Social Worker II

Social Services Professional

Guilford County Government is committed to empowering successful people to thrive in a strong community supported by quality government.

General statement of duties:

This is professional-level work involving the provision of both direct and indirect services to clients and/or their families. Work is carried out in a variety of public health, mental health, or social services settings and focuses upon the restoration of the client's physical, social, and economic functioning. Clients often experience poor parent-child relationship, abuse/neglect, interpersonal difficulties, changes in family structures, mental illness, behavioral discord, family conflicts, problem pregnancies, failure to thrive, and mental retardation. Positions are typically located in family and children services in such programs as adoptions, foster care, and foster home finding within the department of social services; individual and family outpatient settings in mental health environments; and family planning/maternity and child health clinics to name a few. In some components, such as emergency services, employees provide a complete range of services during non-traditional office hours.

Employees at this level perform many of the same duties performed by social worker I positions, but work requires more intensive or specialized services; employees respond to the more complex individual, family, health, or personal problems. Severe physical illnesses and mental disorders are generally referred to a social work clinician or physician.

Work involves evaluating the client's situations and his/her ability to deal with it, developing a social history, psychosocial assessment, service plan and/or treatment plan and follow-up. Services may include placement in a residential facility or foster home or could include a provision to return the client to their natural home environment. Basic counseling, support, crisis intervention, and reinforcement are provided in areas such as death and dying, medical, health, personal or family adjustment, or behavioral management. Employees address such problems as adjustment to illness or disability, placement into an institution, rest home, foster home or nursing facility; financial concerns; socialization issues of the socially handicapped or those debilitated by age or illness; physical, emotion, and educational needs. Workers provide information to and confer with schools, natural parents and foster parents and other service providers on habilitation plans, behavior management, and other problem areas or needs.

Employees may be involved in the recruitment, evaluation, and training of foster parents and other care providers. Employees may make monthly visits to homes for the aged, developmentally disabled, nursing, or domiciliary homes; ensure compliance with state standards for such facilities; and report on the home's compliance with fire, health, and safety standards. When irregularities are found, employees request a plan of correction within a specific time frame. In these same settings, employees investigate complaints of reported violations, of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Employees act as advocates for residents by working with administrators to examine individual client needs both within and outside the home. Employees develop community or service resources and/or develop volunteer programs. In certain treatment settings, workers participate on habilitation and/or treatment teams and provide the social work perspective.

Greater variety and complexity typify caseloads at this level. As a result, employees must exercise more problem-solving abilities. Intervention and follow-up activities require knowledge and use of more advanced treatment models, techniques, or methodologies. Work may include the supervision and training of lower-level social workers or paraprofessional staff. Positions at this level can be differentiated from that of the social worker I by the variety and complexity of cases, difficulty and intensity of personal contacts, greater independence of action, problem-solving, and the theoretical knowledge required to perform the work found at the social worker I level. Employees report to a higher level professional or social work supervisor.

Examples of duties:

Duties and responsibilities:

Variety and scope: employees independently perform assessments to identify needs and establish an appropriate service/treatment plan and may provide supportive/directive counseling to clients and families. In some settings, behavioral approaches are used to maximize client involvement. Employees may serve as inter/multi-disciplinary team members. Employees may refer clients and families to a variety of services to meet financial, psychological, emergency care, emotional, or other needs. Employees may assume a case manager role to follow the client through the provision of agency and/or external services.

Intricacy: clients present employees with a broad range of service needs. Clients may have multiple problems that require referrals and/or coordination of other services. Employees, regardless of the setting, must be able to make accurate assessments/evaluations and use analysis and judgment to develop an appropriate service/treatment plan. Employees utilize knowledge of a range of services and of supportive and other counseling techniques.

Subject matter complexity: work requires an understanding of social work practices and theories, an understanding of the availability and interactions of a variety of community services and agencies and of a wide range of service providers. Some settings require knowledge of medical terminology and disease processes and/or mental retardation/developmental programs and behavior management techniques.

Guidelines: employees utilize agency guidelines and specific federal or state standards. In order to provide services to clients, principles of a variety of supporting counseling techniques are applied.

Responsibility:

Nature of instructions: work is performed independently using established procedures. Employees are aware of the aims and objectives of the program and the services being provided. Employees are made aware of new program requirements and regulations through periodic conferences and/or consultation with social work supervisors or other professional staff.

Nature of review: direct client interactions, services development, and referrals are documented and placed in the client's case record in accordance with agency requirements. Work is reviewed through submission of periodic reports and routine conferences with supervisor.

Scope of decisions: decisions regarding assessments and services impact on individual clients and their families; employees may provide direction or instruction to paraprofessional staff, volunteers, or care providers.

Consequence of decisions: service/treatment decisions affect the client, family, and facility operations and impact on the social, psychological, emotional, or physical health of the client.

Interpersonal communications:

Scope of contacts: work requires contact with clients, family members and other professional disciplines and service agencies. Contacts may also include volunteers, foster/natural parents, court officials, schools, nursing homes, interns, and residents.

Nature and purpose: employees work with clients, families, habilitation/treatment teams in the development and implementation of individual plans. Contact with other professionals is required in the coordination of services, provision of program orientation and consultation to community.

Other work demands:

Work conditions: employees work in a variety of settings that range from modern public service buildings, residential facilities, institutions or home environments; odors and noise may be present due to the functioning or poverty level of some clients.

Hazards: employees may experience emotional stress due to the nature of interactions with clients or service providers. In some settings, behavioral problems such as aggression of clients and/or family members could cause bodily injury for employees.

Recruitment standards knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Considerable knowledge of social work principles, techniques, and practices, and their application to individual casework, group work, and community problems. Knowledge of the psychosocial, socioeconomic and behavioral problems and their treatment. Knowledge of governmental and private organizations and community resources. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies which govern the program. General knowledge of medical terminology, disease processes and their treatment may be required in certain programs or settings. Skill in establishing rapport with a client and applying techniques of assessing psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological aspects of client's problem. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with administrative supervisors, members of case load and their families, with civic, medical, social, and religious organizations, and with care providers and various community organizations. Ability to express ideals clearly and concisely. Ability to plan and execute work.

Typical qualifications:

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in a human services field from an accredited college/university
• Bachelors degree from an accredited college/university and one year of related experience
• Must have possession of an appropriate driver's license issued by the State of North Carolina
• A motor vehicle record (MVR), background check, and drug screening will be conducted on candidates considered for positions

Residency requirement:

Candidate must reside within a two-hour driving radius of Guilford County to be considered for employment.

Transcripts are required. Copy of transcript must be submitted with application for consideration. Official college transcripts required at time of hire.

Driving is essential: driving is an essential requirement of this position whether driving a county owned or personal vehicle to conduct county business. Motor vehicle reports may be verified for valid driver's license and that the driving record is compatible with the county's driving criteria. If a personal vehicle is operated for county business proper insurance is maintained as per Guilford County's vehicle use policy.