CHILDREN’S SOCIAL WORKER II

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Investigates and evaluates cases of neglected, abused, or exploited children referred to the Department of Children's Services to determine the appropriate child welfare service needs of the child and the family; works with natural parents considering relinquishment of their unborn or born children by helping them to evaluate alternatives which may result in adoption planning or other course of action that best meets the needs of the parent and child; evaluates children to determine the adoptive home that will best meet their needs, and provides the necessary services to help the child move into adoption; evaluates applications for adoption; assists applicants in understanding their motivation and their capacity to meet the needs of adopted children, and their legal rights and obligations; works with children in foster homes and assists foster parents in meeting the social and psychological needs of children; helps children and foster parents understand and accept plans for the child's care; initiates legal action terminating parental custody and control of minors to free children for adoption placement; educates community professionals on the dynamics of child abuse, child abuse reporting laws and the community's responsibility; conducts home visits to assess the endangering situation and to evaluate the degree of risk to a child by interviewing parents and the child in order to determine whether the child should remain in the home or be removed from the home; receives, evaluates and records information from hotline callers alleging abuse or neglect of children and assesses whether the case requires emergency response; provides crisis intervention counseling over the telephone and refers callers to the appropriate agency for further assistance; counsels children and their families to help them understand and assume responsibility for their behavior; assists in evaluating adoption applicants and arranges for the emergency placement of children in shelter care facilities as a result of referrals from law enforcement or other agencies; and develops and utilizes community resources to meet children's needs; works with teachers, psychologists, physicians, and probation officers for joint planning, as appropriate. Operates a County or personal vehicle in order to investigate reports of neglected, abused or exploited children, as needed.
REQUIREMENTS
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:
OPTION I A Master's Degree from an *accredited college or university in Social Work, Marriage and Family Counseling, or Psychological Counseling.
- OR -
OPTION II: A Bachelor’s degree from an *accredited college or university with a major in Psychology, Sociology, Social Welfare, Child Development or a related human services field AND two (2) years paid social work experience providing protective or placement services to children or families with children, or rendering social services towards or dependent children of the court, within the past five years.**

NOTE: Employees performing adoption work are required to have a Master’s degree in Social Work. No other degree can be accepted, nor can any experience be substituted.

**Custodial (group supervision type) services are not qualifying experience. Protective casework services are defined as social work services to children who are abused or neglected (as determined by the court system); or services to families (as required by the court) due to the neglect or abuse of the child, OR prior to court intervention, is the social worker who makes the decision to remove a child from the home for his/her protection. Placement services are adoptive type services.

LICENSE: Some positions in this classification, depending upon assignment, require possession of a valid California Class “C” Driver License to perform job-related essential functions. Candidates offered these positions would be required to show proof of a driver license before appointment.

License Information: Successful applicants for this position will be required to obtain a copy of his/her driving record from the California State Department of Motor Vehicles before being appointed. A copy of your driving record must be presented at the time of your appointment. License must not be suspended, restricted, or revoked. AN APPLICANT WHOSE DRIVING RECORD SHOWS FOUR OR MORE MOVING VIOLATIONS WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS WILL NOT BE APPOINTED.

PHYSICAL CLASS II - Light: Light physical effort which may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit, and some bending, stooping or squatting. Considerable walking may be involved.