Child Welfare Social Worker I/II (Social Worker I/II), Grade 21/23

Montgomery County Government • Rockville, Maryland, United States • $70.56k - $122.60k / year • 1m ago

About the Position

The expected salary range, if filled at the Grase 21, upon hire is $70,556-$91.361

The expected salary range, if filled at the Grade 23 level, upon hire is $$76,742-$107,631

WHO WE ARE

Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, D.C., and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County’s public health and human services that meet the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With over 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.

As a Department, we believe health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods, and healthy food. HHS provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

If you are interested in working for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services we invite you to apply for our Social Worker II (maybe underfilled as a Social Worker I) positions within Child Welfare Services.

What You'll Be Doing

CWS provides a variety of supportive services to children and families to reduce the risk of child maltreatment and ensure safety for children. When it is not possible for children to remain in their own homes, temporary placement in foster care, with relatives or with an adoptive family may be arranged. This work may involve occasional exposure to some risk of aggressive or unpredictable behavior by clients.

These positions require the ability to attend meetings or perform work at locations outside the office. Employees must have some flexibility in their schedules and must be able to work weekends/holidays and/or rotating shifts. This will be based on emergency or urgent workload/caseload needs.

Employees will need to operate a motor vehicle to transport children, supplies, and equipment, to other locations to perform these duties and would require the need to lift and carry, and manage stairs with children, equipment, and supplies.

The following units within CWS provide these services:

ASSESSMENT UNIT investigates and assesses reports of alleged child abuse and neglect.

OUT OF HOME PLACMENT SERVICES provides case management and permanency planning for children who have been placed in foster care or relative placement.

ADOPTION SERVICES (Foster care) prepare the child, who is under the guardianship of the Department, for placement in a legal, permanent family situation.

RESOURCE HOME focuses on the licensing and monitoring of foster/resource homes, the coordination of foster care placements and facilitation of family team decision meetings.

INDEPENDENT LIVING (Transitioning Youth) PROGRAM prepares older foster children for transition from foster care to living independently.

Selected candidates for this position will be subject to a pre-employment medical exam, and drug screening and criminal history records checked through the Maryland State Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Candidates will also be checked through the Maryland Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect and federal and state sex offender registries. Any applicant who fails the medical exam, background check or whose name appears on either of the registries may be disqualified from employment for this position.

Minimum Qualifications

If filled at the Social Worker I level:

Education: Possession of a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited college or university that meets the criteria of a graduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Experience: None

Equivalency: See requirements of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners and the Code of Maryland (COMAR); see especially 10.42-01 (Regulations Governing Licensure) and 10.42.06 (Continuing Education). The Montgomery County Office of Human Resources must follow COMAR in providing qualifications credit and accepting substitutions or equivalents.

LICENSE:

Must be licensed as a Licensed Master Social Worker - LMSW, or higher, by the Maryland State Board of Social Work Examiners prior to appointment. Note: There will be no substitutions for this requirement.

Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid Class C (or equivalent) driver’s license from the applicant’s state of residence

If filled at the Social Worker II level:

Experience: At least one year of social work experience under the supervision of an LCSW or LCSW-C in accordance with Maryland Board requirements.

Equivalency: See Maryland Board requirements.

LICENSE:

Must be licensed as a Licensed Master Social Worker – LMSW, or higher, by the Maryland State Board of Social Work Examiners prior to appointment. Note: There will be no substitutions for this requirement.

Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid Class C (or equivalent) driver’s license from the applicant’s state of residence

Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences

We will use interview preference criteria:

Multilingual Spanish Preferred

Experience providing services to children and families.

Effective and comprehensive verbal and written communication skills

Demonstrated experience working in a Team environment.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.