Job Description:

ABOUT THE POSITION

**ALL APPLICANTS MUST UPLOAD A COPY OF THEIR OFFICIAL AND/OR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS OF THEIR COMPLETED DEGREE AT AN ACCREDITED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.
This is a Companion Position, intended to temporarily fill in for another employee until December 2024, with the possibility of an extension. If the original employee returns, the Companion Position will be released from its duties.

The County of Riverside's Office on Aging (OoA) seeks to fill a Social Services Practitioner III Companion position at Riverside, CA. Travel throughout the County of Riverside is required.

The incumbent will provide short and long term case management/social casework services for the frail, disabled, and elderly senior population or caregivers of seniors with mental health issues. Dependent on assignment, the incumbent will perform services including, but not limited to: conducting in home assessments; engaging in community outreach and education workshops for caregivers; conducting psychological assessments; ongoing monitoring of clients and care plan progress via telephone contacts and in home visits; coordination with service providers; facilitation of resource workshops for community services; linkages to resources and special consultants in the community providing services to seniors; documentation of the grant funded activities to ensure compliance; and follow-up with community resources and vendors; identify and develop support system for the client; evaluate client as total person and identify functional limitations that impede independent living.

We are looking for someone who has:

• Experience with frail elderly, homeless seniors, disabled adults, and those with chronic illness or mental health issues, including family caregivers and the mental health system.


• Ability to acquire resources and create teaching modules for training, lecturing, and conducting workshops on community resources for caregivers.


• Excellent interpersonal skills for working with clients from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and with various mental/physical capabilities.


• Proven capability to collaborate with professionals to ensure quality care, safety, and well-being for shared clients.


• Strong knowledge of social service programs and community resources for seniors and the homeless older adult population.


• Proficiency in applying complex laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.


• Social services casework experience, particularly in protective services.


• Training in mandated reporting rules and regulations.


• Preferred bilingual in English and Spanish.

A few reasons you might love this job:

• Work and network with dedicated professionals who share a passion for public service.


• Career growth and upward mobility within the department


• Supportive and respectful working environment that values work-life balance


• Rewarding service environment that offers essential services to stabilize and support individuals' life choices such as: nutrition, utilities, shelter, medication assistance, caregivers, transportation, etc.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• Fast-paced environment


• Meeting mandated deadlines


• The need for documentation and technical writing


• Identifying ways to navigate social service delivery with limited resources while meeting clients' identified goals and needs.

Meet the Team! The Riverside County Office on Aging is authorized by the Older Americans Act and the Older Californians Act. The department is charged with developing a system of care that offers safety net services for vulnerable older persons and adults with disabilities.

jfc: 21100000

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
(Depending on the area of assignment, duties may include, but are not limited to, the following)

• Carry a caseload of the more difficult types of social service cases requiring a high degree of technical competence where social or family problems or environmental forces adversely affect family life; assess client's problems and develop treatment plans; lead self-care, well-being, and educational courses to community participants and/or staff.

• Complete case studies for the purpose of assessing problems and determining appropriate types and methods of treatment; develop intensive long or short-term treatment plans to improve or restore individual or family functioning.

• Act in a lead capacity for a small group of Social Services Practitioners or services employees, such as aides and volunteers.

• Act as a casework consultant to staff members without professional training.

• Function at a highly skilled level in such areas as counseling, protective services, medical social work, family services, community organization, and adoptive services.

• Take part in staff development programs to increase knowledge of the social work processes and augment personal technical competence.

• Investigate and provide services to clients where their physical or emotional welfare is involved; work with cases involving neglect, abuse, emotional or behavioral problems, physical/mental disabilities, or other health conditions affecting a client's personality, family relationships, or in-home care arrangements.

• Provide services and counseling in cases of desertion or impending loss of a spouse, child, or caretaker.

• Interpret public social service rules, regulations, and policies to clients and the public.

• Maintain casework records and prepare reports and correspondences.

• Frequently conduct field visits, away from the home office, which may include long distances to carry out service plans, observe, and assess client needs, and provide information and social work services.

