Public Defender Mitigation Specialist

One current vacancy with the Public Defender’s office in Visalia and Porterville. This recruitment will establish an employment list to fill current and future. The anticipated life of the list is six months.

Typical Duties

Maintain clinical contact with clients and professional notation using therapeutic modalities; write clinical memoranda based off of client contact, as well as review of medical records and social science research, to develop social histories satisfying the requirements for Mental Health Diversion (i.e. P.C. §1001.35-§1001.36), Youthful Offender Parole and Post-Conviction Relief (e.g. P.C. §3041, P.C. §3046, P.C. §3051, P.C. §4801, et seq. ), and Juvenile Transfer Hearings (WIC §707(b)), as well as a range of case types entailing similar statutory and ethical requirements for intensive research of clinical and traumatic histories of defendants; satisfy the requirements of People v. Franklin, 63 Cal. 4th 261 (2016) and Miller v. Alabama 567 U.S. 460 (2012), preserving records of a juvenile or youthful defendant’s decision-making capacity and capacity to appreciate the gravity of their actions, dependency, developmental maturity, impact of familial and peer relations, mental health, material hardships, capacity for rehabilitation, and the context of youthful offense. Satisfy clinical requirements of Supplementary Guidelines of the American Bar Association for Capital Mitigation 5.1 (B, C, D, and E) and 10.11 (B, C, D, E, and F), in collaboration with the defense team and expert witnesses; manage a caseload involving complex casework in the most difficult social service and mental health areas; conduct advanced level psychosocial assessment, diagnostic impressions, and clinical interventions for Public Defender clients identifying strengths, needs, and barriers to resources for Public Defender clients and their families; perform initial diagnostic evaluation noting behavioral symptoms, which may indicate organic and/or mental health disorders, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders of Public Defender clients to gain psychosocial narratives and insights that highlight mitigating factors contributing to or resulting from criminal justice system involvement; develop, implement and monitor intensive-, long- and short-term treatment plans with the aim of improving or restoring individual or family functioning; provide casework and program consultation to staff members; perform crisis intervention services; determine triage level and refer for appropriate services; gather comprehensive psycho-social and medical information to make a clinical determination of the scope of the individual’s mental health-related condition and need for care; conduct follow-up activities including identifying referrals, facilitating linkages to other providers, and monitoring progress toward meeting treatment goals; coordinate the delivery of treatment provided for complex or multiple needs, including developing specialized resources, linking the treatment providers, and performing treatment maintenance activities; analyze behavioral health and other records (school, medical, psychiatric) in collaboration with attorneys and external forensic experts who conduct evaluations of Public Defender clients; prepare written psychosocial assessments, treatment plans, and/or collections of social science research for submission to the courts; draft reports for court submission; prepare written mitigation and alternative disposition recommendations for court submission; advocate for Public Defender clients across various court, interagency, and therapeutic settings, including the submission of testimony before county criminal, juvenile, and collaborative courts; assist attorneys on developing mitigation evidence in juvenile transfer hearings, capital cases, and related cases requiring extensive mitigation research; cultivate relationships with community partners, criminal justice partners, healthcare providers, and social service providers to increase access to services; assess for substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders, identify clients who require Medical Assisted Treatment (MAT), and refer clients to available resources as appropriate; analyze factors which exert an adverse effect upon health problems, treatment, or recovery, or which may contribute to or are responsible for mental illness or affect the potential for rehabilitation. Maintain detailed records and case notes of Public Defender client interactions, progress, causes and challenges for continuity of care between providers; manage assigned caseload; prepare narratives and reports, documents, and correspondence regarding client status, maintain case files, provide oral and written advocacy in criminal proceedings; provide consultation to attorneys, experts, and all defense team members; identify, locate and interview a variety of witnesses; identify, collect and review a vast array of records; identify and analyze issues in the case; maintain confidentiality of all information and materials handled; interpret rules, regulations, and policies to clients; may plan, develop and make presentations; may act as a lead worker within a unit in the absence of the supervisor; work holiday, evening and weekend hours; travel significantly throughout California and out-of-state; essential job duties may be assigned that are not listed above but are relative to this job classification. (Reasonable accommodation will be made when requested and determined by the County to be appropriate under applicable law.)

