Social Worker I, II, III Government Job Dept-Sierra County Department of Social Services Full Time

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(Note: For Social Worker I, duties are performed at the entry/trainee level.)

• Conducts interviews with clients, family members, and others in their home, in the office, or via telephone to assess the basic social, physical, and mental needs of clients and obtain health information in order to identify and provide social services
• Performs case studies and evaluates individual and family case information to assess the safety of children and adults; determines appropriate types and methods of treatment
• Assesses reports of suspected abuse; may be required to work on-call; may provide information to law enforcement or district attorneys
• Develops and carries out culturally sensitive non-complex to moderate treatment plans for an assigned caseload in conformance with agency, state and federal requirements; assists clients and family members to develop strategies to accomplish case plan goals
• Refers clients to other staff members, or to community resources for direct and intensive services and specialized counseling as necessary; advocates on the clients’ behalf for most appropriate services including enabling services
• Assists applicants and recipients in utilizing available resources
• Interprets policies, rules, and regulations of the agency to applicants, clients and others within the scope of their responsibility
• Makes home visits in connection with casework assignments
• Prepares and maintains case records and databases; communicates decisions, timelines, recommendations and case plans to clients, families and service providers
• May testify in court
• May be assigned to specialized functions
• 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
• Provides community outreach for various agency programs
• 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
Note: The level and scope of the knowledge and skills listed below are related to job duties as distinguished between the two levels in the Definition Section.
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
• Socio-economic conditions and trends
• Basic principles of individual and group behavior
• Current issues in the field of social welfare
• Role and responsibilities of social workers
• Principles of interviewing and problem-solving methodology
• Basic public welfare programs on the Federal, State, and local level
• General principles of public assistance policies and programs
• Developing and preparing court report, case plans, case narratives and safety plans in automated computer systems
• Entering and retrieving data and narratives from automated computer systems
• Basic 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 of a social worker
• Community organization and the 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
• The 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
• The strategies and protocols surrounding crisis intervention techniques such as voice modulation and assessing the potential for suicide
• Basic psychopathology, the different types of mental illness diagnoses, how mental illness affects human behavior and mental health services and treatments utilized by clients

Ability to:

• Understand and learn the agency programs, policies, and procedures
• Obtain facts and recognize the relevance and significance
• Organize and maintain work detail
• Establish and maintain effective client rapport and professional working relationships with agency staff, clients, and others
• Communicate effectively, both orally (phone and in person) and in writing
• Analyze situations and adopt effective courses of action
• Interpret and explain to the applicant, recipient, 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
• Work effectively in emotionally charged or stressful settings/emergencies
• Operate a personal computer and other office equipment and software
• Analyze data, interpret and apply directions, rules, policies, procedures and regulations, and develop appropriate responses
• Accept and use constructive feedback
• Interact professionally and respectfully with clients including difficult, hostile, or distressed clients
• Respect cultural differences
• Work with cases varying in difficulty /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 I 

Pattern 1: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university;

OR

Pattern 2: Successful completion of thirty (30) college 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*;

AND

One (1) year of full-time experience in the Social Service Aide, Eligibility Specialist II, Employment and Training Worker II or comparable classification; OR Three (3) years of full-time experience providing direct client services to disadvantaged adults or children in a private or public agency.

Social Worker II 

TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EXAMINATION – WEIGHTED 100% 

The Training & Experience Examination is designed to elicit a range of specific information regarding each candidate’s knowledge, skill, abilities, and potential to effectively perform the duties relative to the classification. Responses to the questionnaire will be assessed based on pre-determined rating criteria. All applicants must complete the entire examination to receive a score. In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination. 

IF EXAM IS CONTINUOUS: MSS is accepting applications on a continuous basis. Qualifying candidates will be notified via email with instructions for completing the examination within 30 days of the date of application.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION

A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Sierra. The list will be utilized for 12 months after it is established unless the needs of the service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.

RETEST PERIOD

Once you have taken the examination, you may not retest for SIX (6) MONTHS from the established eligibility date.

SPECIAL TESTING ARRANGEMENTS

Special testing arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants for disability, military, or religious reasons. If you require such arrangements, please contact CalHR at [email protected] or 916-323-2360 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.

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications, you must attach your transcripts to your application. Applicants with foreign transcripts must provide a transcript evaluation that indicates the number of units to which the foreign coursework is equivalent. Transcripts and evaluations may be unofficial; official transcripts may be required upon appointment. Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

GENERAL INFORMATION

MSS reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the recruitment if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all competitors will be notified. 

If you meet the requirements stated in this bulletin, you may take this examination. Your performance in this examination will be rated against predetermined rating criteria. All competitors who pass will be added to the eligible list. Meeting the entry requirements does not assure success in the examination or placement on the eligible list. 

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. As part of the hiring process, a background investigation may be required.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Merit System Services program is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

• A valid driver 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.
• Position may require pre-employment fingerprinting for a background investigation.
• 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. Applicable 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.
• 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 Merit System Services bilingual proficiency examination.
• *Recruitments that note continuous under the closing date are subject to close at any time. Applicants will not be accepted after a continuous recruitment is closed.

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 form to your application.

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, or for religious reasons. If you require such arrangements, please contact the California Department of Human Resources, Merit System Services at [email protected] or 916-323-2756 a minimum of five business days prior to the scheduled examination date.  Documentation may be required.

ABOUT SIERRA COUNTY
Sierra County, with a population of a little over 3,300, is located in the heart of the northern section of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The town of Loyalton, with a population of approximately 862, is the most populated area of Sierra County. The County seat is located in Downieville. Sierra County is comprised of 3 very different regions. The West side is mountainous and heavily forested, supporting miners and loggers. On the East side is a large alpine valley, home to farmers and cattle raising. Midway between lies the area of “Lake Basin”, a collection of some 50 lakes, studded with resorts and campgrounds.