Child Welfare Worker Series

The Position

The Child Welfare Worker I is an entry-level classification. Under close supervision, the Child Welfare Worker I provides intensive assessment, case management and/or casework services toward providing the most stable home environment for children who have been or are in danger of being abused, neglected or abandoned, and may be assigned other duties. Child Welfare Worker I's are expected to gain experience and demonstrate proficiency which qualifies them to promote to Child Welfare Worker II upon completion of one (1) year full-time service. The Child Welfare Worker I job assignment will not be extended beyond one (1) year.

Child Welfare Worker I positions are located in the Social Services Agency, in the Department of Children and Family Services.

The Ideal Candidate

• Possess knowledge of the laws and principles related to child welfare.
• Possess a broad knowledge and understanding of normal child development and how trauma impacts the developmental process.
• Conduct client interviews, assessment and crisis intervention activities.
• Understand normal family functioning and how this functioning is impacted by trauma and loss.
• Exercise sound judgment in making diagnostic risk assessments and decisions regarding placement of children and handle high-pressure, crisis situations professionally.
• Work with a variety of individuals with varying degrees of mental health functioning, literacy, coping abilities and life skills.
• Understand the role of the Agency in the treatment plan and the Social Services Agency's policies, procedures, programs and services and be able to articulate this understanding to their clients.

Requirements

• Either a master's degree from an accredited college or university in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Sociology, Education or an equivalent field OR a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (180 quarter units or 120 semester units) with major coursework in psychology, sociology, social work, child development or an equivalent field (Vocational Rehabilitation majors not acceptable).
• The equivalent of two (2) years of full-time post baccalaureate experience which involved the provision of direct services to families or children in one of the following or closely related areas: child welfare, family counseling, juvenile probation, pediatric social work, alcohol and drug counseling, school social work, and school counseling.

Competencies

• Knowledge of:
• Principles of sociology and psychology relating to normal and abnormal human behavior and family and community dynamics.
• Child development and parenting skills.
• Interviewing techniques, including crisis intervention and counseling methods.
• The role of the Agency in the treatment plan and the Social Services Agency's policies, procedures, programs and services.
• Community resources.
• Legal definitions of sexual molestation, physical abuse, general neglect, incest, failure to thrive, emotional abuse, medical neglect and other details of laws relating to child abuse reporting and other related areas of law.
• Ability to:
• Work cooperatively with varying interests and coordinate them towards achieving case plan and solving problems.
• Set limits to assist clients in taking steps toward greater self-sufficiency.
• Write clear, concise and descriptive reports under time restraints.
• Exercise sound judgment in making diagnostic risk assessments and decisions regarding placement of children.
• Deal effectively with hostile, disorganized or aggressive clients.
• Supervise and consult.
• Handle high-pressure, crisis situations professionally and extract appropriate information in such situations.
• Learn and use various computer applications such as word processing and databases.

Examination

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1. A review of applicants' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.
2. An Oral Panel Interview Examination (Weighted as 100% of the final examination score): If the candidates meet the minimum qualifications, then the candidate will be invited to participate in an oral panel interview where they will be asked about past job experiences relating to the core competencies that successful incumbents of the job possess. The candidate who passes this portion of the exam will then be scored and put into rank order. The oral panel interview examination may also serve as the hiring interview at the discretion of the hiring authority.

Application Instructions

Candidates must attain a qualifying rating on each portion of this examination.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the âWhat You Need to Knowâ section of our website, https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.