Social Services Practitioner I/II - Adult Services at County of Riverside in Banning, California

Job Description:

ABOUT THE POSITION

**ALL APPLICANTS MUST UPLOAD A COPY OF THEIR OFFICIAL AND/OR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS OF THEIR COMPLETED DEGREE AT AN ACCREDITED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.

The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is recruiting for multiple Social Services Practitioners I/II throughout Riverside County for the Adult Services Division (ASD). The most competitive candidates will have a Bachelor's Degree in social welfare, social or behavioral sciences, social/human services, counseling, or a closely related field and receive a passing score on the basic skills examination.

*For a realistic job preview of what it's like to work within Adult Services, please visit the following link:
https://vimeo.com/710480437/a4d8bbf155

The Social Services Practitioner I is the first professional level classification in the Social Services Practitioner series and is at a training level where the emphasis is on learning casework methods, procedures, and policies, and the carrying of a limited, non-complex caseload under close supervision. Incumbents may receive additional consultation and supervision of difficult and complex casework problems. Incumbents normally work independently in administering services and in making use of agency or community resources.

The Social Services Practitioner II is distinguished from the next higher-level classification of Social Services Practitioner III by the latter's receiving more difficult assignments requiring greater skills and depth of job knowledge in assessing problem situations and formulating plans for services.

Social Services Practitioner I/II may also be placed at the ASD Central Intake Center where they hold the responsibility of responding to calls and online reports from the general public regarding elder and dependent adult abuse and neglect, as well as requests to apply for In Home Supportive Services (IHSS). This is a fast-paced environment that requires excellent ability to obtain information from individuals in crisis and excellent critical thinking skills for the ability to analyze information provided, identify additional information needed and determine appropriate response times for assistance to clients.

Meet the Team!

The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is comprised of employees who work collectively and in partnership with community-based organizations to serve the needs of the community.

jfc: 21102900

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Study and apply the principles and techniques of social work to a caseload which includes basic types of services problems.

• Maintain up-to-date electronic records of all aspects of client case management in a centralized database.

• Carry a caseload which includes cases with problems of moderate difficulty; interview clients and their families to assess the nature of their social and financial problems and the need for social service casework intervention or treatment; determine or recommend treatment plans to meet social needs; conduct home visits; prepare and maintain case records.

• Interview clients to ascertain the nature of their problems and develop elementary service plans; carry out the less difficult services plans and under supervision, manage less complex cases; make referral to community resources and assist families with change in environment or employment; maintain necessary casework records.

• Complete studies of patients and their families to determine the nature of their problems; learn to develop the most effective treatment methods and treatment plans according to need.

• Interview patients, families, and friends to obtain information for case records.

• Identify the need for, and make referrals to, other services available to the client; assist applicants and recipients in utilizing available resources for individual needs.

• Interpret the policies, rules, and regulations of the department to applicants, clients, and others; may be assigned to specialized functions.

• Participate in in-service training and other staff development activities to increase knowledge of the social work processes and achieve technical competence; receive casework consultation from professionally trained staff members.; may assist in conducting training activities for personnel outside the social services unit; may participate in group therapy.

• Frequently conduct field visits, away from the home office, which may include long distances in order to carry out service plans, observe, and assess client needs, and provide information and social work services.

• Assess client family environment in order to determine potential or imminent risk to the safety of children/disabled adults/elderly residing in the household; when safety needs dictate, remove children/ adults from home and transport them, complying with all safety regulations, including the use of age appropriate California safety mandated equipment, when assisting with initial removal or facilitating a placement change, which may include managing/lifting the client's necessary assistive equipment (e.g., wheelchair).

• Maintain up-to-date electronic records of assigned aspects of client case management in a centralized database.

• Perform evaluations/assessments of client needs for the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Social Service Practitioner I

SALARY RANGE:

$23.46 - $2 9.52 Hourly

$4,066.40 - $5,118.00 Monthly

$48,796.80 - $61,414.00 Annually

OPTION I

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in social welfare, social or behavioral sciences, social/human services, counseling, or a closely related field to the assignment.

