• Certified MnCHOICES Assessor with direct assessment experience;
• One or more years of experience in Home and Community Based Services (HCBS-waivers);
• Demonstrated experience in understanding, implementation, and analysis of person-centered practice and diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
• Experience interacting with and providing services to individuals from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds
• Experience and comfort with training and leadership roles

E-Verify Participation: Washington County participates in the federal E-Verify program. This means that Washington County will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. If the Government cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Washington County is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact DHS and/or the SSA before taking adverse action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers may not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants and may not limit or influence the choice of documents you present for use on the Form I-9.
E- Verify Participation Poster
Right to work Poster

The Social Worker, Senior is a lead professional position with significant responsibility for performing complex work in the development, implementation, provision, evaluation and fiscal management of services, programs, grants, and contracts.

Client assignments of a Senior Social Worker may include more complex, sensitive or difficult cases than Social Workers l and ll and is also responsible for the consultation, training and support to Social Workers and professionals in and outside the agency.

A Senior Social Worker may be assigned duties in any of the following units: Family/Children, Licensing, Chemical Health, Adult Mental Health, Development Disabilities, Adult Family Services, Minnesota Family Investment Program/WorkForce Center or Housing.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires a Bachelors Degree in Social Work or related field and four years of full-time work experience as a Social Worker in a public human services agency and/or a private human services agency that contracts services with a public human services agency. A Masters's Degree in Social Work or related field may substitute for up to one year of required Social Worker experience. Required Social Work experience must have occurred after receipt of Bachelor's Degree.

CORE COMPETENCIES, JOB SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED FOR SUCCESSFUL JOB PERFORMANCE
Core Competencies outline essential business and professional traits necessary to perform this job.
• Promote a diverse, culturally competent, and respectful workplace;
• Demonstrates knowledge of social and economic problems and family systems;
• Demonstrates knowledge of interviewing techniques and skills at conducting interviews;
• Demonstrates skills in assessing danger to self and others and can safely intervene in dangerous situations;
• Demonstrates ability to translate complex information into understandable messages;
• Demonstrates ability to apply principles, techniques, ethics and practices of Social Work;
• Demonstrates ability to follow state, federal and county relevant laws, rules, regulations and policies;
• Demonstrates ability to utilize previously acquired knowledge and skills to identify and solve complex situations;
• Demonstrates ability to seek any on-going training requirements of the state Department of Human Services;
• Demonstrates ability to function comfortably in and knowledgeable of legal and court proceedings; and
• Demonstrates ability to serve as a consultant to staff and reviews work of staff to assure compliance to relevant laws, rules, policies and procedures.

Provide assessment and case management services for eligible individuals or families:
• Assist clients in obtaining financial support (Social Security benefits, child support, housing, medical care and treatment for chemical or mental health needs);
• Assess continued client eligibility for county provided services as needed;
• Lead intensive consultations with staff and service providers for case planning, specialized programs and agency procedures;
• Strive to keep clients at home through the use of other community resources and waivers funded by state and federal sources; and
• Explain legal processes and county systems to client families and community partners; and
• Maintain frequent and ongoing client contact either in-person or over the phone.

Provide leadership and guidance to staff team members:
• Provide leadership, team development, direction and case consultation to unit staff;
• Collaborate frequently with team members for consultation on team cases and for review of diagnostic assessments;
• Participate in staff performance evaluations;
• Keep supervisor appraised of issues and problems;
• Assume supervisory duties when supervisor is unavailable; and
• Evaluates training needs, Designs and provides specialized training and orientation to staff as well as service providers.

Assists with department administration:
• Assist in the preparation of program budgets, contracts and reports;
• Compile statistical information and prepare reports;
• Prepare RFPs
• Develop plans for specialized program grants;
• Design, recommend, implement and evaluate designated programs, policies and procedures
• Make recommendations for changes to make current practices more efficient;
• Analyze and interpret state/federal rules and regulations; and
• Promote culturally competent social work practices.

Raise Community awareness and support of social work issues:
• Design and facilitate specialized training and orientation to the community;
• Represent the department in the community, at policy forums and at inter-agency meetings; and
• Coordinate and/or lead various task forces, committees and multi-disciplinary teams at the local and state level.

Perform all duties of a Social Worker II and may include management of a complex caseload.

Perform other duties as assigned.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Semi-sedentary involving office and outside field work. Lifting requirement may include lifting up to 20 pounds. Exposures may include but not be limited to disagreeable odors, communicable diseases, bodily fluids and behavior challenges. Use of general office equipment to include telephone, cell phone, pager, personal computer, laptop computer, electronic recorder, calculator, etc. Additional physical/mental requirements that occur may not be listed above, but are inherent in performing the position's essential functions.

This job description is intended to describe the kinds of tasks and level of work difficulty being performed by people assigned to this classification. The list of responsibilities is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. The County retains the discretion to add or change the contents of this job description at any time.