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Social Worker III/IV

SOCIAL WORKER III

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 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.

SOCIAL WORKER IV

Under general direction, the Social Worker IV performs casework of an advanced nature dealing with complex individual and family problems; undertakes intensive treatment plans and counseling requiring professional knowledge and training; performs other related work as assigned.

Social Worker IV requires a Master's degree and social work case management experience in a public or private social services agency. This is the highest non-supervisory level in the series. Incumbents perform casework requiring the application of high level and sophisticated social services expertise and techniques, generally in areas such as adult and child protective services.

Social Worker IV differs from the next higher class of Social Worker Supervisor I in that the latter is the first supervisory level. Social Worker IV differs from Social Worker III in that the latter does not require both a Master's degree and qualifying experience.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED AND RECEIVED

Social Worker IV receives supervision from a Social Worker Supervisor or other higher-level supervisor or manager pursuant to California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Manual of Policy and Procedures (MPP) Division 31 regulations (31.070). A Social Worker IV may provide lead direction to lower level Social Workers or service employees.

Examples of Duties

SOCIAL WORKER III

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

SOCIAL WORKER IV

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

Performs case studies for the purpose of assessing problems and determining appropriate types and methods of treatment.
Develops intensive long or short-term treatment plans, which require a comprehensive fund of professional knowledge with the aim of improving or restoring individual or family functioning.
Ensures all services are delivered in a respectful, culturally sensitive and appropriate manner and
Acts as a casework consultant to staff members without professional training.
Functions at a highly skilled level in such areas as counseling, protective services, medical social work, family services, community organization and research.
May perform the following specific types of counseling: marital, family inter-relationship, protective services for children or adults incapable of self-care.
Investigates and provides services to children where their physical or emotional welfare is involved such as cases of neglect, abuse, emotional or behavioral problems, physical or mental disabilities, or other health conditions involving a child's personality; unmarried parenthood; conflict in parent-child relationships; lack of proper guardianship of a child; problems in school or community relationships; inadequate child care arrangements by working parents or the absence of one parent from the home and its effects on the stability of the child's home.
Receives reports of children, dependent adults and elderly abuse; investigates allegations by conducting interviews with victims and others; assesses situations to protect vulnerable adults and children and recommends, implements and monitors alternate placement, may remove children from unsafe situations; may provide information to law enforcement or district attorneys; may be required to work on-call; may testify in court; supports witnesses and victims who must testify in court.
Assesses prospective foster and adoptive parents; matches children with adoptive/foster parents, and counsels foster and adoptive families.
Refers clients to other staff members
Coordinates and directly monitors family visitations to assess progress toward the case plan goals.
Interprets and explains rules, regulations and policies to clients and applicants.
Maintains casework records and handles relevant correspondence.
Develops and prepares court report, case plans, case narratives and safety plans in automated computer systems.
Operates a personal computer and other office equipment; enters and retrieves data and narratives from automated computer systems.
Prepares and maintains case records and databases; communicates decisions, timelines, recommendations, and case plans to clients, families, and service providers.
Communicates effectively with clients and others in writing, in person, and over the telephone.
Analyzes data, interprets directions, procedures and regulations, and develops appropriate responses.
Performs job duties under stressful conditions and emergency situations.
Responds appropriately to situations.
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.
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, English composition, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Phone etiquette and interview techniques.
Principles and practices of counseling, bio-psychosocial assessments and therapy
Physical and mental health principles and the impact on the personality.
Local socio-economic conditions, trends, and current problems and methodology in the field of public social services.
Basic principles and techniques of interviewing and recording the social casework.
Laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of the public welfare agency and the role and responsibilities of a social worker.
Community organizations and social problems calling for the use of public and private community resources.
Basic principles involved in the nature, growth and development of personality, and in-group processes.
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.
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:

