SOCIAL WORKER

4204D1

Pay Grade: 22

DEFINITION OF WORK

Summary

This is social work in the field of social services.

Work involves providing social services to help individuals clients enhance their social functioning and to resolve or ameliorate their social problems. It requires the application of social work principles and theory in the study, diagnosis, or treatment of individuals children and adults who are in need of care or who have committed social offenses or who exhibit social, emotional, or mental disorders and providing diagnostic intake or referral services

Standard Classification Factors

Supervision Received - Level C: "Under direction..." Employees at this level usually receive a general outline of the work to be performed and are generally free to develop their own sequences and methods within the scope of established policies. New, unusual, or complex work situations are almost always referred to a superior for advice. Work is periodically checked for progress and conformance to established policies and requirements.

Difficulty - Level B: Average...Where the employee is confronted with a variety of duties susceptible to different methods of solution which, in turn, places a correspondingly higher demand upon resourcefulness and concentration. Positions which require the analysis and evaluation of raw data and the rendering of conclusions would, in many instances, fall into this category.

Complexity - Level D: Work is of a diversified nature that usually involves multiple unrelated steps. Analytical thought is necessary for dealing with complex data and situations. Work often involves a variety of unrelated processes and may require planning or carrying out a sequence of actions or both. Several alternatives usually exist at this level for approaching problems or situations. Workers at this level exercise a considerable amount of independent judgment. Work is controlled by occasional review and by reporting to or consultation with supervisors or superiors. When guidelines exist at this level, they are usually broadly defined or technical requiring careful analysis and interpretation.

Consequence of Actions or Decisions - LEVEL D: Consequences of actions or decisions at this level are significant as the work may be rarely if ever reviewed, making errors difficult to detect. Errors may cause major program failure or a high degree of confusion. Injuries to others due to errors are serious or incapacitating or both and costs due to errors are substantial.

Contacts - LEVEL C: The purpose of the contact is to influence, motivate, conduct interviews, make formal presentations or counsel to achieve common understanding or solutions to problems when the information is sensitive in nature or the individuals or groups are skeptical or uncooperative. Communication techniques and well developed communication skills become an important requirement at this level.

Physical Demands - LEVEL B: The work requires light physical exertion. The employee may be required to perform handling activities with lightweight or easily moved items (e.g. books, file folders, boxes of office supplies, small machine parts, etc.); perform moving activities for brief periods; operate light equipment; perform repetitive motions for brief periods; confined to a work area.   LEVEL C: The work requires moderate physical exertion.

Environmental Conditions - LEVEL C: The work environment involves hazards, risks or discomforts typical of working with or around machinery with exposed moving parts, irritant chemicals, heavy equipment or abusive or hostile clientele and patients. Exposure to disagreeable weather conditions and extreme levels of temperature, ventilation, lighting and sound are normal. Protective clothing or gear and specific safety standards or procedures may be required. Serious injury is possible.

Supervision/Leadership - LEVEL A: No supervisory or leadership responsibility; may explain work instructions or assist in training others.

Distinguishing Features

Differs from the Social Work Specialist, which provides specialized or consultative social work.

Differs from the Counselor class which is specialized technical work involving employment service counseling for individuals presenting unusual job placement problems.

Differs from the Social Worker Specialist class which involves the application of advanced social work skills in serving as a consultant or team leader in intensive or complex social work activities.

EXAMPLES OF WORK PERFORMED

Interviews individuals clients, families, and/or other appropriate persons to determine need and eligibility for services social services, or to obtain social history information; screens and assesses individual’s client's needs for services; participates in developing and facilitating social service/treatment plans; documents progress; monitors, evaluates, and modifies individual client plans.

Acts as liaison in case conferences for program and release planning with institutions, halfway houses, courts, community service agencies, SRS agencies, and other resources.

Provides input information in diagnostic and technical staff conferences with physicians, psychologists, nurses and other social workers for cooperative planning of treatment or aftercare programs.

Provides services or treatment, on the basis of a psycho-social diagnosis and treatment plan, to patients, severely disturbed individuals or families; performs casework on an individual basis or in family or marital therapy; provides group social work as needed to individuals with serious social, behavioral, or emotional problems.

Interviews individuals and their families/representatives before admission. Travels to other agencies, hospitals, or private homes to establish need of services. Establishes a baseline assessment of each individual in order to identify the services needed by each individual to attain or maintain the highest practical physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being possible. Conducts periodic assessments.

Functions as resident advocate and acts as a liaison between administrative services. Coordinates discharge and transfer plans.

Places and supervises children in need of care, youths juvenile offenders, or adults committed to treatment facilities; provides after care services to youth and adults released from institutions.

Writes or completes a variety of reports and forms which document decisions and actions taken, responds to court action, authorizes payments, or meets statistical reporting requirements.

Provides protective services by investigating and reporting complaints of abuse or neglect of individuals or resident grievances children or adults and establishes and implements a corrective action plan or makes referrals to appropriate authorities. the district attorney.

Assists individuals clients in effecting behavioral changes, learning problem-solving techniques for their behavioral or social adjustment problems, or to assist in the process of setting realistic goals or objectives.

Develops plan of care to include work therapy plans for individuals which address their social and rehabilitative needs through making appropriate referrals for community, state agency services and VA services, and by counseling the individual to identify and address other barriers.

Provides services and counseling to children for adoption and to parents preparing for adoption; conducts after-placement follow-up; provides specialized services to other works by recommending placement resources and using skills to assist in matching children's needs with resources available. 

Provides services and counseling to children for foster care placement; provides services to foster parents to assist them in preparing children for placement. 

Develops employment and training plans for clients which address their social, family and vocational needs through making appropriate referrals for community and state agency services and by counseling the client to identify and address other barriers. 

Determines eligibility and negotiates rate for adoptive support payments; recruits and provides training for adoptive or foster care families in routine cases; may assist a higher level social worker in recruiting and training adoptive or foster care families to work with children who have special needs. 

Evaluates adult and child care facilities to determine compliance with prescribed standards and to determine whether or not programs and services in grants or contract agreements are being provided; recommends needed improvements in services. 

Conducts on-site visits to foster care homes, adult care homes, and child care facilities to observe care standards and makes follow-up inspections to evaluate improvement or services, and to ensure that mandated standards are being met.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES, AND SKILLS

Knowledge

*Knowledge of ethical standards, principles and practices of social work, counseling, and human behavior.

*Knowledge of human growth and development and their relationship to social work principles and methods.

Knowledge of current social, economic, and health trends and services, and the ability to adapt trends too practical program applications and link clients with services needed.

*Knowledge of interviewing and other information gathering techniques.

*Knowledge of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups in society.

*Knowledge of assessment principles and techniques.

Abilities

*Ability to develop cooperative and satisfactory contacts with clients, patients, relatives, physicians, social agencies, community officials, and other administrative officials.

*Ability to apply proper interviewing techniques.

*Ability to write meaningful, concise and accurate reports and correspondence.

*Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse populations.

*Ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people.

*Ability to assess social service needs, complete social assessments/social histories, and identify programs or services sufficient to meet these needs.

*Necessary at Entry

Licensed to practice social work in the State of Kansas.

NC:   06/94
REV: 12/95
REV: 10/98
REV: 02/00
REV: 09/03