Experience: None required.

Social Service Practitioner II

SALARY RANGE:

$25.81 - $33.86 Hourly

$4,473.73 - $5,869.00 Monthly

$53,684 - $70,433.00 Annually

OPTION I

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in social welfare, social or behavioral sciences, social/human services, counseling, or a closely related field to the assignment.

Experience: One year of social case planning/case management experience in a public or private social services agency performing duties equivalent to a County of Riverside Social Services Practitioner I.

OPTION II

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in social welfare, social or behavioral sciences, social/human services, counseling, or a closely related field to the assignment.

Experience: One year as an Intake Specialist, Employment Services Counselor, or equivalent position in a Department of Public Social Services.

ALL OPTIONS

Knowledge of: Socioeconomic conditions and trends; basic principles of individual and group behavior; general trends and current issues in the field of social services; principles of interviewing and problem solving methodology; methods of identification, analysis, and resolution of social casework problems; social service research methods; principles and techniques of social work, and the functions of public social services agencies; basic public social services programs available at the state and local levels; general principles of public assistance policies and programs; laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of public social services agencies; specialized aid programs; basic computer skills.

Ability to: Understand and learn programs, policies, and procedures; obtain and recognize relevant and significant facts; speak and write effectively; establish and maintain effective working relationships; establish and maintain client rapport; input and retrieve data from computerized systems.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Veterans' Preference

The County has a Veterans Preference Policy. Upload a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 (or NGB-22) indicating dates of service, and a copy of your spouse's letter of disability (if applicable) with your application. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference. See the policy here ( Download PDF reader) .

Other Requirements

License: Possession of a valid California Driver's License is necessary at the time of hire and must be maintained throughout employment. County vehicles may be available but are not guaranteed. Employees may be required to use their own vehicles for field travel and are required to provide vehicle insurance information for their personal vehicle.

Schedule: Incumbents may be required to participate in a mandatory on-call schedule which may include working nights, holidays, and weekends.

Background Requirement: Employment within the Department of Social Services is conditional based on background checks. As a result, all employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment physical exam, including a drug/alcohol test, clearance to access Criminal Offender Record Information from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS), and a criminal background investigation, which involves fingerprinting.

(A felony or misdemeanor conviction may disqualify the applicant from employment with the Department of Public Social Services.)

Testing Information

Candidates who minimally qualify will be required to complete an online skills assessment.

All candidates will be required to take an online test as part of the application process for this position. It is important that the instructions provided in the email are followed exactly.

The Human Resources Department may require you to verify your identity and confirm test scores by retesting in a proctored environment. The County does not provide test scores to applicants.

What's Next?

This recruitment is open to all applicants.

Applicants who are current County of Riverside employees and/or current employees of the Department of Public Social Services may be considered before other applicants depending on the volume of applications received.

Qualified applicants may be considered for future vacancies throughout the County.

Applications received prior to the closing date will be considered based on the information submitted. Changes or alterations cannot be accepted. No late applications will be permitted.

Reasonable Accommodations

The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: http://dao.rc-hr.com/ .

Application Period

BASED ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, THIS POSTING MAY CLOSE WITHOUT NOTICE.

Applications received prior to the closing date will be considered based on the information submitted. Changes or alterations cannot be accepted. All applicants must submit a complete application by the deadline. No late applications will be permitted.

Include relevant work experience details on resume and/or application.

Applicants who fail to provide information demonstrating they possess the position requirements may not be considered further in the application process. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.

Upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account. If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).

REQUIRED PROBATIONARY PERIOD - As an Approved Local Merit System, the County of Riverside requires all new regular or seasonal employees to serve an initial probationary period, the duration of which is indicated in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, County Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Temporary and Per Diem employees serve at the pleasure of the agency/department head.

