Public Defender Psychiatric Social Worker I/II/III/IV - Fixed Term

Description

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The mission of the County of Ventura Public Defender is to ensure equal justice for our clients by providing exceptional legal representation. Our office recognizes the value of having a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are committed to the professional development of every employee on every team so they, in turn, can help each of our clients achieve the best outcome in their case. Our clients are a diverse community, as well, and many suffer from negative social impacts of systemic racism. We honor the inherent dignity in every client by fighting for their rights. We are holistic and take the time to find out how we can help - both inside and outside the courtroom. Our staff includes experts in litigation and trial advocacy, as well as professionals who can help people address mental health and substance use disorder issues. We represent each client at all stages of their case, and our practice areas include Misdemeanor and Felony trial teams, Immigration, Writs and Appeals, Juvenile, and Mental Health, plus a number of specialty courts, including Conservatorship and Homeless Courts. Our office partners with community-based organizations in post-conviction litigation to clear records so our clients can avoid the stigma of a criminal conviction and find jobs. By helping people gain employment and reenter their communities, we enhance public safety and demonstrate our dedication to this community.

ABOUT THE POSITION
Under immediate (I) or general (II, III, IV) supervision, provides forensic social work services in a multi-cultural environment by providing assessments, creating interventions and treatment plans, interagency collaboration, and community organization; and, performing related work as required.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate for this position will have the ability to understand and connect with clients facing challenging circumstances. The incumbent will perform assessments, create interventions and develop treatment plans for clients, facilitate court-ordered mental health treatment, and collaborate with community partners for additional services.

Functions of this position will include assessing clients’ social and psychological needs, coordinating community support services with the treatment and case management plans, collaborating with community health, education, social services, juvenile or criminal justice agencies, or other services to assist the client and/or family member. Must be able to work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary legal defense team in a fast-paced environment and possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.

PAYROLL TITLES AND APPROXIMATE SALARIES
Psychiatric Social Worker I: $29.23 - $37.22 Hourly
Psychiatric Social Worker II: $2,673.32 - $3,747.34 Biweekly
Psychiatric Social Worker III: $2,807.53 - $3,932.64 Biweekly
Psychiatric Social Worker IV: $2,946.67 - $4,128.21 Biweekly

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
Psychiatric Social Worker I is the entry level classification where emphasis is on learning forensic social work methods, procedures, and policies under close supervision as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Psychiatric Social Worker II is the journey level classification providing standard services under general supervision.

Psychiatric Social Worker III is the fully licensed, advanced journey level assigned more leadership responsibilities and complex forensic and case management responsibilities. A PSW III requires greater skill and depth of job knowledge in assessing problem situations, and formulating and implementing plans for services.

Psychiatric Social Worker IV is the fully licensed, expert level which can accept leadership responsibilities, the most complex forensic and case management responsibilities, and may provide supervision when called upon by the program manager. In addition to assignments similar to the three lower levels, a PSW IV is expected to provide training, assist in the development of interagency collaboration, and perform other tasks to assist administrative efforts.

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

BILINGUAL INCENTIVE: Incumbents may be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill existing and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra Help positions for this and similar vacancies within the Public Defender's Office. There is currently one (1) Fixed-Term vacancy with an anticipated end date of January 1, 2026.

NOTE: A Fixed-Term position is a position designated by the Director-Human Resources or Board of Supervisors to which persons may be appointed for fixed terms not to exceed three (3) years. Fixed-Term employees are eligible for the same benefits and compensation as Regular employees.

Psychiatric Social Worker I, II, III, and IV are represented by the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU). The Level I is eligible for overtime compensation; Levels II, III, and IV are not eligible for overtime compensation.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Opening Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Closing Date: Monday, March 3, 2025, at 5:00 pm
Application Review: Week of March 3, 2025

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

Psychiatric Social Worker I

• Performs assessments of Public Defender clients’ social and psychological needs, psycho-education case management for clients and their families in collaboration with members of the treatment team; creates interventions and develops treatment plans;
• Participates in treatment and case management meetings;
• Coordinates community support services with the treatment and case management plans;
• Collaborates with community health, education, social services, juvenile or criminal justice agencies, or other services to assist the client and/or family member;
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Psychiatric Social Worker II
In addition to the duties above, the Psychiatric Social Worker II may include:

• Performs more independent assessments and case management activities.

Psychiatric Social Worker III
In addition to the duties above, the Psychiatric Social Worker III may include any combination of the following tasks:

• Performs complex forensic and case management activities;
• Assists in planning, organizing, and coordinating mental health or substance abuse services and programs;
• Assists in monitoring client outcomes and cost data; and makes recommendations for improved performance;
• Makes presentations to local agencies, community groups, visitors, and at colleges;

Psychiatric Social Worker IV
In addition to the duties above, the Psychiatric Social Worker IV may perform any combination of the following tasks:

• Performs the most complex forensic and case management assignments.
• Provides training and l supervision for subordinate professional and paraprofessional staff or social work students.
• Supervises specialized teams or coordinates department wide client service functions.
• Develops and monitors interagency agreements, policies, procedures, and protocols as needed.
• Assists Program Supervisors with special projects.

