Social Worker - Family and Children's Services

The list developed from this recruitment will be used for a limited period to fill open and promotional, regular full-time, and part-time positions in a variety of locations throughout the County, should they occur.

Pursuant to current bargaining unit agreements:

• Social Worker Assistants, Social Workers and Social Worker Supervisors whose regular full-time assignment is Family and Children’s Services in the Social Services Department shall receive a ten percent (10%) premium.
• Employees regularly assigned to the coastal region or in Covelo are eligible to receive a 5% assignment premium.

Under general direction the Social Worker – Family and Children's Services (FCS) provides direct social work services of a moderate nature working with complex child, youth, and family problems; performs intensive assessment, case management and/or casework services directed toward providing the most stable home environment for children and youth who have been, or are in danger of being abused, neglected or abandoned.

This classification requires on-call and call-back capability.

Social Workers in Family & Children’s Services handle everything from emergency response and investigations to writing court reports with recommendations and participating in court hearings. They work independently to support families through assessment, service linkage, ongoing case management, and reunification efforts.

Earn your AA, BSW, or MSW with Title IV-E funding—MCDSS employees may qualify for educational assistance. Learn more here.

• Receives reports of child abuse; investigates allegations by conducting interviews with victims and others; may conduct forensic interviews with children, collaborates with an investigative team, or report information to law enforcement or district attorneys; may testify in court and provide support for witnesses and victims who must testify in court.
• Must participate in on-call and call-back responding to after-hours emergencies, high-risk crises, and immediate safety threats to support critical program operations.
• Assess’ living situations to determine safety; may submit applications for protective custody warrants to the court to remove children from unsafe situations; recommends, implements and monitors alternate placement; assesses prospective foster and adoptive families; assesses children's placement needs and matches them with appropriate placement settings; coordinates and directly monitors family visits.
• Manages a caseload of clients and conducts assessments to evaluate the effects of physical, cognitive and emotional impairment on function and determines client needs and eligibility through interviews, video platforms, phone calls, home visits, record reviews or consultation with appropriate agencies and individuals.
• Communicate policies, rules, and regulations of the program to clients and others within the scope of responsibility.
• Coordinates, arranges, and transports clients for the purpose of visitation or mandatory services as needed.
• Develops intensive long or short-term treatment and safety plans; provides intervention and support for children, youth, parents, grandparents, foster and adoptive families, and other caregivers.
• Provides services and refers clients to other staff members or to community resources for direct and intensive services and specialized counseling.
• Initiates, facilitates, and participates in child and family team meetings as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and administer validated measurement instruments and assessments to assist with making decisions about the risk and safety of children, safety plans, and placements, acts as a subject matter resource to junior staff and staff members without…