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THE COUNTY OF SHASTA
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/shasta/default.cfm
INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR
SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER
$3,567 - $4,553 APPROXIMATE MONTHLY* / $20.58- $26.27 APPROXIMATE HOURLY* *Please refer to the appropriate Bargaining Unit Memorandum of Understanding for potential future
salary increases. Please visit http://www.co.shasta.ca.us/index/support_index/personnel/MOUs.aspx
WRITTEN EXAM IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR JULY 2014 ORAL EXAM IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR JULY 2014
FINAL FILING DATE – JUNE 20, 2014
ABOUT THE POSITION
Under direction, to carry a service caseload and to provide social services; to conduct social studies and develop service plans which include the need for specialized social services; to provide information about available services and to arrange for referral of clients to appropriate departmental or community human services resources; or to lead internal reviews of all aspects of the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program to ensure both internal integrity and to investigate potential fraud; perform related work as required. This opening is in the Children’s Services Branch of the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).
This recruitment is for Senior Social Workers to fill vacancies in Child Welfare Services. ABOUT SHASTA COUNTY
Shasta County covers a large geographic area that includes rivers, lakes, and mountains that offer an abundance of recreational opportunities. An eight-mile river trail, numerous community parks, a local museum alliance and continuous community events contribute to the quality of life. Sacramento is 160 miles to the south and the coast is 150 miles to the west. Shasta Lake, located just a few miles north of Redding, is a play land for water sports enthusiasts and vacationers. Lake Shasta offers 365 miles of shoreline and plenty of opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, fishing, sightseeing and wildlife viewing. Shasta County, the jewel of upstate California, offers a lifestyle that blends the best of rural and urban features.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
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EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
Carries a caseload of the most difficult types of social service cases involving individualized treatment and specialized advanced application of casework methods and skills; diagnoses client problems and follows through with difficult treatment plans with the highest degree of independence; interviews clients in office or home to assess needs for service; explains the optional and mandatory nature of social services programs; interprets State, County and departmental rules, regulations and policies to individuals and groups; responds to requests for information and makes referrals to appropriate workers or departments; gathers, maintains and disseminates current information on community resources; prepares reports, case records and correspondence; as an additional duty, incumbents may function in a lead capacity and assist with casework consultation and training for other social workers; assists in developing and implementing unit policies and procedures; acts in the absence of the supervisor or as designated in assigning cases and reviewing and approving case decisions; attends meetings and does related work as needed.
In Child Welfare/Child Protective Services, takes referrals regarding child abuse or serious neglect, gathers specific information, determines the urgency and severity of risk and determines appropriate actions to be taken, including crisis intervention with families to reduce the risk to the child; handles emergency responses; establishes cooperative working relationship with families and assists in developing a treatment resource plan with the parents and community resources as needed; provides corrective therapy individually and in groups; observes child's developmental progress and determines best methods of dealing with behavioral problems; assists family members in resolving marital, financial, or other particular problems related to abuse; may provide specialized case services in child sexual abuse or children's group work; refers clients to other agencies and community resources; may advise parents on problems of child custody; arranges for foster home placement of children; may provide court testimony in child abuse or neglect cases; provides leadership in departmental conferences and training programs; may present information on child protective services to community groups; prepares correspondence, case records and written reports as required.
In Adoptions, interviews applicants wishing to adopt children and determines their suitability; studies the background, health and development of children which may be adopted, interviews natural parents and determines their attitudes, reasons and consent to placing a child for adoption; verifies background information on adoptive and natural parents and insures that legal matters have been satisfactorily resolved; in cases of child neglect, abuse or abandonment may initiate court action to terminate parental rights of natural parents; prepares and files reports on case background, providing recommendations to the courts; coordinates the adoptions process with other social workers, interested agencies and departments as necessary; counsels natural and adoptive parents prior to and following adoption and supervises adoptive placements; provides leadership in departmental conferences and training programs; prepares reports and correspondence as necessary.
In Juvenile Court, prepares subpoenas, draws up and files juvenile court petitions, investigates and prepares cases for court hearing; makes presentations at both contested and uncontested dispositional hearings including cross-examination of witnesses; and assists and works with attorneys, judges, and social workers; is a member of the Multi-Disciplinary Committee and carries out the decisions of the committee regarding jurisdiction of the child.
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disabled adult abuse or neglect cases; provides leadership in departmental conferences and training programs; may present information on elder and disabled adult maltreatment to community groups and schools.
In IHSS, is responsible for leading internal reviews of the IHSS/PCSP cases to ensure that social workers and supervisor appropriately and uniformly applying system and policies for assessing recipients’ needs and hours; conducting selective home visits with recipients and providers to determine quality of assessments; participating in joint case review activities with the State Quality Assurance staff, including post-payment claims reviews to ensure that payments were valid and associated with existing program recipients; identifying, referring to, and working with agencies in investigation, administrative action, or prosecution of instances of fraud in the provision of services; receiving, and responding to claims data matches discrepancies or other information that indicates potential overpayment; monitoring the delivery of services in the county to detect and prevent potential fraud by providers, recipients, and others and maximize recovery of overpayments from providers and recipients; serving as a liaison between the State DSS and the county IHSS/PCSP administration; and participating in training social worker staff.
