Social Worker I

If applicants can use education to qualify add this statement underneath the department picture: Applicants: If you are using education to qualify please remember to include copies of your transcripts degree(s) and/or certifications. Foreign degrees must have a U.S. Equivalency Report. Failure to submit may result in your application being disqualified.

ATTENTION JOB APPLICANTS: Please indicate in the supplemental question section if you are interested in a bilingual position. Job applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as outlined in the job bulletin and be successful in the interview process. If selected for a bilingual position as a condition of employment candidates who are selected for hire must receive a qualifying proficiency score on the Social Worker Ibilingual certification examination(s) administered by MSS.

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

• 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 Alzheimers 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

• 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

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; ORThree (3) years of full-time experience providing direct client services to disadvantaged adults or children in a private or public agency.

*Examples of acceptable social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology criminal justice education ethnic studies history human development human services law nursing nutrition psychology public health social welfare sociology welfare womens studies.

Examination Information

The Training & Experience Examination is designed to elicit a range of specific information regarding each candidates 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. To obtain a position on the eligible list candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination.

Examination administration and processing time is approximately twoweeks after the closing date of the job bulletin.

Bilingual Examination
The language below is required only for designated bilingual recruitments. Please refer to the link below and confirm the bilingual proficiency requirements for the position(s) you are recruiting for:

This job posting is for a bilingual position. Job applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as outlined in the job bulletin and be successful in the interview process. As a condition of employment candidates who are selected for hire must receive a qualifying proficiency score on the Spanish bilingual certification examination(s) administered by MSS.

For Social Worker I the required proficiency level is:

ILR Level 3 - Professional Working Proficiency: At this rating bilingual persons are able to speak and write the required language effectively with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary. Persons can participate effectively in most conversations on practical social and professional topics. They can discuss special fields of competence with reasonable ease. Their vocabulary is broad enough that they seldom search for words. Persons at this level may have an obvious foreign accent but have good control of grammar and their errors virtually do not interfere with understanding or disturb native speakers.

Please review the bilingual examination information below:

LANGUAGE ORAL EXAMINATION
The oral examination is designed to elicit the full range of the target language to identify how well candidates use and control the language. The oral examination is administered over the phone and consists of a series of prompts (such as providing a description discussing a hypothetical event providing an opinion etc.) requiring an oral response. Candidates will be evaluated on comprehension communication grammar and vocabulary.

LANGUAGE WRITTEN EXAMINATION
The written examination is designed to evaluate the reading and writing proficiency of the candidate. The written examination is administered online and consists of several prompts presented in the target language. Candidates are required to provide a written response and will be evaluated on comprehension expression and mechanics.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION
A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Imperial. 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 forSIX (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 or 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.

EDUCATION 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 course work is equivalent. Transcripts and evaluations may be unofficial; official transcripts may be required upon appointment. Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

GENERAL INFORMATION
This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.

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 on 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 ensure success in the examination or placement on the eligible list.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity initiative dependability good judgement 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 drivers license is required at the time of appointment and employees may also be required to drive their own car provide proof of car insurance. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• This position will require pre-employment drug testing a physical examination and 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.
• Employees in this position will be required to drive in and out of the county to conduct business. Travel will include an airplane commute.
• Employees may be required to work with clients of various age groups and clients with disabilities mental health issues physical health issues substance abuse issues victims of abuse and/or domestic violence at risk of abuse and financial instability.
• Employees may encounter hostile and emotionally troubled clients including children and parents under the influence of controlled substances and alcohol.
• Employees in this position may be required to work overtime.
• Employees will be required to represent the County in administrative appeals and fair hearings.
• The ability to speak read and write Spanish in addition to English would be an asset in this position. Applicants for English/Spanish bilingual designated positions must take and pass the bilingual proficiency examination administered by the California Department of Human Resources Merit System Services.

• Employees may be required to change diapers carry infants/toddlers and secure children in car seats.

• Employees may be required to visit clients at their homes to conduct safety and risk assessments.

• Employees may be assigned to a specific geographical area or functional area such as Protective Services Children and Family Services Welfare to Work In Home Supportive Services etc.

• All Imperial County employees are considered Disaster Service Workers and might be required to take the associated FEMA training.