Social Worker III

CalHR•Imperial County, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

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. This role performs social studies and assignments involving individualized treatment and specialized application of casework methods and skills, and provides comprehensive casework services of a tangible nature. Social Worker III is the advanced journey level in the Social Worker series, typically assigned a caseload of more difficult cases with supervisory consultation for treatment plans. Incumbents may also be assigned to specialized functions like 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 and is expected to work independently. This role differs from Social Worker II by handling more difficult assignments requiring greater skill and depth of job knowledge, and from Social Worker IV-A/B by not requiring advanced education and extensive social work experience.

Requirements

Knowledge of principles and practices of organization, workload management and time management.
Knowledge of principles and practices of note taking, report writing, and English composition, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Knowledge of phone etiquette and interview techniques.
Knowledge of socio-economic conditions and trends.
Knowledge of basic principles of individual and group behavior.
Knowledge of current issues in the field of social welfare.
Knowledge of principles of analysis and problem-solving methodology.
Knowledge of basic public welfare programs on the Federal, State, and local level.
Knowledge of general principles of public assistance policies and programs.
Knowledge of principles and techniques of interviewing and recording of social casework.
Knowledge of laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of the public welfare agency and the role and responsibilities of a social worker.
Knowledge of community organization and the social problems calling for the use of public and private community resources.
Knowledge of current problems and methodology in the field of public social services.
Knowledge of 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.
Knowledge of strategies and protocols surrounding crisis intervention techniques such as voice modulation and assessing the potential for suicide.
Knowledge of psychopathology, the different types of mental illness diagnoses, how mental illness affects human behavior and mental health services and treatments utilized by clients.
Knowledge of signs, stages and dynamics of abuse, and the effects of abuse on child/adult development and behavior.
Knowledge of signs and symptoms of alcohol and drug use/abuse in adults and children and the effects on families.
Knowledge of 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.
Ability to analyze data, interpret directions, procedures and regulations, and develop appropriate responses.
Ability to perform job duties under stressful conditions.
Ability to respond appropriately to situations.
Ability to maintain confidential information in accordance with legal standards and/or county regulations.
Ability to understand and apply the agency program, policy and procedures.
Ability to obtain facts and recognize the relevance and significance.
Ability to organize and maintain work detail.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with agency staff, clients, and outside organizations.
Ability to analyze situation and adopt effective courses of action.
Ability to apply the principles of psychology and family relationships to engage individuals and families in social services.
Ability to recognize signs of abuse for children, elderly and dependent adults; assess risk factors and potential dangers to clients.
Ability to apply existing laws, rules, and regulations to welfare department operations.
Ability to interpret and explain to applicants, recipients, or others public social service programs, policies, rules and regulations.
Ability to develop skill in interviewing case, recording, and interpretation.
Ability to work within a community setting and effectively use appropriate resources and services.
Ability to maintain confidentiality in accordance with legal standards and/or county regulations.
Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Ability to operate a personal computer and other office equipment and related software.
Ability to act appropriately in emergency and stressful situations.
Ability to interact professionally and respectfully with clients including difficult, hostile, or distressed clients.
Ability to respect cultural differences.
Ability to work with difficult or complex cases/clients including clients with dual diagnoses, potentially dangerous clients or legally complex cases.
Ability to analyze data from multiple sources, interpret and apply complex directions, rules, policies, procedures and regulations, and develop appropriate responses.
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
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
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.
Must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.
A valid driver's license is required at the time of appointment.
Employees may be required to drive their own car, provide proof of car insurance.
Employees will be required to complete court reports and abide by statutory timeframes.
Employees will be required to participate in the “On-call/rotation” assignment.
Employees will be required to perform abuse and neglect investigations.
Employees will be required to visit clients at their homes to conduct safety and risk assessments.
Employees will be required to conduct a needs assessment for clients to remain safely in their homes.
Employees will be required to represent the County in administrative appeals and fair hearings.
The ability to speak, read, and write Spanish in addition to English would be an asset in this position.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual proficiency in Spanish (ILR Level 3 - Professional Working Proficiency).

Responsibilities

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.
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 records.
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.