County of Santa Barbara is hiring: Case Worker in Santa Barbara
County of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
Description
SALARY
$34.49 - $41.29 Hourly
$71,737.12 - $85,881.12 Annually
Bilingual allowance when applicable.
Special Duty Assignment allowance when regularly assigned to a Psychiatric Health Facility.
We are accepting applications to fill four (4) full-time Case Worker vacancies in Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Santa Maria. The current vacancies are in the Behavioral Wellness Department (BWELL). This recruitment will also be used to fill future vacancies in the Public Defender's Office.
Location of Vacancies: We are accepting applications to establish one employment list for current and future Full-Time, Part-Time, and Extra Help (temporary) and *1414 vacancies for Case Worker in multiple locations which include Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc. Therefore, you must check the Individual Location(s) on the application, work types, and departments where you would be willing to accept an assignment for current and future employment. If you qualify for this position and pass the required selection steps, your name may be sent to the hiring department for the vacancy locations where you have expressed interest in working.
*1414 vacancies may occur as a result of a leave of absence (Civil Service Rule 1414) and the duration of the appointment shall be subject to the return of the individual who is on leave. A person who is appointed to a position under Civil Service Rule 1414 may be able to transition into a regular position in the classification without re-application or re-testing, depending on the performance of the appointee and the needs of the department.
This position is utilized by two departments in the County of Santa Barbara. Each Case Worker's duties vary from one department to another, depending on the needs of the department and the nature of the work that you will be performing. The work schedule for this position will depend upon the needs of the Department.
THE POSITION
Under supervision, the incumbent assures continuity of care for clients in a community behavioral health program or as part of the defense team for indigent clients in the legal system; and performs related duties as required. Incumbents in this class work within a system of interdisciplinary departmental teams and/or contract service agencies providing assessment, prevention, intervention, treatment, and related ancillary support services via an integrated service delivery system to people with alcohol and other drug-related problems, mental illness, and/or co-occurring conditions.
The Ideal Candidate will:
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Experience with clients diagnosed with severe and/or persistent mental illness
- Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
- Good time management skills
- Strong conflict management resolution skills
- Excellent customer service skills
- Demonstrated computer literacy
- Experience with electronic health records
- Ability to complete medical record documentation within very stringent timeliness requirements.
- Ability to accurately document files and maintain moderate case load
- Ability to read, write, converse in English and Spanish may be preferred for some positions
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENTS:
Department of Behavioral Wellness:
Founded in 1962, it is the mission of the Department of Behavioral Wellness (BWELL) to promote the prevention of and recovery from mental illness and addiction among individuals, families and communities, by providing effective leadership and delivering state-of-the-art, culturally competent services. The Department provides treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to 10,000 clients with mental illness and substance use disorders annually through its professional staff of over 400, in addition to its many contracted Community-Based Organization (CBO) providers.
For more information, please visit: www.countyofsb.org/behavioral-wellness.
About the BWELL programs with current vacancies:
CHILDREN'S OUTPATIENT SERVICES: These positions work as part of the treatment teams at the Santa Maria Children's Outpatient Clinic, Lompoc Children's Outpatient Clinic, and Santa Barbara Children's Outpatient Clinic serving children, teens, and Transitional Age Youth by providing individual, family and or group rehab and skill training. Experience/training in the following areas: Understanding of the impact of trauma in children, teens, and Transitional Age Youth Family Systems knowledge; Screening , Evaluation and Treatment planning; Providing Individual, Family, and/or Group rehab and skill training; work with children or teens involved with gangs or juvenile probation; work with children in the foster care system and collaboration with Child Welfare Services; work with schools, children in Special Education or with IEP; Crisis Intervention with children; other relevant experience. The current vacancy is in Santa Barbara.
COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE, RECOVERY AND EMPOWERMENT (CARE) COURT - The case workers on this team focus on providing individuals with mental health and substance use disorders the support and care they need. They will be conducting outreach and engagement to members of the community who are referred for CARE Court. Work is primarily in the community meeting clients where they are at and assisting them in getting linked to services. CARE Court is aimed at helping a select group of individuals who meet specific qualifying criteria that includes a psychotic disorder diagnosis and need additional support to engage in treatment services. CARE Court connects a person struggling with untreated mental illness - and often also substance use challenges - with a court-ordered Care Plan for up to 24 months. Each plan is managed by a care team in the community and can include individualized interventions with several supportive services, medication, and a housing plan, if indicated. The current vacancies are in Lompoc and Santa Maria.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH LINKAGES -
The Department of Behavioral Wellness will be supporting with mental health linkage for individuals with SPMI disorders currently in custody both in and out of Santa Barbara County. The Behavioral Health Linkages (BH Linkages) program's case worker will support individuals transitioning from correctional facilities into the community with warm hand-offs to appropriate services by providing a range of resources aimed at ensuring stability and reducing recidivism. This includes access to medications, linking clients to essential healthcare services, mental health treatment, and substance use programs, as well as securing housing and other community resources. Working alongside the BH Linkages Practitioner, the Case Worker will receive referrals from jail discharge planners, review discharge plans developed by jail discharge planners, work to engage with the individual while still in jail to build rapport and begin setting up post release appointments with services as outlined in the discharge plan and the Practitioners comprehensive assessment and treatment plan. This will include linkage to long-term clinics and community resources support while transitioning to appropriate level of care. The BH Linkages Case Worker will be required to meet with individuals in the jails as well as in the community post jail release. The BH Linkages Case Worker will coordinate with jail discharge planners, BWELL outpatient programs, SUD Care Coordinators, Enhanced Case Management providers and the Public Health Department, to ensure the individual has appropriate discharge appointments in place prior to release, provide reminder phone calls and assist with transportation to appointments as available.
Case workers will collaborate with community partners and multidisciplinary teams to address both immediate and long-term needs of individuals for successful community reintegration. The current vacancy can be based in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, or Lompoc and countywide travel may be required for this position.
Public Defender's Office:
The County of Santa Barbara Public Defenders represent people living in poverty and who have been traditionally marginalized from a holistic and client-centered perspective. We stand with our clients every day in many courtrooms across Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and Lompoc. Standing with our clients includes bringing to bear resources of lawyers, legal office professionals, investigators, social workers, IT professionals, and other professionals to craft the best defenses and most successful reentry plans that elevate our client's needs. Public defenders in Santa Barbara County work every day with people living on the street, living with a lack of appropriate services, and living with a host of complex needs. We use the tools of litigation, trial, negotiation, diversion, and services-based solutions to assist our clients every day. We walk with adults and children into arraignments, misdemeanor, felony, trial, and advocate in mental health, veterans, and drug specialty courts to avoid the potentially lifelong and crushing aftermath of criminal cases, involuntary commitment, as well as probate or conservatorship situations. We enhance public safety by upholding the constitutional and statutory rights of our community and honor their spaces, stories, and struggles. We are an organization that grapples with issues of racial justice and equity to heal the injustices that influence our community daily. Within the Department is the Community Defender Division. The Community Defender Division (CDD) continues to provide compassionate and tireless advocacy and services for our clients while simultaneously seeking long-term systemic changes to improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. CDD combines the knowledge and expertise of social workers, housing advocates, resource specialists and attorneys to address the entire person and all of the underlying causes for involvement with the criminal justice system. Further, we work alongside community-based organizations to create more opportunities for restoration, healing, and the future success of our clients.Examples of Duties
- Provides care management, crisis evaluations, and evaluations for involuntary hospitalization; interviews clients to obtain pertinent information including psychiatric, social, educational, and vocational history; makes field visits to evaluate clients to determine needs for services; assists clients in obtaining suitable services such as housing, vocational rehabilitation, financial assistance, and employment; helps clients develop necessary skills for everyday living; provides transportation for clients to obtain needed services; cooperates with other agencies and professionals to coordinate services for mutual clientele.
- Participates in interdisciplinary team reviews for collaborative assessment and treatment planning to ensure quality care; conducts social, recreational, or occupational skill development in accordance with the treatment plan; observes and reports to licensed staff observations of client's behaviors; confers with licensed staff regarding needed services and referrals to other community agencies.
- Serves as a point of contact to community agencies or contract service providers when programmatic issues arise.
- Documents client activity according to established departmental guidelines under supervision of licensed professional staff.
Employment Standards
Applicants must meet the employment standards (minimum qualifications) list below to be considered for this position. Detailed information should be included in the application.