The County of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the County of Riverside to provide employment opportunity for all qualified persons. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, or denial of medical and family care leave, or any other non job-related factor.

Additional Information:

Contact Joshua Roberts at JoRoberts @rivco.org with any questions regarding this recruitment.

GENERAL APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Please read and follow any special application instructions on this posting. Click the 'Apply' link located on this page to submit your application. For instructions on the application process, examinations, Veteran's preference, pre-employment accommodation or other employment questions, please refer to our web site, www.rc-hr.com . A pre-employment physical examination and background check may be required.

MEDICAL/DENTAL/VISION INSURANCE: A choice of different medical, dental and visions plan are available to elect. The County provides a Flexible Benefit Credit contribution as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding to contribute towards the cost of these plans.

Note: Employees on assignment through the Temporary Assignment Program (TAP) receive different benefits. See the list here .
MISCELLANEOUS RETIREMENT: County of Riverside has three retirement Tiers through the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).

• 
  Tier I (Classic Member - Formula 3% @ 60): Applicable to current and former County of Riverside local miscellaneous employees hired prior to 08/24/2012 and did not withdraw CalPERS contributions. The employee contribution is eight (8%) percent.


• 
  Tier II (Classic Member - Formula 2% @ 60): Applicable to local miscellaneous employees 1) hired after 08/23/2012 through 12/31/2012; 2) Previously employed with another CalPERS contracting public agency or a reciprocal retirement system, with a break in service of less than six months between the separation date with the previous employer and the appointment date with the County of Riverside. The employee contribution is seven (7%) percent.


• 
  Tier III (PEPRA New Member - Formula 2% @ 62): Applicable to CalPERS local miscellaneous new members hired on or after the implementation of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) which took effect January 1, 2013. As of July 1, 2020, the employee contribution is 7.25% and subject to change annually.
  

A new member is defined as any of the following:

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who has no prior membership in any California Public Retirement System.

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who was a member with another California Public Retirement System prior to that date, but who is not subject to reciprocity upon joining CalPERS.

A member who first established CalPERS membership prior to January 1, 2013, and who is rehired by a different CalPERS agency after a break in service of greater than six (6) months.

CalPERS refers to all members that do not fit within the definition of a new member as "classic members".

Contribution rates are subject to change based on the County of Riverside annual actuarial valuation.

Note:

This summary is for general information purposes only. Additional questions regarding retirement formulas can be sent to retirement@rivco.org or by calling the Benefits Information Line at (951) 955-4981,
Option 2.

If you have prior service credit with another CalPERS agency or within agencies, please contact CalPERS at (888) 225-7377 to determine which retirement tier would be applicable to you. CalPERS is governed by the Public Employees' Retirement Law. The Retirement Law is complex and subject to change. If there's any conflict between this summary and the law, the law will prevail over this summary.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION: Voluntary employee contribution with a choice between two 457 deferred compensation plan options.

VACATION ACCRUAL (Bi-Weekly Accrual):

0< 3 year = 80 Hours (10 Days)

4< 9 years = 120 Hours (15 Days)

10 or more years = 160 Hours (20 Days)

Maximum Vacation leave accumulation is 480 hours.

SICK LEAVE: Four (4) hours Sick Leave accrual per pay period with unlimited accrual.

HOLIDAYS: Normally 12 paid holidays per year.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE: Allowed 5 days (3 days are County paid; 2 additional days can be taken from accrued Sick Leave balance).

BASIC LIFE INSURANCE: Equal to one times annual base salary not to exceed $50,000 of term life coverage. Premiums are paid by the County. Additional Supplemental Life plan is available for employee purchase.

DISABILITY: Short-term Disability benefit pays up to a maximum of $461.54 weekly, payable up to a maximum of 52 weeks.

POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION: A monthly contribution is made by the County towards retiree health insurance offered through the County as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding.

OTHER: There may be other benefit provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding. Please contact the recruiter listed on the job posting directly for more information.

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