Social Worker - Children's Mental Health

Children's Mental Health Social Worker

Otter Tail County is accepting applications for a full-time Children's Mental Health Social Worker. This position is responsible for coordinating and monitoring mental health services for children and their families.

In general, Social Workers provide intake, assessment, and ongoing direct services and case management supervision for children and families in an identified domain of adult, children and family services, including developmental disabilities, long term care, foster care licensing, child care investigations and negative actions, mental illness, chemical dependency, vulnerable adult protection, child protection, child welfare, children's mental health, brain injury, adoption and minor parent.

Workers establish collaborative relationships, participate and assist with the implementation of unit and agency goals, policies and procedures to provide optimal services to clients based on resources available to the agency.

This is a full-time, 40 hours/week position, and generally the work hours are Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30 p.m. The 2026 starting salary is $34.93 per hour, depending on qualifications, with potential career advancement to $55.41 per hour.

Otter Tail County provides an attractive benefit package for regular full-time employees, including health, dental, life, long-term disability, and retirement benefits through the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA). Regular full-time employees can expect to accrue holiday, sick, and vacation leave benefits. In addition, employees receive professional development opportunities.

Examples of Duties

• Assess client health and safety within their environment based on social history presenting problem, observation and intake services.
• Determine immediate risks to health and safety and take appropriate action.
• Conduct formal assessments and screenings to collect, compile and analyze information to address client's desires and needs.
• Assess risk of institutionalization. Arrange and monitor Out-of-Home Placements for children diagnosed as having a severe emotional disturbance. Facilitate pre-placement screening for placement and discuss alternatives when appropriate.
• Assist clients in developing a plan of service to meet identified needs, including developing Out-of-Home Placement Plans.
• Provide necessary intervention through the development of services and treatment plans including the authorization of funding, monitoring and implementation of case plan.
• Provide case management to assist families and individuals through appropriate use of county and community resources. Regular review of plan effectiveness. Complete ongoing training and education. Advocate and develop system changes and service development.
• Maintain case file records and documents. Consult with program/unit staff. Inform clients of program/service options and process to access. Interpret laws/rules/policy. Maintain a caseload where there is need for assessment and ongoing social services. Licensing of providers as dictated by state statute as a county agency responsibility. Preparation, documentation and testimony in court actions. Represent unit, department or agency in community assignments and groups.
  
  Act as designated legal representative for wards of count/state by determining/authorizing services for medical, education, residential, advance directives and end of life issues.
• Delegate/coordinate responsibilities of team members and providers and monitor services to ensure that client needs are being met. Assist the County Attorney's Office in preparation of petitions for Family, Juvenile Court and Commitments. Provide public relation services to various communities. Be available to talk to school and community groups regarding Children's Mental Health Services. Participate in conferences and training workshops. Participate, as needed, in Touch Programs in school districts in Otter Tail County.
  
  Attend Children's Mental Health LAC meetings as an ex-officio member as requested. Participate in other committees as needed.
• Administrative tasks - Attend staff and supervisor/supervision meetings as scheduled. Attend conferences as scheduled or agreed upon with supervisor. Attend trainings as related to job responsibilities. Complete documentation, agency timesheets, and employee records in a timely manner. Communicate schedule changes with supervisor. Utilize the status (In/Out) Board consistently to keep agency staff aware of availability. Utilize SSIS as the case…