treatment plans for children and families.
Communicate with peer and legal professionals to present and discuss cases.
Communicate with community groups, families, foster parents, and other caregivers to increase awareness of child welfare services.
Manage cases.
Work with children and families as children transition to adoptive placements.
Meet administrative program requirements, including preparing proper documentation for court reports.
Provide emergency on-call coverage after hours and on weekends for approximately one week in every 28 weeks.
Travel to homes to investigate child abuse or neglect allegations, to court to testify, to community centers to present training, and to foster homes and residential treatment sessions.