• Assess client family environment in order to determine potential or imminent risk to the safety of disabled adults/elderly residing in the household; when safety needs dictate, disabled adults/elderly from home and transport them, complying with all safety regulations, including the use of age appropriate California safety mandated equipment, when assisting with initial removal or facilitating a placement change, which may include managing/lifting the client's necessary assistive equipment (e.g., wheelchair).

• Maintain up-to-date electronic records of all aspects of client case management in a centralized database.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

OPTION I
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree, preferably with a major in social welfare, social or behavioral sciences, social/human services, counseling, or a closely related field to the assignment.

Experience: One year equivalent to a County of Riverside Social Services Practitioner II.

OPTION II
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree, preferably with a major in social welfare, social or behavioral sciences, social/human services, counseling, or a closely related field to the assignment.

Experience: Two years of performing casework duties in a public or private human services agency. Experience must include assessing or determining client needs, formulating case plans or executing case plans to support and meet client needs.

OPTION III
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master's degree, preferably with a major in social or behavioral sciences, social/human services, counseling, or a closely related field to the assignment.

OPTION IV
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in social work.

Experience: Completed internship experience in a public or private welfare agency as part of an accredited Bachelor of Social Work degree program.

ALL OPTIONS
Knowledge of: Principles and techniques of social casework and of the function of public social service agencies; individual and group behavior with emphasis on normal growth, development, and family relationships; social casework objectives, principles, and methods; socioeconomic and cultural factors which promote stable family life, and an understanding of the factors that affect family security; physical and mental illnesses and their impact on personality; community organizations and the services they provide; laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of public social services agencies; basic computer skills.

Ability to: Establish rapport with clients and their families; effectively apply casework knowledge and skills; apply the principles of general and/or child psychology and family relationships; evaluate personal and psychological factors in the client and/or family's situation; work constructively within an agency and community setting; effectively utilize appropriate resources and services; provide consultation to others; demonstrate skill in planning and analysis; control personal bias and apply social work ethics; maintain effective working relationships with other employees and the general public; provide consultation to and assist in the professional development of less experienced Social Services Practitioners; input and retrieve data from computerized system.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

What's Next?

This recruitment is open to ALL applicants.

Other Requirements

License: Possession of a valid California Driver's License is necessary at the time of hire and must be maintained throughout employment. County vehicles may be available but are not guaranteed. Employees may be required to use their own vehicles for field travel and are required to provide vehicle insurance information for their personal vehicle.

Additional Information:

Contact Christopher Recinos at crecinos@rivco.org with any questions regarding this recruitment.

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APPLICATION INFORMATION

Veteran's Preference
The County has a Veterans Preference Policy applicable to new hires. To qualify, upload a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 indicating dates of service, and a copy of your spouse's letter of disability (if applicable) with your application. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference.The Veterans Preference Policy, C-3 is available here: https://rivcocob.org/board-policies

Reasonable Accommodations
The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: https://rc-hr.com/disability

Proof of Education
If using education to qualify or when requested by the recruiter, upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account at the time of application and before the closing date. Official or unofficial transcripts will be accepted.

If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).

Equal Opportunity Employer
The County of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the County of Riverside to provide equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, or denial of medical and family care leave, or any other non-job-related factors.

Pre-Employment
All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of pre-employment requirements including a criminal background investigation, which involves fingerprinting. (A felony or misdemeanor conviction may disqualify the applicant from County employment). A pre-employment physical examination and background check may be required.

Probationary Period
As an Approved Local Merit System, all County of Riverside employees, except those serving "At Will," are subject to the probationary period provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, County Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Temporary and Per Diem employees serve at the pleasure of the agency/department head.

General Information
Current County of Riverside and/or current employees of the hiring department may receive priority consideration. Qualified candidates may be considered for future County vacancies.

Job postings may close without notice based on application volume. Submit your complete application by the recruitment close date; no late applications are accepted. Ensure all relevant experience/education is reflected on your application/resume, as a failure to demonstrate position requirements may disqualify applicants. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.

