JOB SUMMARY:

Social Counselor II is responsible for professional social counseling work and/or service coordination of average difficulty; and performs related work as required by department.

This is the working class in the professional Social Counselor sub series. An employee in this class interviews and provides social counseling for clients in programs such as adult protective services and maternal and child health counseling, as well as individuals with disabilities in an educational, social service, or medical setting. This class is flexibly staffed with and differs from that of the Social Counselor 1 in that an incumbent of the latter learns the proper principles, practices, and procedures for social counseling work in various programs. This class differs from higher level social counseling classes in that incumbents of the latter are responsible for supervisory social counseling work.   

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Investigates and/or reports abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults and/or children who are mentally or physically impaired, or incapable of self-care due to disability or age to determine if there is a need for protective services.
• Conducts pre-assessment/developmental screening to determine needs, strengths, and/or level of risk for client.
• Asks client, family members, neighbors, alleged perpetrators, or other involved parties questions that relate to the allegations in order to gather case information and determine causes of current situation as appropriate for specific agency functions.
• Asks clients/caregivers open-ended questions about client's health, living arrangements, financial stability, family involvement, needs, strengths and other risk factors.
• Interviews individual making initial referral and/or interviewing family with concerns regarding their child.
• Requests relevant documentation such as educational, medical, psychiatric, criminal, and financial records, as needed, to assess needs and risks of clients. 
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings:
• Identifies potential risk factors such as unsanitary living conditions, lack of utilities, any form of abuse, neglect, exploitation or self-neglect in the client's home environment, as appropriate, for specific agency functions.
• Conducts regular home visits/targeted case management to monitor progress of the service plan/client status.
• Identifies each form of maltreatment or needs of the client alleged in the referral as appropriate for specific agency functions.
• Identifies developmental risk factors that would inhibit a child from future educational growth, as appropriate, for specific agency functions.
• Reviews relevant documentation such as educational, medical, psychiatric, criminal, and financial records, as needed, to assess needs and risks of clients. 
• Communicating with Persons Outside the Organization:
• Refers and/or coordinates services for clients which may reduce client risk, increase autonomy and/or demonstrate educational progress.
• Responds to clients, collaterals, stakeholders, or caregivers according to department policy.
• Responds to professional or public casework inquiries through telephone calls, e-mails, letters, and face-to-face visits.
• Testifies or provides necessary documents in legal proceedings.
• Gives presentations for public awareness and/or child find activities, as appropriate, for agency functions. 
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards:
• Evaluates case information according to agency guidelines.
• Ensures client confidentiality is maintained according to agency policy.
• Determines the validity of referral based on analysis of all collected information, as appropriate, for specific agency function.
• Completes entrance and exit assessment according to agency standards.
• Compares information from referral source with agency guidelines to determine if other agencies should be contacted or if the referral meets criteria for further assessment. 
• Documenting/Recording Information:
• Records in client files and computer databases the services implemented, observations made during home visits, changes that occurred related to progress noted or reduced risk, and the level of function/protection achieved for each client.
• Records information regarding client-oriented contacts including the date, method, purpose and outcome of the contact, and the level of client progress in meeting the goals or objectives in the service plan.
• Maintains a copy of all relevant records and service plans for clients. 
• Analyzing Data or Information:
• Analyzes and reviews all information gathered about the client situation to prioritize risk and implement appropriate plan per agency standards.
• Collects and analyzes data from standardized evaluation tools to determine if client meets agency eligibility guidelines. 
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others:
• Implements a service plan that identifies goals for addressing needs or concerns of the clients.
• Coordinates delivery of services for individual needs of clients. 
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems:
• Prioritizes needs or concerns of the client/ family (i.e. electricity, food, medical, educational, etc.).
• Coordinates and conducts meetings with appropriate personnel to develop a safety and/or transition plan for clients as appropriate for agency standards. 
• Developing Objectives and Strategies:
• Develops a service plan to address the needs of the clients who are victims of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or exploitation and/or children with special needs. 
• Scheduling Work and Activities:
• Schedules all necessary activities within agency timelines to meet policy objectives. 
• Developing and Building Teams:
• Brainstorms solutions for concerns and/or priorities as related to the client by participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary team. 
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others:
• Discusses situations with the client, family members, caregivers, collaterals and/or stakeholders to decide what resources or actions are needed to reduce risk, facilitate change and/or demonstrate educational progress. 
• Controlling Machines and Processes:
• Uses appropriate audio-visual equipment, as needed, to assess and/or implement client services. 
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment:
• Drives vehicle to conduct agency business. 
• Training and Teaching Others:
• Educates government departments, local regional agencies, law enforcement, nursing home staff, and the general public about agency programs.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM WORK:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree AND one year of professional experience in one or a combination of the following: health care for children, adolescent, or geriatric populations; social work; or social or psychological counseling, including, but not limited to, mental health, correctional, or behavioral rehabilitation counseling; or one year of experience in early intervention and/or service coordination with individuals with disabilities in an educational, social services or medical setting; or one year of teaching early childhood education or assessing individuals with disabilities.

Substitution of Graduate Course Work for Experience:  Additional qualifying graduate course work from an accredited college or university in a related field may be substituted for the experience, on a year-for-year basis, to a maximum of one year.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• 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.
• Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
• The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
• The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
• The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting.
• The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Work requires lifting and carrying (up to 10 pounds); hearing, lifting, mental acuity, repetitive motion, speaking, talking, visual acuity, and walking.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:   

Most work is performed in a well-lighted, modern office setting with centrally controlled heating and air conditioning.