Orange County, CA - Santa Ana, CA
posted 4 days ago
About the position
The County of Orange, Social Services Agency (SSA) Senior Social Workers (SSW) are responsible for the identification, assessment and treatment of a variety of complex social issues associated with such areas as child abuse, domestic abuse violence, substance abuse, dependency, adoptions, guardianship, protective services and individual and/or family social functioning. Senior Social Workers analyze, evaluate and treat individuals and families facing a variety of social and economic challenges. The current vacancies are within the following Programs within Children and Family Services (CFS) Division programs: CFS Child Abuse & Adult Protection Hotline, CFS Court Programs, and CFS Emergency Response. Depending on the needs of the department, some positions will be assigned to work in other program areas, such as Family Preservation, Orangewood Children and Family Center (OCFC), hotline staff, and placement and assessment.
Responsibilities
- Write comprehensive reports, such as: investigation, Detention, Jurisdictional/Dispositional and Status Review reports
- Investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect allegations
- Assess the harm and risk of a child for neglect and abuse
- Work closely with children with ages from infant to 18 years' old and foster youth who opt to remain in care after their 18th birthday
- Attend and testify in criminal, probate, family law or juvenile court hearings
- Case management activities
- Work with stakeholders such as law enforcement, Health Care Agency, Probation, attorneys, community partners, medical professionals, therapists, educators, etc.
- Conduct state mandated monthly contacts and court ordered family visitations
- Lift a child or transport a child to a designated location
- Respond to cases within Orange County as well as outside Orange County
- Sit for periods up to one hour or longer while driving to home visits or attending court hearings
- Climb flights of stairs during home visits
- Be exposed to unsanitary environments
- Work with clients who have communicable diseases, substance abuse, domestic issues, criminal history, and mental/behavioral issues
- Be exposed to profanity, disturbing photos, foul language, safety and health hazard, and verbal abuse from clients
- Work outdoors in all types of climatic conditions including inclement, very hot and/or cold weather
- Drive personal vehicle with a valid car insurance within the Orange County vicinity
- Supervise SSW interns
- Clinical Supervision Hours
Requirements
- Possession of a Bachelor's degree or higher in Social Work, Child Welfare, Forensic Psychology, Sociology, Psychology, Counseling, Child Development or possession of active MFT or LCSW license
- Experience and/or training assessing safety and risk to children
- Experience writing reports in a professional capacity
- Utilizing Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
- Knowledge of investigation procedures and how to effectively plan and conduct an investigation in collaboration with law enforcement agencies
- Ability to maintain and safeguard client's information for privacy
- Ability to adjust quickly to changes in assignment and priorities
- Ability to maintain a positive composure in the face of high workload, conflicting work demands, ambiguous assignments and interruptions/distractions
- Willingness to work outdoors in all conditions, around unpleasant conditions such as extremes odors, noise, filth, dust, vermin, confined space, and combative individuals
- Knowledge and adherence to all work safety practices/protocols
Nice-to-haves
- Experience in child welfare or social services
- Bilingual skills
- Experience with case management
Benefits
- Performance-based merit increases
- Salary range increases scheduled for June 28, 2024, and June 27, 2025
- On-Call (voluntary) pay
- Night shift differential pay
- Bilingual pay for positions requiring bilingual skills