Apply the principles of child psychology and family relationships.
Evaluate personal psychological factors in the child and/or family's situation.
Recognize signs of abuse for children, the elderly and dependent adults; assess risk factors and potential dangers to clients.
Act effectively in stressful situations.
Demonstrate skill in the more difficult casework areas.
Accept and use consultative supervision.
Analyze situations and adopt effective courses of action.
Apply existing laws, rules and regulations to welfare department operations and interpret and explain to the applicant, recipient, or others public social services programs, policies, rules and regulations.
Develop skill in interviewing, case recording and interpretation.
Interact professionally and respectfully with clients including difficult, hostile, or distressed clients.
Respect cultural differences.
Work constructively within a community setting and effectively use appropriate resources and services.
Understand and learn the agency programs, policy and procedures.
Obtain and recognize relevant and significant facts.
Organize and maintain work detail.
Relate and work well with agency staff, clients, and others.
Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
Establish and maintain client rapport on an individual basis.
Maintain confidentiality in accordance with legal standards and/or county regulations.
Use computers and related software.
Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with agency staff, clients, and outside organizations.

Minimum Qualifications

SOCIAL WORKER III

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;

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;*

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.*

Social Worker IV

Pattern 1: A master's degree in Social Work from an accredited college or university;

Pattern 2: A master's degree from an accredited two (2) year counseling program*;

*Qualifying counseling degrees from a two (2) year counseling program includes: Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Addiction Counseling, Gerontology, Counseling Psychology.

Pattern 3: One (1) year of full-time experience performing advanced journey (equivalent to a MSS SW III) level social work case management as a Social Worker in a public or private agency and master's degree in social or behavioral science, psychology, anthropology, sociology and counseling education.

*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

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.
The San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency requires pre-employment fingerprinting as a part of the background investigation for all positions.
The ability to speak, read, and write Spanish in addition to English would be an asset in this position, but is not required. Applicants for English/Spanish bilingual designated positions must take and pass the bilingual proficiency examination administered by California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), Merit System Services (MSS).
Government agencies accessing US government information, which include federal tax information must ensure that background investigation requirements for all agency employees and contractors that have access to federal tax information are consistent to the IRS background investigation requirements for access to federal tax information. A background check may be required if the position requires access to these types of records. Background requirements consist of three components which include, fingerprinting, citizenship verification and local law enforcement checks. State agencies must conduct investigation during time of hire and ensure a reinvestigation is conducted 10 years from the date of the previous background investigation for each employee that has access to federal tax information.

VETERANS PREFERENCE

If you would like to request Veteran's preference points as part of the application packet, please attach a copy of your DD-214 to your application.

For the purpose of this section, a veteran is one who has received an honorable discharge from active duty, and has served:

1. During one of the following wartime or equivalent periods:

Sept. 11, 2001 to End of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Aug. 2, 1990 to Jan. 2, 1992
Jan. 31, 1955 to Oct. 15, 1976

2. During peacetime for which service a campaign or expeditionary medal has been authorized by the Government of the United States and where discharge was under honorable conditions. This would include Lebanon, Grenada and Southwest Asia.

A copy of the discharge form (DD-214) shall be submitted to CalHR MSS for each position applied for, along with an application for employment requesting such preference, on or before the final filing date specified on the job announcement. Failure to submit the required credentials (DD-214) prior to the final filing date will be deemed a waiver of credits.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION

If supplemental questions are included as a part of this job bulletin, applicants may be rated based upon their responses to the supplemental questions. If rated, only those that are determined to be highly qualified will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.

SPECIAL TESTING ARRANGEMENTS

Special testing arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants for disability, military, life events (i.e. weddings, funerals, graduations, etc.), or for religious reasons. If you require such arrangements, please contact CalHR, MSS at mssprogram@calhr.ca.gov or 916-323-2756 upon notification that your application has been approved. Documentation from medical, military, school, or church officials outlining the accommodation request must be received by our office a minimum of five business days prior to a scheduled examination.

ABOUT SAN BENITO COUNTY

San Benito County is in the Coast Range Mountains in California, only 45 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, bordering Santa Clara County and adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area. The County enjoys a high comfort rating, with an average of 262 sunny days per year and mild temperatures year-round. Another aspect of the comfort level is the low crime rate, which falls anywhere from below to significantly below the national average in all measured categories. One of the historic California missions, San Juan Bautista is in San Benito County, as well as numerous quaint towns and communities. Within the County, there are 12 school districts, and several private, religious and charter schools, all providing students with a quality education. Residents and visitors also enjoy a myriad of outdoor activities here, at Pinnacle National Park, championship golf courses, skydiving, cycling, geological walks and is reputed to sport the best views in California.