Positions at this level serve as a lead worker and perform advanced level specialized case management conducting investigations of abandonment, abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, personal exploitation or self-neglect of vulnerable adults and children.

Positions lead and provide coaching, mentoring, on the job training and assistance in the transition of staff from a formal training program to fieldwork. Positions also respond to difficult, publicly scrutinized, and/or high profile investigations of severe, high risk, life-threatening allegations of abandonment, abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and self- neglect involving vulnerable individuals. These cases are made difficult by factors such as internal/external audit or review, media coverage, public scrutiny, heightened political interest, and multiple private party involvements.

Provides training, mentoring, feedback and consultation ¬on technical issues, concerns and policies and procedures to staff who conduct assessment, service planning and investigations in the community and licensed and/or certified settings;

In the supervisor’s absence attends meetings and provides supervisory coverage;

Interprets and presents state and federal regulations to clients and families, established boards, citizen groups, providers/vendors and others concerned and involved with vulnerable individuals;

Conducts interviews in high risk, volatile situations posing a high risk of danger, including interviewing alleged perpetrators;

Provides training and monitoring and conducts quality assurance on publicly exposed crisis cases;

In conjunction with the supervisor, assigns and audits work, detects error trends, identifies training needs and reviews case actions for accuracy and provides feedback for annual performance evaluations;

Assesses/evaluates, monitors, makes recommendations and plans for family support services, including respite care programs for adults, developmental disability programs, therapies and family/child protective services;

Serves as case management lead for those cases determined by the supervisor to be potentially and/or exceptionally volatile;

Provides assistance with the coverage of assigned/unit caseloads in the absence of an assigned social service specialist;

Provides departmental training, peer consultation, and mentoring on cases;

Advises staff on appropriate assessment and intervention techniques, community and departmental resources, and caseload management;

Performs liaison educational and program functions between the agency and community social services, educational, law enforcement, medical and judicial agencies;

Prepares written and oral reports, documentation, inter-/intra-agency communications regarding program areas;

Implements and interprets policies and procedures;

Performs other related work as required.

Knowledge of: social service principles and practices; goals and objectives of case planning and assessment, risk assessment, protecting vulnerable adults and children living in their own home and in licensed and certified settings; laws, rules and regulations; investigative and casework principles and practices; social and economic conditions which affect the work of a public social service agency; interviewing techniques; social problems which call for the use of public and private community resources; principles of individual and social development, vocational counseling, and psychology; medical terminology and services; job training and educational resources; other community resources.
Ability to: lead, mentor, teach and train others, learn and act upon new information; work cooperatively with individuals and groups and to coordinate investigations, survey or inspections; exercise mature and sound judgment in problem solving, the decision making process, and in responding to complex volatile situations.

One year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 3.

 

OR

 

Three years of experience as a Social Service Specialist 2. 

OR

 

A Bachelor’s degree or higher in social services, criminal law/justice or an allied field and four years of experience as a Social Service Specialist 2.

 

OR

 

A Master’s degree in social services, criminal law/justice or an allied field and two years of paid social service experience equivalent to a Social Service Specialist 2.

 

NOTE:  A two-year Master's degree in one of the above fields that included a practicum may be substituted for one year of paid social service experience.

NOTE:  Employees must successfully complete the formal training course sponsored by their division within one year of their appointment.