SALARY: $6,192.66 - $7,433.97 Monthly
$74,311.91 - $89,207.68 Annually
plus bilingual allowance when applicable
The Social Services Department is accepting applications to fill current vacancies in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. We are also accepting applications to establish one employment list for future vacancies in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc.
BENEFITS OVERVIEW!
- Vacation: 12 to 25 days per year, depending on the length of public employment.
- Holidays: 13 days per year.
- Sick Leave: 12 days sick leave per year. Unlimited accumulation, one year of which can be converted to service credit upon retirement.
- Health Plan: Choice of medical and dental plans (with vision care). The County contributes toward the employee's premium.
- On-Site Employee Health Clinics in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria: Provides ongoing and episodic services to eligible employees and their eligible dependents over 5 years of age.
The County of Santa Barbara offers generous benefits. For more details visit: SEIU Local 721.
Applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for:
- Retirement reciprocity
- Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate
NOTE: The County may provide reimbursement for reasonable relocation expenses, and, at the discretion of the CEO, can provide flexible relocation assistance, cash incentives, and/or vacation and sick leave pre-accruals in the interest of attracting the best talent to the organization.
POSITION: Under general direction, performs professional-level social work in complex adoptions and child protective services; performs related duties as required.
The Ideal Candidate will possess:
- Familiarity with principles and practices of social work as applicable to child welfare services
- Experience in interviewing techniques and practices
- Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload
- Ability to work independently
- Capability to make sound judgements and decisions
- Ability to learn complex regulations and policies
- Skill to write court reports and legal documents
Examples of Duties:
- Responds to and investigates complaints of child physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, severe and general neglect, and exploitation, abandonment, isolation, and financial abuse; performs intake screening in order to make emergency response assessments; interviews clients and other involved parties in order to assess home environment, individual functioning, and family background and dynamics; makes diagnostic assessments of problems; takes action necessary to minimize the risk of abuse to children, including short-term crisis intervention counseling, takes into custody neglected and abandoned children, and places children with relatives, foster homes, group homes, institutions, or other suitable placements.
- Develops and implements service plans; counsels children and their parents to enhance functioning of family unit; develops agreements with families to meet voluntary or court-ordered objectives and monitors progress toward delineated objectives by evaluating behavioral adjustment; acts on behalf of child within legal authority, to arrange for medical treatment and/or other needs; makes referrals to community resources.
- Coordinates activities with law enforcement, legal, and the court systems; prepares court reports and legal documents; obtains police, medical, and psychological reports to substantiate recommendations; reports cases of suspected abuse to appropriate law enforcement and legal agencies; testifies and/or presents case investigative findings; participates in out-of-court settlement.
- Places children in appropriate care facilities and makes permanency planning recommendations based upon an analysis of individual physical and psycho-social needs, available facilities and homes; determines suitability of applications for adoptions and investigates environment; matches children with prospective adoptive parents; counsels adoptive parents and children to assess and provide for needed support services; provides supportive counseling to children and parents.
- Manages assigned caseload; prepares narrative and statistical reports, documents, and correspondence regarding client status; documents case files; prepares and serves legal documents; testifies in court.
- Represents the department in the community and speaks before groups on matters related to assignment.
- Utilizes mainframe computer applications including Child Welfare System/Case Management; uses personal computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite in preparation of various reports, documents and correspondence.
Employment Standards:
- Possession of a master's degree from an accredited school of social work; OR
- Possession of a master's degree from an accredited school, college, or university in marriage, family, and child counseling; marital and family therapy; psychology; clinical psychology; counseling psychology; or counseling with an emphasis in marriage, family, and child counseling; and, (b) completion of supervised practicum in accordance with Business and Professions Code Section 4980.40.
PLEASE NOTE: Individuals selected for an interview will be required to bring verification of your graduate degree.
Note: Applicants currently in their final quarter or semester of study leading to the required degree are encouraged to apply. Such applicants may compete in the examination process but may not be considered for appointment until they have attained the required degree.
Additional Requirements:
- The ability to speak, read, and write fluently in English and Spanish is preferred for some positions. If you indicated on your application that you are bilingual, Human Resources will place you on the employment list for a job requiring bilingual skills. Hiring departments will test you on your fluency. If you do not demonstrate sufficient fluency, your name will be removed from the employment list for bilingual only, in accordance with Civil Service Rule 7.
- Possession of a valid California Class C Driver's License is required at the time of appointment. Independent travel, including client transportation is required and incumbents in this classification may be required to travel overnight and/or to areas outside of the county.
- Selectees for employment in this class must, as a condition of employment, sign a statement agreeing to comply with Section 11166 of the California Penal Code relating to child abuse reporting and Section 15630 of the Welfare and Institutions Code relating to dependent adult abuse reporting.