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE
Psychiatric Social Worker I

• Possession of a master’s degree in social work from an accredited university, AND
• Proof of Registration as an Associate with the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Behavioral Science Examiners (BBS), OR
• Be within six months of completion of the requirements for graduation with a master’s degree in social work from an accredited university. Candidates who meet this qualification may receive a conditional offer of employment. Candidates must provide the following by date of hire, or the offer of employment will be withdrawn:
  • Proof of possession of a master’s degree in social work from an accredited university; AND
  • Proof of Registration as an Associate with the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Behavioral Science Examiners.

Psychiatric Social Worker II

• Possession of a master’s degree in social work from an accredited university, AND
• Proof of Registration as an Associate with the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Behavioral Science Examiners (BBS), AND
• At least one (1) year of experience in a psychiatric or alcohol/drug services setting working with seriously emotionally disturbed and/or alcohol/drug addicted juveniles, or seriously mentally ill and/or addicted adults or seniors, and their families.

Psychiatric Social Worker III

• Possession of a master’s degree in social work from an accredited university, AND
• Must have a California License as a Clinical Social Worker, AND
• At least three (3) years of experience in a psychiatric or alcohol/drug services setting working with seriously emotionally disturbed and/or alcohol/drug addicted juveniles, or seriously mentally ill and/or addicted adults or seniors, and their families.

Psychiatric Social Worker IV

• Possession of a Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited university, AND
• Must have a California License as a Clinical Social Worker AND
• At least four years (4) of experience in a psychiatric or alcohol/drug treatment setting working with seriously emotionally disturbed and/or alcohol/drug addicted juveniles, or seriously mentally ill and/or alcohol/drug addicted juveniles, or seriously mentally ill and/or addicted adults or seniors, and their families.

NOTE: Accredited institutions are those listed through the U.S. Department of Education--Office of Postsecondary Education. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services and Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must possess and maintain a valid California driver license as a condition of employment;
• Incumbents in this classification are required to be registered with and maintain current an Associate registration number from the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Behavioral Science Examiners as a condition of continued employment;
• Levels I and II: Incumbents must obtain a Licensed Clinical Social Worker license (LCSW) license within six (6) years of initial registration as Associate Social Worker with the BBS, as a condition of continued employment; and
• May require work experience with specific age groups such as juveniles, adults, or older adults and/or related service types.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
The incumbent may be required to work in a variety of settings inside and outside of buildings including correctional facilities (e.g., prisons and jails) and community settings (e.g., client's homes, homeless camps, community clinics) which may include exposure to secondhand smoke, pets, unsanitary living conditions, and wet/dry weather conditions.

DESIRED

• Bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Experience working with indigent or marginalized persons and/or groups;
• Experience performing assessments with individuals and families to assist with admission and discharge planning; and
• Experience working with community agencies including arranging community and at home services.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Some to comprehensive knowledge of:

• Social work concepts and methods applied to individuals experiencing serious mental illness or alcohol/drug addiction;
• The diagnostic and assessment process;
• The application of appropriate intervention techniques;
• Psychosocial and cultural factors affecting mental health or substance abuse service delivery;
• Scope and activities of private and public agencies; and
• Mental health or substance abuse case management.

Ability to:

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others as part of a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural legal defense team;
• Assess, and manage cases for an ethnically diverse population of seriously mentally ill or addicted clients;
• Communicate effectively in writing and orally, including public speaking;
• Efficiently organize time and workload responsibilities;
• Effectively utilize agency and community resources; and
• Conduct group meetings, interpret and explain laws, rules and regulations to other staff, clients, family members, and the public.

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: Applications must be received by the County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 3, 2025.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs. A paper application can be obtained by calling (805) 654-5129. Our address is County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue L-1970, Ventura CA 93009.

NOTE TO TRANSFER CANDIDATES: If presently permanently employed in another “merit” or “civil service” public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a “merit” or “civil service” style examination, then appointment by “Lateral Transfer” may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: Sufficient information must be provided under the Education/Work experience portion of the application and supplemental questionnaire to thoroughly and accurately demonstrate your qualifications to determine eligibility. A resume may be attached to supplement your responses in the above referenced sections; however, it may not be substituted in lieu of the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying
All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from further consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying
All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the examination process.

TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION - 100%
A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified
among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded or replaced with the score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is also highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence providing all information requested.

ORAL EXAMINATION - 100%
A job-related oral examination may be conducted to evaluate and compare participating applicants’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, a T&E will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Jean Leedy by email at Jean.Leedy@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 654-2211.

YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE

Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)

(SEIU)

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

• Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
• Retirement FAQ's
• Memorandum of Agreement

Union Codes: UPA, UPC, UPE, UPH, UPI, UPJ, UPT, UWS

Closing Date/Time: 3/3/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

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• County of Ventura

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