Social Worker III

About the Opportunity

****The Social Worker III will work in a state funded position funded through December 31, 2025 with renew on a year-to-year basis****

What is Care Court?
CARE Court is a proposed framework to deliver mental health and substance use disorder services to the most severely impaired Californians who too often languish - suffering in homelessness or incarceration - without the treatment they desperately need.

It connects a person in crisis with a court-ordered CARE Plan for up to 12 months, with action led by a CARE Court Attorney. The framework provides individuals with a clinically appropriate, community-based set of services and supports that are culturally and linguistically competent. This includes court-ordered stabilization medications, wellness and recovery supports, and connection to social services and housing.

The Position
The Public Defender's Office is recruiting for a CARE Court Social Worker III. Successful candidates in this position need to be effective communicators who are client centered, have an interest in working with clients who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness and value teamwork and collaboration. The CARE Court Social Worker will work collaboratively with Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (BHRS) to determine a CARE plan for clients so they can be successfully stabilized and supported in the community with comprehensive treatment, housing, and supportive services.

CARE Court is aimed at helping the thousands of Californians who are suffering from untreated mental health and substance use disorders leading to homelessness and incarceration. At the Public Defender’s Office we believe each person matters, and a successful incumbent will work diligently to provide the services of the CARE plan and work with the clients with complex behavioral health needs to ensure they are meeting the requirements of the program while working to protect their interests in court.

Unless otherwise provided, this position is part of the Classified Service of the County and is assigned to the Community and Health Services bargaining unit for labor relations purposes.

Individuals who are in a full-time classification position are required to serve a twelve-month probationary period, which may be extended an additional six months, for a total of eighteen months.

Incumbents may also be subject to overtime, standby, callback, weekend, holiday and shift assignments as identified in their MOU (Memorandum of Understanding).

The Job Task Analysis provides information detailing the physical and functional demands of the classification. For the complete job task analysis, visit the Risk Management website at http://www.stancounty.com/riskmgmt/ under the "Disability" tab.

Typical Tasks

Typical Tasks

• Help clients navigate through the criminal legal and court systems
• Partner closely with attorneys to support arguments for better legal outcomes, including providing relevant information and records, and drafting persuasive narrative reports;
• Interview and assess clients in office or in non-office settings, such as jail, prison or mental health treatment facilities, etc.
• Conduct client screenings and assessments and evaluate data to identify causes of problems and congruently with established care plans
• Facilitate court-ordered mental health treatment or addiction rehabilitation
• Gather social history information for use by clinicians or attorneys in developing case plans, primarily focusing on clients who suffer from substance use disorders and/or mental health disorders which are manageable with medication;
• Appear with the Public Defender team in court, including testifying as an expert witness and making recommendations about mental status, client interests, incapacities, or inability to testify
• Provide consultation, education, or training to criminal justice and correctional systems, law makers, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, law students, paralegals, and members of the public
• Conduct needs assessments for Public Defender clients and evaluate individual needs and evaluate data to identify causes of problems
• Coordinate jail discharge, provide linkage to services, conduct further clinical assessments, coordinate services, and provide case management
• Gather factual mitigation through interviews
• Collaborate with community partners for additional service
• Provide ongoing assessments of clients’ emotional, behavioral and social needs
• Develop client re-entry plans or treatment plans and follow-up care programs and help set individual and/or family centered goals to meet client needs
• Obtain and analyze records
• Advocate on behalf of clients to social service agencies
• Advocate orally on behalf of clients to judges, programs and prosecutors
• Perform intensive casework services with clients and their families.
• Ensure clients’ treatment needs are adequately addressed
• Maintain security and confidentiality of information created or encountered in the assigned duties

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education/Experience)

KNOWLEDGE

• Socioeconomic conditions and trends;
• The basic principles of individual and group behavior;
• Current issues in the field of social welfare;
• Principles of interviewing and problem-solving methodology;
• Basic public welfare programs on the Federal, State, and local levels;
• The general principles of public assistance policies and programs; and
• Problems in the field of public social services and current methodology.