QUALIFICATIONS
Any combination of education and experience sufficient to directly demonstrate possession and application of the following:
Knowledge of:
Social casework objectives, principles and methods with special emphasis on working with sensitive and complex child protective and adoption or placement cases; the functions and services provided by a public social service agency; principles of human growth and development; the laws, policies and administrative procedures of County social service programs; community organization and the social problems calling for the use of public and private community resources; principles and techniques of interviewing and recording in social casework; the psycho-social, medical and economic interrelationships that result in individual and social dysfunctioning; regulations and department policies related to child protection services and adoption, placement services or juvenile court. Ability to:
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possession of a master's degree in social work from an accredited college or university, or a master's degree from a two (2) year counseling program from an accredited college or university.
For other departments, these standards are typically attained with five (5) years of experience in the classification of Social Worker for the County of Shasta, including at least three (3) years of experience in child welfare services; OR five (5) years of experience performing professional level social casework, including at least three years of experience in child welfare services; OR possession of a master's degree in social work from an accredited college or university, or a master's degree from a two year counseling program from an accredited college or university.
IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT
The ideal candidate for the position of Senior Social Worker in Child Welfare Services has experience as a child welfare worker in conducting child abuse and neglect investigations and/or providing case management services in a child welfare agency. The ideal candidate possesses strong skills in the areas of: assessment, engaging families in services, developing case plans with families and has excellent judgment and decision-making skills incorporating laws, regulations and policies. The ideal candidate possesses strong written and verbal communication skills, experience using an electronic child welfare record system, and has the ability to function well under pressure while working collaboratively with internal and external service providers.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Possession of an appropriate California driver's license.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS
1. Do you posses a bachelor’s degree, including thirty (30) semester college units in social welfare, social/human services, sociology or other behavioral sciences? If yes, please list the courses and number of units. If no, please type “n/a.”
2. Do you possess five (5) years of full-time social casework experience, including three (3) years in the classification of Social Worker for Shasta County and three (3) years in child welfare services either as a Social Worker or an Assistant Social Worker? Yes___ No___
3. If yes, please describe your experience including number of years and which organization. If no, please type “n/a.”
4. Do you possess five (5) years full-time experience performing professional level social casework, three of which must have been in child welfare services? Yes ___ No___
5. If yes, please describe your experience including number of years and which organization. If no, please type “n/a.”
6. Do you possess of a master's degree in social work from an accredited college or university, or a master's degree from a two (2) year counseling program from an accredited college or university? Yes___ No___
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles, extreme cold, and extreme heat. Exposure to unsanitary conditions, e.g., spoiled foods, feces, urine, and disease. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
All new employees are required to have their paycheck directly deposited to a bank account.
Some positions may require a valid California driver's license and acceptable driving record according to County policy.
Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act to perform the essential functions of the position.
Individuals offered employment must pass a pre-employment background screening including fingerprinting, physical examination and drug and alcohol testing.
In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, County employees, in the event of a disaster are considered disaster workers and may be asked to respond accordingly.
Positions in this classification are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the County and the Shasta County United Public Employees of California (UPEC) – General Unit.
Employees in this classification are covered under the CalPERS retirement program. Depending on the provisions of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) and other applicable laws, an employee in this classification will be covered under one of the following CalPERS retirement formulas: (1) 2% at 55, (2) 2% at 60, or (3) 2% at 62. An employee in this classification will also contribute 7% of his/her pay to this plan, or will contribute such other amount to the plan as authorized by PEPRA and other applicable laws. Please visit http://www.co.shasta.ca.us/index/support_index/personnel/benefits.aspx for additional information regarding benefits and CalPERS coverage information. The provisions in this flyer and on the County’s website are for information purposes only. To the extent the provisions of the flyer or the County’s website are inconsistent with PEPRA and other applicable laws, PEPRA and other applicable laws shall govern.
APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCEDURES
Shasta County Personnel will accept applications and responses to supplemental questions until 5:00 p.m., on June 20, 2014. A cover letter and/or resume will be accepted in addition to the application form but will not serve as a substitute for a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be processed. It is not acceptable to complete the application with statements such as, “See/Refer to Resume,” or “See Attached.” Closing date postmarks or faxes will NOT be accepted. This recruitment will establish a list that may or may not be used by other departments. Prior applicants must reapply to be considered.
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Veterans' Credit: Veterans (as defined by California Government Code section 18973) who have been discharged from military service under conditions other than dishonorable and who receive a passing score on all components of the employment examinations (up to and including oral examinations) shall receive credit for an additional five points to be added to their final examination score. To be considered for this credit, a veteran MUST provide a copy of his or her discharge document (DD-214 or equivalent) and information as to the type of discharge (honorable, dishonorable, etc.) WITH THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OR BEFORE THE FINAL FILING DATE.
Applicants are encouraged to apply on-line at http://agency.governmentjobs.com/shasta/default.cfm or submit an application to the Shasta County Personnel office.
Arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants with disabilities. Requests for accommodations may be made to the Shasta County Personnel Office by the filing deadline posted on this bulletin. Shasta County does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you feel you are being denied service based on a disability, our ADA Coordinator may be reached at (530) 225-5515; relay service (800) 735-2922; fax (530) 225-5345.
SHASTA COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Shasta County Personnel
1450 Court Street, Suite 348 - Redding, CA 96001; (530) 225-5515
