Social Services Aide

SOCIAL SERVICES AIDE SALARY

$21.51 p/hour, $3,728.40 p/month, $44,740.80 p/year

Under general supervision, the Social Service Aide assists Social Workers by performing specifically designated tasks related to the improvement of family functioning and child and adult services; and performs related work as required.

Social Service Aide is a paraprofessional class. Incumbents assist Social Workers by relieving them of routine tasks such as performing assessments of clients in the In-Home Support Services program, instructing parents in the development of parenting and household management skills, and/or performing various tasks for the child and adult service programs.

The Social Service Aide differs from the Social Worker in that the former requires a lower level of skill and training than the level required of a professional Social Worker.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED AND RECEIVED

Incumbents in the Social Service Aide classification receive supervision from a Social Worker Supervisor or other higher-level supervisor or manager.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Maintains a routine caseload of elderly adults who are infirm or incapacitated and receiving household services.
• Conducts ongoing client needs assessments and verifies needs by contacting medical and health services providers.
• Presents client assessments to professional staff for approval.
• Completes narrative reports regarding a client's condition and services provided and/or recommended. Enters data regarding case and client information and contacts into automated system.
• Makes client referrals to medical personnel or social workers as needed.
• Provides direct training and counseling to mentally ill and developmentally disabled parents on parenting and household management skills, and teaches families about nutritional meal preparation, budgeting and household care.
• Monitors the medical and psychological care of abused children.
• Supervises visits between parents and children and reports observations to social worker.
• Provides emergency child care.
• Transports or accompanies clients to appointments for service or interviews.
• May testify in juvenile court hearings.
• Assists Social Workers in providing a variety of child and adult social services.
• Acts as liaison between clients and professional staff, individuals and groups in the community serviced.
• Directly assists families in using and learning about the resources of society, particularly medical, legal and employment services.
• Maintains records of work performed, and performs other related work as required.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge of:

• Basic rules and regulations regarding In-Home Support Services, child abuse reporting, and Welfare and Institution Codes.
• Basic community resources useful to clients served, acceptable housekeeping and homemaking standards, including the methods, materials and equipment used in general housekeeping work.
• Basic methods and attitudes involved in the in-home care of physically ill, handicapped or disabled persons and adequate food preparation with limited kitchen equipment.

Ability to:

• Interview persons to obtain a variety of information applicable to the provision of social services.
• Understand and accept differences in human behavior resulting from cultural, economic or other forms of deprivation.
• Effectively instruct physically and mentally disabled adults in parenting and household skills.
• Deal with physically and sexually abused children.
• Prepare basic written reports.
• Recognize and report specific indications of need for social services.
• Maintain confidential information in accordance with legal standards and/or County regulations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers, outside organizations, and the public.

Sixty (60) semester units or ninety (90) quarter units of college, including fifteen (15) semester units or twenty-two and one-half (22.5) quarter units in social welfare, social/human service, sociology, or other social or behavioral science;

OR

Two (2) years of full-time experience providing social services in a public or private setting to disadvantaged adults or children;

OR

A combination of education and comparable experience equivalent to two years of full-time experience which includes a minimum of fifteen (15) semester units or twenty-two and one-half (22.5) quarter units in social or behavioral science. When combining education and experience; fifteen (15) semester units or twenty-two and one-half (22.5) quarter units equal six months of experience. Examples of social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, economics, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, law, nursing, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, public health, religion, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women's studies.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• A valid driver's license will be required at the time of interview. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Positions require pre-employment screening, including background checks, and fingerprinting.
• Government agencies accessing US government information, which includes federal tax information, must ensure that background investigation requirements for all agency employees and contractors that have access to federal tax information are consistent to the IRS background investigation requirements for access to federal tax information. A background check is required for all Social Services positions. Background requirements consist of three components which include fingerprinting, citizenship verification, and local law enforcement checks. Applicable agencies must conduct investigations during time of hire and ensure a reinvestigation is conducted 5 years from the date of the previous background investigation for each employee that has access to federal tax information.
• Lake County is required to verify Employment and Education if a conditional offer of employment is made to an applicant.
• Lake County offers: Flexible Office Hours available for most positions; Monday Friday with a variety of schedules between 6:30am - 7:00pm.
• Work remotely from home available for some positions upon Lake County Department of Social Services Approval.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION

Training & Experience Examination – Weighted 100%

The Training & Experience Examination is designed to elicit a range of specific information regarding each candidate’s knowledge, skill, abilities, and potential to effectively perform the duties relative to the classification. Responses to the questionnaire will be assessed based on pre-determined rating criteria. All applicants must complete the entire examination to receive a score. To obtain a position on the eligible list, candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination.

Examination administration and processing time is approximately one week after the closing date of the job bulletin.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION

A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Lake. The list will be utilized for 12 months after it is established unless the needs of the service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.

RETEST PERIOD

Once you have taken the examination, you may not retest for SIX (6) MONTHS from the established eligibility date.

SPECIAL TEST ARRANGEMENTS

Special testing arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants for disability, military, or religious reasons. If you require such arrangements, please contact CalHR at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io upon notification that your application has been approved. Documentation from medical, military, school or church officials outlining the accommodation request must be received by our office a minimum of five business days prior to a scheduled examination.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTS

If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications, you must attach your transcripts to your application. Applicants with foreign transcripts must provide a transcript evaluation that indicates the number of units to which the foreign course work is equivalent. Transcripts and evaluations may be unofficial; official transcripts may be required upon appointment. Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

GENERAL INFORMATION

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.

General Qualifications:

Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgement, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. As part of the hiring process, a background investigation may be required.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Merit System Services program is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

ABOUT LAKE COUNTY

Nestled inland and to the north of the San Francisco Bay Area, Lake County is rich with geographic history and landmarks. Lake County is home to Clear Lake, which is said to have been formed more than 2 million years ago and is the largest natural freshwater lake in the state of California. As a neighboring county to Napa, Lake County is renowned for growing premium wine grapes, pears, and walnuts, and as certified by the State's Air Resources Board, has the cleanest air in California. Also found in Lake County is Mount Konocti, which was formed from volcanic eruptions between 100,000 and 600,000 years ago. The local economy is based primarily on agriculture, tourism, and the geothermal power industry.