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Establish rapport and engage clients in services;
• Analyze situations and adopt an effective course of action;
• Apply existing laws, rules and regulations to department operations;
• Interpret social services programs for applicants, recipients or other members of the public;
• Interview;
• Maintain records;
• Work constructively within a community setting and effectively use appropriate resources and services;
• Review cases, prepare written summary and management reports regarding Quality Assurance;
• Write court reports and testify effectively;
• Train new Social Worker I's and II's;
• Visually examine clients for bruises, lacerations and other signs of physical abuse;
• Public speaking; and
• Learn online computer input.

We recognize your time is valuable, please only apply if you meet the following required qualifications.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

PATTERN I

• One (1) year performing duties comparable to a Social Worker II in a public social services agency; OR
• Two and one-half (2½) years performing duties as a Family Services Specialist III.

PATTERN II

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college which includes 30 units in Social Welfare, Social/Human Services, Sociology or other Behavioral Science; AND
• Two (2) years social work casework experience in a public or private social services agency.

In addition to Pattern I and II:

• Possess and maintain a valid California Driver's License. Employees may be required to use personal transportation during the performance of their duties.
• Possess and maintain a valid Real ID driver license or Identification Card, valid U.S. passport or passport card, military ID or other federally approved identification to fly within the United States during the performance of their duties effective October 1, 2020.
• Proof of liability insurance as required by the State of California.

Desirable Qualification
In addition to the minimum qualifications, applicant screening will focus on the following desirable qualifications. Please list any of these qualifications you may have within the "Duties" section of the online application.

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college which includes 30 units in Social Welfare, Social/Human Services, Sociology or other Behavioral Science

Selected candidates will be required to obtain and maintain security clearance to access federal, state and local detention facilities, schools and hospitals in the performance of their duties.

Proof of education will be required for verification purposes at the time of application. Applicants who are unable to submit proof must call 209-558-1200 to make other arrangements before 5 pm on the final filing date. Failure to submit proof or make other arrangements before the final filing deadline will result in disqualification.

Application and Selection Procedures

APPLICATION PROCEDURES/FINAL FILING DATE

Applications cannot be submitted later than 5:00 p.m. on the final filing date. Make your online application as complete as possible so a full and realistic appraisal may be made of your qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application.

Attaching your resume and cover letter are an optional feature for those who wish to do so in addition to completing the required application. Information on your resume and cover letter will not substitute for the education, work experience and required fields on the County application. The online County application is the primary tool used to evaluate your job qualifications.

EXAMINATION PROCESS

Most County recruitments consists of the steps detailed below and are governed by Merit Principles. The examination process ensures that all applicants are given the same opportunity to gain employment within Stanislaus County.

• Application Review and Screening. Applications are carefully screened based on information provided. Those who submit incomplete applications that lack relevant qualifications or do not submit all required documents will not be invited to move on.
• Written Examination. Applicants will be invited to participate in a written exam that tests knowledge for the position.
• Oral Examination. Applicants are invited to a panel interview in which they will be evaluated by County subject matter experts.
• Eligible Lists. Candidates who pass the examination will be placed on an eligible list for that classification. Eligible lists are effective for six months but may be extended up to eighteen months.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Application Deadline: 100 applications or December 2, 2024

Oral Examination: TBD

Note: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, part-time and full-time vacancies throughout Stanislaus County .

GENERAL INFORMATION

Final appointment will be conditional upon successfully passing a County paid pre-employment drug screening (if applicable for position) and a job-related background investigation.

Some positions may require possession or the ability to obtain, and maintenance of a valid California Driver’s license or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job related essential functions.

Stanislaus County supports the good health of its workforce. More information is available at http://myclubwellness.org

Cell phones are typically incompatible with the online application format or browser. We recommend using a desktop or laptop computer. If you are still having technical difficulties, please call NEOGOV at 1-855-524-5627.

Benefits associated with this position can be found at Benefits Summary .

Closing Date/Time: 12/2/2024 5:00 PM Pacific

• 

• Stanislaus County

• (209) 525-6341

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