Social Service Practitioner III/II/I- Public Defender

Salary : $75,088.00 - $106,100.80 Annually
Location : Throughout San Bernardino County, CA
Job Type: Full-time
Job Number: 26-19621/19620/19617PD-01
Department: Public Defender
Opening Date: 03/07/2026
Closing Date: 6/5/2026 5:00 PM Pacific


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 master's degree in social work will be considered for the SSP I level.
Public Defender's Office


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.
EXCELLENT BENEFITS

To review job-specific, benefits, refer to:
Summary of Benefits

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

The County also offers an alternative Modified Benefits Option (MBO) that provides a wage differential.
San Bernardino County also has reciprocity with CalPERS and other California '37 Act counties.

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 ) 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 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. Please review the information and instructions on how to request .


Please review HERE for important Applicant Information and the County Employment Process
Professional Unit

San Bernardino County offers a range of benefit programs for employees and their eligible dependents. These include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as a variety of other voluntary benefits. Programs and benefit amounts vary and are based on bargaining unit, family size, hire date, plan selection, and number of hours worked.


Please review the appropriate * for more information


Refer to the appropriate MOU, contact the County's Employee Benefits and Services Division at View phone number on click.appcast.io or visit the for more detailed information.

*Retirement benefits subject to change.
01



Availability Requirements : Applicants must be willing to accept an assignment based on department needs in the following locations: San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, or Victorville. Are you willing to accept assignments at any of these locations?

• Yes
• No

02



Preference for Location: Preference for location will be considered wherever possible. Please indicate your 1st choice for assignment in the box below.

• San Bernardino
• Rancho Cucamonga
• Victorville

03


Have you completed a Master of Social Work degree?

• Yes
• No

04


Are you currently enrolled in a Master of Social Work program and expect to complete your degree in 3 months?

• Yes
• No

05


Completion of the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is subject to verification. If your MSW is within three (3) months of completion, you will be required to submit a copy of your conferred MSW degree within one year of hire or you will be subject to termination. Please check box below to indicate you have read and understand these requirements:

• I can provide verification of my MSW degree as required above and understand that if my degree is pending, I must do so within three (3) months of hire or I will be terminated.
• This option is not applicable to me. I have conferred my MSW.

06



Social Service Practitioner Experience : Indicate the experience you have equivalent to a Social Service Practitioner in San Bernardino County. This information will be used to determine your appropriate level of placement.Equivalent experience will include professional/advanced level social work handling the most difficult/complex cases in a government social work agency. Be sure to include and clearly identify this experience in the work history of your application.

• At least 3 years full-time (6,240 service hours) equivalent to a Social Service Practitioner in a government social work agency.
• Less than three years full-time experience equivalent to a Social Service Practitioner in a government social work agency.
• Not Applicable

07


Check the box below to indicate if you have any experience working in a Public Defender's Office. Be sure to include and clearly identify any experience in the work history section of your application.

• I have completed a social work internship or have prior social work experience with San Bernardino County Public Defender's Office.
• I have completed a social work internship or have prior social work experience in another Public Defender's Office.
• I have a prior internship or work experience in a non-social work capacity with a Public Defender's Office.
• I do not have prior experience working in a Public Defender's office.

08


If you have completed a supervised social work internship/practicum, please list the organization where completed, number of hours completed, and duties performed. If no experience, list N/A.
09


Describe your experience conducting bio-psychosocial assessments, including any experience with assessments of youth. Be sure to include your employer, job title, and dates of employment where experience was obtained. If no experience, indicate N/A.
10


Please describe any experience you have with juveniles and juvenile offenders. Include any experience with re-entry, juvenile delinquency support, developing truancy plans, developing placement plans, attending Court proceedings, working with schools, or other related experience. Be sure to include your employer, job title, and dates of employment where experience was obtained. If no experience, indicate N/A.
11



Applicant Acknowledgement - Notification via email: As part of our efforts to increase efficiency and promote conservation of resources, human resources uses email to communicate with applicants. Therefore, all future communications regarding this recruitment, including applicant status and testing notifications, will be made via email. Each applicant needs their own email address. We strongly encourage you, as an applicant, to ensure that the email address you have provided us with your application is current, secure, confidential, and readily accessible to you. Adjust Spam and/or other filters so that our emails are accepted. Please carefully read any notices that we send you and follow any instructions provided in a timely manner. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails (i.e., for the non-delivery of our emails or if you fail to check your e-mail on a timely basis).

• I acknowledge that I have read, understood, and agree to the above.

12
**ATTENTION GMAIL USERS**

We have become aware of an increase in Gmail's spam filter sensitivity. Due to this change, it is possible that emails coming from San Bernardino County Human Resources may be marked as spam and will not make it into your Gmail inbox.


For your convenience, the attached PDF document contains a step-by-step guide to create and apply filters within Gmail. To access the guide, Once downloaded, follow the instructions so that you will receive future emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources.

Note: If you apply the filters and still do not receive emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources you can check your (Neogov) account inbox. All notifications will appear there.

• I understand

13



Applicant Acknowledgement - Application Complete: Thank you for taking the time to complete this application and supplemental questionnaire. Please be sure to review all information provided prior to submitting it as you cannot update or revise it once submitted. Your submitted application will be reviewed and evaluated as is. Please do not refer to a resume or other documentation in lieu of completing the employment history section or responding to the supplemental questions; they will not be reviewed or considered.
Once your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email confirmation will be sent to the email address listed on your application. 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.

• I acknowledge that I have reviewed my application and understand that I will not be able to update or revise any part of it once submitted.

Required Question