Please read and follow any special application instructions on this posting. Click the 'Apply' link located on this page to submit your application. For additional instructions on the application process, examinations, Veteran's preference, pre-employment accommodation or other employment questions, please refer to our web site, www.rc-hr.com .

If you are experiencing technical problems, you may contact the governmentjobs.com applicant support desk Monday through Friday, 6 am to 5 pm Pacific Time at support@governmentjobs.com or toll-free 1-855-524-5627.

MEDICAL/DENTAL/VISION INSURANCE: A choice of different medical, dental and visions plan are available to elect. The County provides a Flexible Benefit Credit contribution as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding to contribute towards the cost of these plans.

Note: Employees on assignment through the Temporary Assignment Program (TAP) receive different benefits. See the list here .
MISCELLANEOUS RETIREMENT: County of Riverside has three retirement Tiers through the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).

• 
  Tier I (Classic Member - Formula 3% @ 60): Applicable to current and former County of Riverside local miscellaneous employees hired prior to 08/24/2012 and did not withdraw CalPERS contributions. The employee contribution is eight (8%) percent.


• 
  Tier II (Classic Member - Formula 2% @ 60): Applicable to local miscellaneous employees 1) hired after 08/23/2012 through 12/31/2012; 2) Previously employed with another CalPERS contracting public agency or a reciprocal retirement system, with a break in service of less than six months between the separation date with the previous employer and the appointment date with the County of Riverside. The employee contribution is seven (7%) percent.


• 
  Tier III (PEPRA New Member - Formula 2% @ 62): Applicable to CalPERS local miscellaneous new members hired on or after the implementation of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) which took effect January 1, 2013. Effective July 1, 2023 employee contributions are 7.25% and will increase to 7.75% effective July 1, 2024.
  

A new member is defined as any of the following:

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who has no prior membership in any California Public Retirement System.

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who was a member with another California Public Retirement System prior to that date, but who is not subject to reciprocity upon joining CalPERS.

A member who first established CalPERS membership prior to January 1, 2013, and who is rehired by a different CalPERS agency after a break in service of greater than six (6) months.

CalPERS refers to all members that do not fit within the definition of a new member as "classic members".

Contribution rates are subject to change based on the County of Riverside annual actuarial valuation.

Note:

This summary is for general information purposes only. Additional questions regarding retirement formulas can be sent to retirement@rivco.org or by calling the Benefits Information Line at (951) 955-4981,
Option 2.

If you have prior service credit with another CalPERS agency or within agencies, please contact CalPERS at (888) 225-7377 to determine which retirement tier would be applicable to you. CalPERS is governed by the Public Employees' Retirement Law. The Retirement Law is complex and subject to change. If there's any conflict between this summary and the law, the law will prevail over this summary.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION: Voluntary employee contribution with a choice between two 457 deferred compensation plan options.

VACATION ACCRUAL (Bi-Weekly Accrual):

0< 3 year = 80 Hours (10 Days)

4< 9 years = 120 Hours (15 Days)

10 or more years = 160 Hours (20 Days)

Maximum Vacation leave accumulation is 480 hours.

SICK LEAVE: Four (4) hours Sick Leave accrual per pay period with unlimited accrual.

HOLIDAYS: Normally 12 paid holidays per year.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE: Allowed 5 days (3 days are County paid; 2 additional days can be taken from accrued Sick Leave balance).

BASIC LIFE INSURANCE: Equal to one times annual base salary not to exceed $50,000 of term life coverage. Premiums are paid by the County. Additional Supplemental Life plan is available for employee purchase.

DISABILITY: Short-term Disability benefit pays up to a maximum of $461.54 weekly, payable up to a maximum of 52 weeks.

POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION: A monthly contribution is made by the County towards retiree health insurance offered through the County as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding.

OTHER: There may be other benefit provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding. Please contact the recruiter listed on the job posting directly for more information.

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