Social Worker I/II/III – Child Welfare

Butte County • Oroville, CA

17d • Hybrid

About The Position

This recruitment is for Social Worker levels I, II, and III within the Child Welfare Program. Butte County offers the ability to support clinical supervision for employees holding an Associate Social Worker (ASW) license, fostering professional growth. New employees typically start at the beginning of the salary range, with annual step increases based on successful performance. The position involves professional assessment of needs for children in Child Welfare Programs, specialized casework for abused, neglected, or at-risk children, conducting social studies, developing service plans, and referring clients to appropriate resources. The role is FLSA Non-Exempt. Under general supervision, incumbents perform social services casework, conduct assessments, provide case management, advocate for clients, refer to community agencies, prepare reports and court documentation, conduct investigations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, coordinate client transportation, attend court hearings, assess cultural and linguistic differences, and act as mandated reporters. Employees are expected to support the county's relationship with constituents through courteous behavior and maintain client confidentiality in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Participation in training and adherence to the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics are required.

Requirements

• Knowledge of functions and services provided by a public social service agency including community resources.
• Knowledge of principles of human nature, growth, and development.
• Knowledge of County social service program laws, policies, and procedures.
• Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations, codes, and ordinances relevant to the area(s) of responsibility.
• Knowledge of principles and techniques of interviewing, case management, and crisis intervention.
• Knowledge of physical and mental illness and their impact of personality and function abilities.
• Knowledge of techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, vendors, contractors, and County staff.
• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar.
• Knowledge of modern equipment and communication tools used for business functions and program, project, and task coordination, including computers and software programs relevant to work performed.
• Ability to recognize relevant and significant facts; establish rapport with clients and their families from various backgrounds.
• Ability to coordinate multiple community resources to serve client needs; assessing and evaluating social problems; determine eligibility for program services; provide outreach, advocacy services and make recommendations according to observations and interviews.
• Ability to utilize program specific case management system.
• Ability to analyze situations and adopt effective course of action.
• Ability to utilize effective interpersonal and organizational communication skills including the dissemination of information to appropriate parties; listen attentively and respond appropriately and timely.
• Ability to understand, interpret, and apply all pertinent laws, codes, regulations, policies and procedures and standards relevant to work performed.
• Ability to demonstrate initiative through anticipation of operations needs and problems and acting appropriately.
• Ability to effectively represent the department and the County in meetings with governmental agencies; community groups; various business, professional and regulatory organizations; and in meetings with individuals.
• Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines and follow-up on assignments.
• Ability to use tact, initiative, prudence and independent judgment within general policy and procedural guidelines.
• Ability to effectively use computer systems, software applications relevant to work performed and modern business equipment to perform a variety of work tasks.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, using appropriate English grammar and syntax.
• Ability to establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Must possess a valid US driver’s license upon date of application.
• Must obtain California driver’s license following hire date per California DMV regulations.

Nice To Haves

• Social Worker I: Incumbents learn and provide basic social services case management under close supervision, with assignments becoming more varied and complex as experience is gained.
• Social Worker II: Independently performs case management duties of moderate complexity, exercising judgment and initiative.
• Social Worker III: Performs more complex cases, handling difficult, sensitive, and specialized cases requiring advanced casework skills, program knowledge, judgment, and creativity.
• Internship from an accredited college or university within the Behavioral or Social Services field, upon completion of 2 semesters, may be substituted for 6 months of work experience required; or 2 semesters in a public child or adult protective services agency may be substituted for 1 year of work experience required.

Responsibilities

• Manages a caseload of clients and conducts assessments to evaluate the effects of physical, cognitive and emotional impairment on function and determines client needs and eligibility through interviews, video platforms, phone calls, home visits, record reviews or consultation with appropriate agencies and individuals.
• Provides case management services for clients and acts as an advocate for individual clients with social services agencies.
• Refers and determines eligibility for services, authorizes and/or coordinates services as necessary to complete individual service plans; follows through with case management services to assure that services are provided in a timely and complete manner.
• Communicates policies, rules, and regulations of the program to clients and others within the scope of responsibility.
• Prepares a wide variety of reports, records, and related case correspondence; prepares court/legal documentation.
• Refers clients to community agencies based on needs and problems identified during assessment; assists clients in accessing private and public resources and services; maintains thorough case documentation for each client; updates and maintains records; gathers, and compiles data obtained for reporting purposes; develops summary records and prepares reports.
• Conducts investigations through interviews to determine if children have been abused, neglected or exploited, and/or if they are at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation.
• Coordinates, arranges, and transports clients as needed.
• Attend court hearings; provide case updates and testify as needed.
• Assesses cultural and linguistic differences of diverse populations; provides language interpretation services as needed.
• Makes necessary referrals as mandated reporters for suspected cases of neglected, abused and exploited children or adults.
• Assists or administers assigned projects, processes, and/or programs; provides assistance to department staff in various research projects; participates in developing and implementing policies and procedures.
• Supports the relationship between Butte County and the constituent population by demonstrating courteous and cooperative behavior when interacting with clients, visitors, and other employees.
• Adheres to the standards of the Privacy Act of 1974, U.S.C. § 552A} as amended; maintains and enforces all aspects of confidentiality of client information.
• Participates in in-service training and other staff development activities.
• Performs all duties in conformance with the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• 5% COLA effective July 2027
• Butte County has ability to support clinical supervision to employees who hold an Associate Social Worker (ASW) license, promoting their growth and development within our organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level