Social Worker IV (DL) - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Recruitment Number 26-169LJ. This position requires a current valid driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle. The immediate vacancy requires the incumbent to be of the same gender (male) as the clients being served.

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, offering diverse duties and clients that allow for the development and practice of a broad range of skills. Social work professionals in this role utilize evidence-based practices informed by current research to promote client behavioral changes and improve outcomes. This position is ideal for those who embrace collaborative casework and seek to address complex social issues.

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 and involving family and community in juvenile cases.
• Providing intensive social casework and related services for the most complex cases presenting a wide range of psycho-social problems.
• Supervising a small group of less experienced social workers.
• Providing services for the full range of cases within a department’s programs at a field location alone.
• Providing technical consultation on case direction for a specific program area within a line service unit.
• Managing a caseload of clients adjudicated for law violations or status offenses under court jurisdiction for supervision, service provision, or compliance monitoring.

Issues involved in these cases may include substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, child abuse and neglect, trauma, disputed child custody/visitation, and victim restitution.

Requirements

Education

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor’s degree, including 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 providing comparable knowledge and abilities may substitute on a year-for-year basis for the bachelor’s degree requirement. Acceptable experience must demonstrate the ability to write clear and comprehensive reports, read and interpret complex written material, and solve complex problems logically and systematically.

Specialized Experience

Two and one-half (2-1/2) years of progressively responsible professional social work experience involving:

• Utilizing a variety of social work skills and exercising professional judgment to assist individuals and families.
• Conducting assessments and developing/implementing treatment plans and services.
• Working cooperatively with other professionals and community agencies in an interdisciplinary team.
• Evaluating client progress and adjusting plans as appropriate.

Substitution

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

Non-Qualifying Experience

Experience that does not provide the necessary professional social work concepts and theories includes, but is not limited to:

• Supportive services to professional social workers or other specialists.
• Determining eligibility for public welfare benefits.
• Vocational, educational, psychological, or pastoral counseling.
• Occupational or physical therapeutic services.
• Peace Corps or VISTA work not requiring professional social work knowledge or performed without competent supervision.
• Relocating clients due to urban renewal or similar reasons.
• Trainee-level social work without competent professional supervision.

Selective Certification Requirements

• Driver’s License: Applicants must possess a current and valid driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle.
• Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA): Applicants who may have contact with detainees, inmates, or residents in juvenile facilities, prisons, jails, or community confinement facilities must not have engaged in sexual abuse in such institutions, been convicted of sexual activity facilitated by force or coercion, been civilly or administratively adjudicated for such behavior, or been subject to substantiated allegations of sexual abuse or harassment.