Minimum Qualifications

Education/Experience: Completion of a two-year master's degree program in one of the following areas: social work; marriage, family, and child counseling; marital and family therapy; psychology; clinical psychology; or counseling psychology; obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.

Knowledge of : Principles and techniques of interviewing, counseling, psychotherapy, and treatment modalities; laws, rules and regulations affecting the work of social workers in a Public Defender’s office; techniques for assessing psychosocial issues, sufficient to develop, implement and monitor treatment plans; caseload management methods and techniques; local socioeconomic conditions affecting the use of public and private community resources; specialized aid programs; laws and regulations governing clinical practice; laws and regulations governing attorney-client privilege; scope of practice as a social worker within a Public Defender’s Office; current issues and methodologies in the field of mitigation and public defense social work; general principles of public assistance policies and programs; community resources available to assist clients; caseload management methods and techniques.

Skill/Ability to: Work and communicate effectively with people of various education and socioeconomic backgrounds by respecting beliefs, interpersonal styles and behaviors of both clients and co-workers; operate contemporary office equipment inclusive of computer, keyboard, and all applicable electronic equipment; manage a caseload; gather comprehensive psycho-social and medical information to develop diagnostic impressions; develop, implement and monitor treatment plans in the more difficult casework areas; assess health, medical, personal, and psychological factors; act effectively in stressful situations; accept and use consultative supervision as appropriate; analyze situations and adopt effective course of action; verbally communicate and explain technical information to people of various socioeconomic, cultural, and educational backgrounds; read, interpret and explain rules, regulations, policies and procedures pertaining to both mental health and social services programs; write clear, concise, grammatically correct case narratives, reports, records and letters; establish rapport with clients and families; establish and maintain an effective working relationship with agency staff, community groups and organizations and the general public.

License or Certificate: Possession of a valid Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Marriage, Family and Child Counselor (MFT) license issued by the State of California, Board of Behavioral Sciences; possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid California driver’s license.

DESIRABLE EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:

Skills/Abilities: Spanish Bilingual; demonstrated interest in or exposure to individuals involved in the criminal legal system; type/keyboard accurately at a speed of 55 words per minute.

Bargaining Unit 20

The information listed is a general summary of benefits. These provisions do not constitute an expressed or implied contract and are subject to change.

Benefit Amount: An annualbenefit amountis provided and may be applied towards health insurance premiums (medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability).This benefit is pro-rated and paid on a pay period basis (24 pay periods).

Health Insurance: A choice of PPO and HMOmedical plans which include PPOand HMO dental plans andinclude dentalandvision coverage. Dependent coverage is available. Providers include Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, Delta Dental, andVision Services Plan (VSP). .

Retirement : The retirement plan is a defined benefit plan administered pursuant to the 1937 Act County Employees Retirement Act and integrated with Social Security. In addition to ordinary retirement benefits, the plan provides disability and death benefits. Retirement contributions are made by both the County and the employee. The County has reciprocity with the State of California, contracting PERS agencies, and all County 1937 Act Retirement Systems.

Paid Holiday Leave : 12 set days and 1 personal holiday.

Vacation Accrual :

2 weeks per year (0-3 years of service)
3 weeks per year (3-7 years of service)
4 weeks per year (7-11 years of service)
5 weeks per year (11+ years of service)
Limit of 300 hours.

FLSA exempt employees accrue an additional 5 days of vacation per year.

Sick Leave Accrual : 12 days per year with unlimited accumulation, 48 hours of which may be used toward family sick leave.

Group Term Life Insurance : $10,000; Provided by Standard Insurance Company.

Long Term Disability Insurance: A Long Term Disability plan is provided. This provides financial protection for you by paying a portion of your income while you are disabled. Provided by Standard Insurance Company.

Employees are covered by State Disability Insurance. The premium is paid by the employee.

Deferred Compensation : A voluntary deferred compensation plan is available.

To view more detailed descriptions of Tulare County's benefits, please view the Benefits section of our Web site at https://tularecounty.ca.gov/hrd/benefits-wellness/health-plans-active-employees/

The Provisions Of This Bulletin Do Not Constitute An Expressed Or Implied Contract And Are Subject To Change.

Closing Date/Time: 12/9/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• County of Tulare - HR&D

• 559-636-4900

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