Social Service Practitioner III/II/I- Public Defender

The Job

Applicants within three (3) months of completing their Master of Social Work degree will be considered! SALARY INCREASES Employees are eligible for merit-based step increases within the salary range, up to the maximum step. Refer to the Employee Ordinance for details. Receive 14 Paid Holidays Generous Vacation and Sick Time County Pension Flexible Schedule With A 4/10 option! San Bernardino employees may be eligible for student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more details, review here. The Office of the Public Defender is hiring Social Service Practitioners (SSP) to provide professional social work services to adult and juvenile clients and their families as they navigate through the criminal justice system. The work of a Public Defender Social Service Practitioner requires investigating and/or supporting cases involving clients who may have physical or psychological issues, including writing mitigation reports and mental health plans. Public Defender Social Service Practitioners may appear and testify in court and attend various San Bernardino County's Special Attendance Review Board (SARB) meetings in an effort to end truancy. Additionally, Social Service Practitioners participate in outreach events and may act as preceptors to social work interns. Social Service Practitioner I is the Trainee class in the Social Services Practitioner series and works under close supervision while acquiring the necessary skills to investigate and/or support cases involving clients who may have physical or psychological issues. Applicants who are within three (3) months of completing their will be considered for the SSP I level. The Public Defender's Office is a law firm that employs over 100 Deputy Public Defenders, 40 Investigators, and 40 support staff and has a growing human services staff comprised of 18 Social Services Practitioners and 2 Supervising Social Service Practitioners. Social Service Practitioners provides support and case management interventions. These positions also ensure that clients have access to available supportive services throughout the County and State; meet with indigent clients in their home, jail, prison, state hospitals or other various settings; develop and implement treatment plans to improve social functioning in addition to performing biopsychosocial reports requested by attorneys; and make appropriate recommendations and provide referrals to clients who are in the criminal justice system. To learn more about the Public Defender's office, review their website here. Assignment Location: The list may be used to fill current and future vacancies in Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, or Victorville. Applicants must be willing to accept this great opportunity at any one of these locations. Assignments will be made based on department needs; preference for location will be taken into consideration wherever possible. TRAINING/ADVANCEMENT Social Service Practitioners I ($66,476.80-$86,923.20 annually) are eligible for promotion to the Social Service Practitioner II ($69,742.40-$98,259.20 annually) upon completion of their Master of Social Work degree and training period, in addition to receiving a satisfactory work progress report. Employees must qualify for promotion to Social Service Practitioner II within 12 months or be terminated. Social Practitioners II automatically advance to Social Service Practitioner II I ($75,088.00-$106,100.80 annually) after completing 3 full years, (6,240 hours) of service as a Social Service Practitioner or an equivalent County-approved classification. (Note: Service hours as an SSP I Level do not count toward the requirement to advance from the SSP II to the SSP III). CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT Pre-Employment Process: Applicants must successfully pass a background check prior to appointment. Assignment: Must be willing to visit clients in their home, jails, prisons, state hospitals and other settings and accept assignment as needed in San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, or Victorville based on department needs. Travel: Travel throughout the County may be required and employees will be required to make provisions for such transportation. Sponsorship: San Bernardino County is not able to consider candidates who will require visa sponsorship at the time of application or in the future.

Minimum Requirements

Social Service Practitioner I Education: Must be within three (3) months of completing a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from an accredited university. Social Service Practitioner II Education: Must possess a completed Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from an accredited university. No experience required. Social Service Practitioner III Education: Must possess a completed Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from an accredited university. AND Experience: 3 years full-time (6,240 service hours) completed County service as a SSP II (or County-approved equivalent classification).

Desired Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have experience working with indigent clients with an understanding of available social services programs. The ideal candidate will also be familiar with San Bernardino County's school district and programs (MAP, SAFE, and LET). Spanish-English Bilingual Candidates are encouraged to apply and may receive additional compensation for bilingual skills.

Selection Process

There will be a competitive evaluation of qualifications based on the information provided in the Application and the Supplemental Questionnaire. You are encouraged to include detailed descriptions of your qualifying experience and skills, as only the most highly qualified applicants will be referred to the Department. All communications regarding the selection process will be via email. Applicants are encouraged to check their e-mail frequently to learn additional information regarding this recruitment. Check your GovernmentJobs account for notifications. Update your firewalls to allow e-mails from San Bernardino County through governmentjobs.com. Update your Spam, Junk, and Bulk settings to ensure it will not spam/block/filter communications from email addresses with the following domain "@hr.sbcounty.gov". Finally, be sure to keep your personal information updated. Taking these steps now will help ensure you receive all communications regarding this recruitment. Application Procedure: Please complete and submit the online employment application and supplemental questionnaire for consideration. Applications will be accepted until further notice; candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to ensure consideration as recruitment may close at any time. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the application and/or supplemental questionnaires. To ensure timely and successful submission of your online application, please allow ample time to complete and submit your application before the posted filing deadline. Applicants will be automatically logged-out if they have not submitted the application and all required materials prior to the posted deadline. Once your application has been successfully submitted you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email. We recommend that you save and/or print these for your records. Please note: if you do not receive an onscreen confirmation and an email acknowledging our receipt of your application, we have not received your application. If you require technical assistance, please review HERE to review the Government Jobs online application guide, or contact their Toll-Free Applicant Support line at View phone number on click.appcast.io. Please note that Human Resources is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by the internet connection, computer or browser used to submit the application. EEO/ADA: San Bernardino County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants. ADA Accommodation: If you have a disability and require accommodations in the testing process, submit the Special Testing Accommodations Request Form within one week of a recruitment filing deadline. Veterans' Preference: Eligible veterans and their spouse or widow(er) who are not current County employees may be awarded additional Veterans' Preference points. Please review the information and instructions on how to request Veteran's Preference points. Please review HERE for important Applicant Information and the County Employment Process.