- Selectees for positions in this class assigned to Child Welfare Services are subject to fingerprinting for the purpose of a criminal record check as authorized by Section 16501 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code and Section 11105.3 of the California Penal Code.
- Incumbents may be expected to work outside normal business hours.
- This position will require you to serve as an emergency respondent needing to be available after hours and on holidays and weekend on an assigned basis, which will require you to be within emergency response time range when assigned.
Knowledge of: principles and practices of social work as applicable to child protective services; philosophy and function of public assistance and social services systems; laws and regulations governing the operation of child welfare services; legal processes related to child welfare services; principles and techniques of interviewing, diagnostic assessment, and various counseling modalities; psychosocial, medical, and economic relationships contributing to sociopathology; appropriate utilization of social resources; social service investigative research methods; principles of child development/parenting, family dynamics and human behavior; narrative case report writing practices; documentation requirements of the court.
Ability to: plan, develop, and implement service plans; assess undefined and complex problems, immediate potential for risk of children in abusive family or other living situations; take action needed to minimize the risk of child abuse including temporary/permanent removal of children from parental custody; determine suitability of out-of-home and adoption placements; assess physical and psycho-social needs of children; counsel abused children and relatives to enhance social functioning of individual and family unit; monitor and evaluate behavioral changes of clients; determine when to involve law enforcement officials and courts in cases; prepare case reports and legal documents needed to effectuate case recommendations; interview a variety of people with diverse socio-economic backgrounds and temperaments; assess social service needs of clients; determine the appropriate course of action in emergency or stressful situations; understand program objectives in relation to departmental goals and procedures; identify and make referrals to local and regional providers of social, medical, and/or other specialized services; learn, apply, and explain complex regulations and policies governing child welfare processes; work independently; understand and follow directions; listen to and cope with unusual life circumstances; manage a caseload and recall case details; maintain confidentiality of information; encourage clients in progress toward social functioning; prepare routine statistical reports; project consequences of decisions; organize and prioritize work assignments; make decisions and independent judgments; deal firmly and fairly with clients; maintain accurate records and document action taken; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships; access and use personal computer applications in a Windows (or equivalent contemporary operating system) environment; and learn to use mainframe computer applications and personal computer applications such as word processing.
Supplemental Information:
APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:
- Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
- Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking: Responses to the required supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and scored. Candidates' final score and rank on the eligibility list will be determined by their responses to the supplemental questionnaire.
Applicants must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the supplemental questionnaire ranking to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive an email notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.
VETERANS PREFERENCE POINTS: Veteran's preference credit is applicable for this recruitment (5 points for veterans, 10 points for disabled veterans). To be eligible for this credit, you must be applying for this position within five years from your most recent date of: (1) honorable discharge from active military service; or, (2) discharge from a military or veterans' hospital where treatment and confinement were for a disability incurred during active military service; or, (3) completion of education or training funded by a Federal Educational Assistance Act. No time limit exists for veterans with 30% or more disability. To receive veteran's preference points, you must: (1) check the Veteran's Preference Points box on the employment application form, (2) submit a copy of your Form DD214 to the Human Resources Department on or before the application deadline, and (3) pass all phases of the examination process. The preference points will be added to your final test score.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.
Conditional Job Offer: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, candidate will be required to successfully complete a background check, which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks. The appointee will be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination. The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.
Recruiters will communicate with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.
COVID-19 Vaccination Verification and Testing: This position may be subject to State Health Officer Orders (SHOOs) or County policy regarding vaccine verification and/or testing. Please contact the hiring department for more information.
Disaster Service Workers: Pursuant to Governmental Code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.
Statement of Commitment:
The County of Santa Barbara is dedicated to cultivating and sustaining an environment that exhibits equity and inclusion everywhere, and at all levels of our organization. The County believes equity is a fundamental principle that must be imbedded in policies, institutional practices and systems. The County recognizes the negative impacts of systemic racism and is committed to eliminating the barriers affecting our Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian community members, as well as people of other diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. We envision a world where society and its systems (e.g. education, criminal justice, and health care, housing the economy) are just, fair, and inclusive, enabling all people to participate and reach their full potential.
We celebrate community and employee diversity, strive for inclusion and belonging, and promote empowered participation. We aspire to build a workforce that is reflective of these values and the communities we serve. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will resolutely uphold federal, California state law and/or Santa Barbara County ordinances.
We believe equity and inclusion are vital to fulfill the County's mission and to embody a culture of "One County, One Future." Expanding the full range of employee talent allows the County to deliver our best to all our community members.
We believe in the dignity and humanity of all people. We strive for a healthy and prosperous society that promotes all people having equitable access and opportunity.
APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE: Open until filled. Applications and job bulletins can be obtained 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com
DSS Recruiter Jasmine Gaytan, Recruiter email at Jgayta@countyofsb.org
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