Definition
Under general administrative supervision, performs specialized administrative or consultative social service work in a county, area regional office, institution, or central office; or performs direct social work with only the very most difficult cases with the highest degree of complexity; may complete on-site visits to childcare centers for compliance review; performs related work as required.
Work Examples
Assists the supervisor in formulating policies, procedures, objectives and guidelines for the concerned area of program responsibility.
Develops, plans, and provides intensive social work services in cases with the very highest degree of complexity and difficulty that other specialists are unable to solve.
Provides consultative services in the area of specialty in a defined geographic area of the state or the entire state; meets with interested groups and individuals to implement the goals, objectives and purposes of the program.
Meets with managers, supervisors, and consultants of other social and human services organizations to coordinate plans; offers advice and suggestions, may make commitments for the agency.
Analyzes facts, problems and data independently to determine what action, within limits or professional practice and methods should be taken.
Advises other social workers and supports informed decision-making on complex case matters.
Prepares or directs the preparation of necessary records and reports.
Assists a supervisor by performing, in accordance with set procedures, policies, and standards, such duties as instructing employees about tasks, answering questions about procedures and policies, distributing and balancing the workload and checking work; may make occasional suggestions on appointments, promotions, and reassignments.
Functions as a case management program specialist by reviewing case records of case managers and providing written and verbal feedback related to performance, compliance with applicable standards and policies.
Conducts an on-site review for licensing and annual renewal visits, made to ensure that the minimum requirements as specified by Day Care Licensing rules are met.
Responds to customer complaints about childcare centers with on-site visits and fact-finding.
Consultation by requests from prospective individuals/groups interested in starting a day care center or preschool, applications for a new license, complaints, and issues identified during licensing, renewal, or unannounced visits.
Competencies Required
Knowledge:
Customer and Personal Service – Principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Psychology – Human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Sociology and Anthropology – Group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Administrative – Administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Communications – The science and art of delivering information.
English Language – Structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Law and Government – Laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Therapy and Counseling – Principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Abilities:
Category Flexibility – Generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning – Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Flexibility of Closure – Identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Fluency of Ideas – Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning – Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering – Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Oral Comprehension – Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression – Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Clarity – Speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition – Identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension – Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression – Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Skills:
Active Learning – Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving – Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination – Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Instructing – Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies – Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Social Perceptiveness – Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management – Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing – Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in any field, and experience equal to four years of full-time work in a human services, social work, or criminal justice capacity in a public or private agency.
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in human services, social work, criminal justice, or a related field, and experience equal to three years of full-time work in a human services, social work, or criminal justice capacity in a public or private agency.
All of the following (a and b):
One year of full-time work experience in a human services, social work, or criminal justice capacity in a public or private agency; and
A total of two years of graduate-level education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university coursework in human services, social work, criminal justice, or a related field equals one year of full-time experience.
Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes six months of full-time work as a Social Worker Senior or three years of full-time work as a Social Worker.