- Possession of a bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology, social work, or other behavioral science related to the mental health field; OR,
- Completion of 30 semester units or 45 quarter units that included at least 15 semester units or 22 quarter units in psychology, sociology, social work, or other behavioral science related to the mental health field AND two (2) years of experience performing duties equivalent to Behavioral Wellness Recovery Assistant with the County of Santa Barbara; OR,
- a combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.
NOTE: Applicants who are currently in their final quarter or semester of study leading to the required degree are encouraged to apply. Such applicants may compete in the examination process but may not be considered for appointment until they have attained the required degree.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Driver's License: A valid driver's license is required at the time of application. A valid California Class C Driver's License is required at the time of appointment.Knowledge of: characteristics of emotional and mental disorders; and correct English grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraphing.
Ability to: read, understand, and follow detailed departmental procedures and state and federal laws and regulations; learn practices of care management including evaluating needs of clients, referring clients to resources, and providing skill development for clients; learn principles of paraprofessional counseling including conflict resolution and crisis intervention; learn about resources for social, health, welfare, and related services within communities served; provide services to clients from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds; elicit from and communicate information to people with psychiatric disabilities and systematically and concisely record such data using correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling; interview clients to obtain information for crisis intervention; communicate effectively with clients and staff; work effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary team; respond supportively and empathetically to people with psychiatric disabilities; maintain calm, supportive demeanor in crisis situations; and understand and follow verbal and written instructions.
Supplemental Information
APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:
- Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
- Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking: Candidates' response to the required supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and autoscored. Candidates' final score and rank on the employment list will be determined by their responses to the supplemental questionnaire. This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 16 qualified candidates.
Applicants must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the supplemental questionnaire to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive written notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.
Veteran's Preference Points: Veteran's preference credit is applicable for this recruitment (5 points for veterans, 10 points for disabled veterans). To be eligible for this credit, you must be applying for this position within five years from your most recent date of: (1) honorable discharge from active military service; or, (2) discharge from a military or veterans' hospital where treatment and confinement were for a disability incurred during active military service; or, (3) completion of education or training funded by a Federal Educational Assistance Act. No time limit exists for veterans with 30% or more disability.
To receive veteran's preference points, you must: (1) check the Veteran's Preference Points box on the employment application form, (2) submit a copy of your Form DD214 to the Human Resources Department by attaching it to your application, and (3) pass all phases of the examination process. The preference points will be added to your final test score.
CONDITIONAL JOB OFFER:
- Live Scan and Background Check: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, the selected candidate's appointment is contingent upon successful completion of a Live Scan and background check which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks. A Live Scan is electronic fingerprint scanning that is certified by the State Department of Justice. Further instructions about when and how to complete the Live Scan will be included in the offer letter. Appointee will be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination.
- The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.
Background Investigation: Finalists for positions in this class will be required to pass a pre-offer, job-related background investigation.
Recruiters will communicate with applicant by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.
BENEFITS: For more information on County of Santa Barbara benefits click on the Benefits Tab above or click HERE. In addition, applicants from the public sector employers may qualify for retirement reciprocity and time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate.
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:
The County of Santa Barbara is dedicated to cultivating and sustaining an environment that exhibits equity and inclusion everywhere, and at all levels of our organization. The County believes equity is a fundamental principle that must be imbedded in policies, institutional practices and systems. The County recognizes the negative impacts of systemic racism and is committed to eliminating the barriers affecting our Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian community members, as well as people of other diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. We envision a world where society and its systems (e.g. education, criminal justice, and health care, housing the economy) are just, fair, and inclusive, enabling all people to participate and reach their full potential.
We celebrate community and employee diversity, strive for inclusion and belonging, and promote empowered participation. We aspire to build a workforce that is reflective of these values and the communities we serve. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will resolutely uphold federal, California state law and/or Santa Barbara County ordinances.
We believe equity and inclusion are vital to fulfill the County's mission and to embody a culture of "One County, One Future." Expanding the full range of employee talent allows the County to deliver our best to all our community members.
We believe in the dignity and humanity of all people. We strive for a healthy and prosperous society that promotes all people having equitable access and opportunity.
Disaster Service Worker: Pursuant to Governmental code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.
Leza Patatanian, Recruitment Analyst - lpatatanian@countyofsb.org