Social Worker III (PO/DL) - Kaunakakai, Molokai

Recruitment Number 26-174LM. These positions serve as probation officers and require a current, valid driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle.

About the Role

Working as a Social Worker with the Judiciary provides opportunities to contribute to public welfare and safety. The Judiciary employs social workers in various court programs, where duties are program-specific and diverse, as are the clients. This creates an opportunity to develop and practice a broad range of skills. Social work professionals in the Judiciary are committed to enhancing the profession by utilizing evidence-based practices informed by current research to promote client behavioral changes and improve outcomes. The Judiciary may be an excellent choice for those who embrace collaborative casework and seek opportunities to be part of the solution to complex social issues.

Applicants who will graduate with a Master's degree in Social Work or Criminal Justice Administration may apply within three months prior to graduation. If selected, an original official transcript (not a copy) indicating the completion of the required coursework and the awarding of the degree will be required.

Responsibilities

• Supervision of juvenile law violators, adult law violators, defendants conditionally released from the Hawai`i State Hospital, or juvenile status offenders.
• Conducting child custody/visitation evaluations.
• Assisting protection order petitioners.
• Assisting in child welfare services cases referred to the Family Court.
• Engaging with juveniles temporarily detained.
• Engagement of family and community in juvenile cases.
• Addressing issues such as substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, child abuse and neglect, trauma, disputed child custody/visitation, and victim restitution.
• Providing direct casework and related services for the full range of cases within the scope of the department's social work program.
• Making independent analyses of clients' situations and reasoned conclusions as to preferred courses of action.
• Providing necessary services and treatment.
• Preparing case records and reports.

Requirements

Education

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor’s degree, which included a minimum of twelve (12) semester credit hours in courses such as social work, social welfare, criminal justice, human services, counseling, psychology, sociology, or other related social sciences.

Excess work experience as described under Specialized Experience, or any other responsible administrative, professional, or analytical work experience that provided knowledge and abilities comparable to those acquired in four years of successful study while completing a college or university curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree, may be substituted on a year-for-year basis. To be acceptable, the experience must have been of such scope, level, and quality as to assure the possession of comparable knowledge and abilities.

The education or experience background must also demonstrate the ability to:

• Write clear and comprehensive reports and other documents.
• Read and interpret complex written material.
• Solve complex problems logically and systematically.

Specialized Experience

One and one-half (1-1/2) years of progressively responsible professional social work experience which involved:

• Utilizing a variety of social work skills and exercising professional judgment in assisting individuals and their families with identifying their problems.
• Evaluating situations realistically and considering resources and alternative courses of action pertinent to clients' needs and circumstances.
• Conducting assessments and developing and implementing treatment plans and services.
• Working cooperatively with other professionals, community agencies, or institutions in an interdisciplinary team.
• Evaluating clients' progress and adjusting plans as appropriate.

Substitution Allowed

• A bachelor’s degree in Social Work or Criminal Justice Administration from an accredited four-year college or university qualifies for Social Worker II or six (6) months of experience.
• A master’s degree in Social Work or Criminal Justice Administration from an accredited college or university qualifies for Social Worker III or one and one-half (1-1/2) years of experience.
• A Ph.D. degree in Social Work or Criminal Justice Administration from an accredited college or university qualifies for Social Worker IV or two and one-half (2-1/2) years of experience.

Non-Qualifying Experience

Experience that did not provide the necessary professional social work concepts and theories, or the background and knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of professional social work, will not be considered qualifying. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Experience providing supportive services to professional social workers, vocational rehabilitation specialists, housing managers, or other professional workers in programs such as public welfare or family court.
• Experience determining eligibility for benefits under public welfare programs such as medical assistance, food stamps, and other benefits.
• Experience providing vocational, educational, psychological, or pastoral counseling.
• Experience providing occupational or physical therapeutic services.
• Peace Corps or VISTA work experience that did not require the application of professional knowledge of social work principles and practices and/or was not performed under competent professional supervision.
• Experience relocating clients displaced due to urban renewal or similar reasons.
• Trainee-level social work experience unless performed under competent professional social work supervision.

Selective Certification

• Driver’s License: Applicants must possess a current and valid driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle.
• Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Requirement (28 CFR 115.17, 115.117, 115.217, and 115.317): These positions involve contact with detainees in juvenile facilities and lockups, inmates detained in prisons or jails, or residents of community confinement facilities. In accordance with federal PREA law, the Hawai`i State Judiciary shall not hire or promote anyone who may have contact with such individuals and who:
  • Has engaged in sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution.
  • Has been convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse.
  • Has been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in the activity described above.
  • Has been the subject of substantiated allegations of sexual abuse or sexual harassment, or resigned during a pending investigation of alleged sexual abuse or sexual harassment.