Definition
Under general direction, performs high-level administrative, consultative, or specialized social service work related to major statewide programs or highly complex program functions; performs related work as required.
The work examples and competencies listed below are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to be the primary basis for position classification decisions.
Work Examples
Assists supervisor by performing such duties as instructing employees, answering questions, distributing and balancing the workload, and checking work; may make suggestions on selection, promotions and reassignments.
Plans, directs, and coordinates a major statewide program in providing complex consultative services to community social service organizations.
Provides consultative services to regional and area social service offices on all aspects of social service programs; gives advice to staff on very complex service cases within an assigned region of the state.
Plans, directs, and coordinates a program to analyze and evaluate selected cases for standards control.
Implements the goals and objectives of the project or program; gives advice, guidance, and consultation; makes recommendations to departmental units and outside service agencies.
Participates in the preparation of budget estimates for the concerned program.
Prepares or directs the preparation of necessary records and reports.
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 six 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 five 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):
Three years 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 Work Consultant 2, eighteen months of full-time work as a Social Work Consultant 1, two years of full-time work as a Social Worker Senior, or five years of full-time work as a Social Worker.