Social Services Assistant - Multiple Locations

About The Position

The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) seeks to establish a pool of candidates to fill future vacant Social Services Assistant positions throughout Riverside County (Western, Southern, Mid-County, and Desert Regions), with immediate vacancies in the Children's Services Division (CSD).

The selected candidate will be responsible for a variety of tasks depending on the position, including conducting recruitment orientations, performing outreach to clients, coordinating care and services for clients, including transporting clients to appointments, monitoring children during visitations, and assisting with caregiver enrollment. Additional responsibilities will include attending job fairs, supporting candidates in completing applications, coordinating meetings and appointments, and handling fieldwork.

Children's Services Division Candidates

Candidates will be responsible for assisting Children's Social Services Practitioners in managing their caseloads by confirming appointments, providing outreach to clients, conducting follow-up home visits for picking up and dropping off materials, assisting clients with accessing community resources, and interacting with and transporting clients throughout Riverside County. Candidates may also provide interpretation services for Children's Social Services Practitioners if they are in a bilingual capacity.

Competitive candidates will have experience serving clients in a social services capacity, previous experience with a Children's Services Division, be capable of managing a high volume caseload, and possess knowledge to determine potential or imminent risk to the safety of children or older adults.

Meet the Team!

The County of Riverside Department of Public Social Services has served Riverside County for a century and now help more than 1 million people each year access vital services in the tenth most populous county in the nation. With over 4,000 employees, we support working class individuals and families who are struggling with low income. We offer access to health care coverage, temporary financial assistance, employment programs and training, and services that protect children and adults from abuse and neglect. We do all of this through our five divisions: Administration, Adult Services, Children’s Services, Self Sufficiency, and Fiscal and Forecasting.

Examples Of Essential Duties

• Make home visits to assess client family environment, including, but not limited to, determining potential or imminent risk to the health and safety of clients and/or youth residing in the household on previously assessed cases by social workers; provide assistance, answer questions, gather data from interviews with clients, physicians, public or private agencies, and/or other appropriate sources.
• Review case records to formulate basic service plans or participates with professional staff in the formulation of service plans; assist in the delivery of social service plans (e.g., resource referrals and training in work skills and parenting), and other case management related duties.
• Assist or complete on behalf of clients application forms for County program participation and/or in obtaining needed services (e.g., medical care, CalFresh, vouchers, restraining orders); advocate for clients in securing services, provide encouragement and support to clients in attaining, preserving, and following through on services.
• Assist clients in recognizing and correcting home, family, and social conditions contributing to problems; instruct clients on appropriate methods of home management, basic health, and nutrition needs; provide supportive counseling to clients.
• Assist clients in developing appropriate parenting skills, job skills and daily living skills; assist clients to resolve training barriers; teach age-appropriate responses to youth; support client's efforts in dealing with youth, including those with medical and/or emotional problems; interact with clients to gather data on progress in learning and performing basic skills.
• Act as liaison between professional staff and clients through clarifying instructions and providing information on basic social services, County programs, and available community resources; act as liaison between County departments and agencies, organizations, community groups and individuals.
• Assist clients in arranging for transportation to obtain County services and/or attend required service appointments, etc. (e.g., mandated Court ordered services, including but not limited to, drug testing, medical, therapy), transport clients and/or youth in accordance with all California safety regulations, including the use of age-appropriate mandated safety equipment and managing assistive equipment (e.g., wheelchair, walker) for elderly or disabled clients; assist social worker in the placement of clients who are unable to care for themselves in an appropriate care or treatment facility.
• Supervise and support youth while awaiting placement; gather and inventory belongings, including medications and deliver during placement transitions; supervise youth during visitation with parents, siblings, family members, court hearings, therapy appointments, etc., in accordance with safety regulations protecting the youth, social services workers, and members of the public; document and provide feedback on the quality of the visitation.
• Write reports on client statuses, searches conducted on locating missing/absent parents/guardians for custody proceedings, and other case management related reports; prepare correspondences under the review of professional staff; maintain current electronic records of client visitation, client statuses, and other tracking and/or documentation as required in the centralized database; acts as an interpreter for non-English speaking clients when applicable.

Minimum Qualifications

OPTION I

Experience: Six months as a Community Services Assistant in any Riverside County department.

OPTION II

Experience: One year experience performing client directed services in either a social service, healthcare, mental health, or non-county (public or private) agency and/or organization.

OPTION III

Education: Completion of 15 semester or 24 quarter units from an accredited college or university preferably with course work in psychology, sociology, social welfare, social/human services, other behavioral sciences, or a related field to the assignment.

ALL OPTIONS

Knowledge of: Basic public social service programs at the state and local level; basic principles of public assistance policies, laws, rules, and regulations governing public social services agencies; current issues, in the field of social services; behavioral patterns of the disadvantaged; cultural and ethnic attitudes towards community and social services; basic principles of interviewing and problem-solving methods.

Ability to: Work effectively with a wide variety of agencies, organizations, and individuals; interview, evaluate clients and recognize the relevant and significant factors pertaining to their needs; implement basic social service plans and monitor client's progress toward established goals; understand and evaluate basic psychological, cultural, and social factors affecting behavioral patterns; explain department procedures ; , interpret agency programs and policies to clients, agencies, and organizations; read and interpret information obtained from computers, microfilms, and written documents; obtain information in a non-intrusive but persuasive manner; interact effectively with people from diverse cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.

Other Requirements: License/Certificate: Possession of a valid California Driver’s License is required.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

For questions regarding this recruitment

Contact Lital Slobodsky at [email protected] or 951-955-5005 with any questions regarding this recruitment. Please allow 1-2 business days for a response to general inquiries.

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APPLICATION INFORMATION

Veteran's Preference

The County has a Veterans Preference Policy applicable to new hires. To qualify, upload a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 indicating dates of service, and a copy of your spouse's letter of disability (if applicable) with your application. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference. The Veterans Preference Policy, C-3 is available here: https://rivcocob.org/board-policies

Reasonable Accommodations

The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: https://rc-hr.com/disability

Proof of Education

If using education to qualify or when requested by the recruiter, upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account at the time of application and before the closing date. Official or unofficial transcripts will be accepted.

If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).

Work Authorization Requirement

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application. The County of Riverside does not participate in visa sponsorship programs, including H1-B visas, and will not provide sponsorship for any employment-based visas.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The County of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the County of Riverside to provide equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, or denial of medical and family care leave, or any other non-job-related factors.

Pre-Employment

All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of pre-employment requirements including a criminal background investigation, which involves fingerprinting. (A felony or misdemeanor conviction may disqualify the applicant from County employment). A pre-employment physical examination and background check may be required.

Probationary Period

As an Approved Local Merit System, all County of Riverside employees, except those serving "At Will," are subject to the probationary period provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, County Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Temporary and Per Diem employees serve at the pleasure of the agency/department head.

General Information

Current County of Riverside and/or current employees of the hiring department may receive priority consideration. Qualified candidates may be considered for future County vacancies.

Job postings may close without notice based on application volume. Submit your complete application by the recruitment close date; no late applications are accepted. Ensure all relevant experience/education is reflected on your application/resume, as a failure to demonstrate position requirements may disqualify applicants. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.

Please read and follow any special application instructions on this posting. Click the 'Apply' link located on this page to submit your application. For additional instructions on the application process, examinations, Veteran's preference, pre-employment accommodation or other employment questions, please refer to our web site, www.rc-hr.com .

If you are experiencing technical problems, you may contact the governmentjobs.com applicant support desk Monday through Friday, 6 am to 5 pm Pacific Time at [email protected] or toll-free 1-855-524-5627.