Job Description

PROVISIONAL OPENING FOR SENIOR CASEWORKER
There is a provisional opening in the Allegany County Department of Social Services for a full-time Senior Caseworker.

**This is a competitive class position, provisional candidate must pass the examination for this position and be ranked among the top three (3) candidates and receive an offer of employment for this position.

** Residency -Candidates must be residents of Allegany County or a contiguous county for at least one month prior to the date of exam.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS : The work involves responsibility for providing professional social work services for individuals and families to assist them with their economic, emotional, social and/or environmental difficulties by providing direct services or making the necessary service referrals to address the problems identified throughout the life of a case. The position differs from Caseworker in that, through training and experience, the Senior Caseworker handles more complex problems and situations with less direct supervision in the area of Child Protective Services. The Senior Caseworker may provide direct assistance to Caseworkers. The work is performed under the general supervision of a Case Supervisor, Grade B. Does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES :

• Investigates reports of abuse or neglect of children or adults and assesses the safety of the environment and provides the necessary interventions, such as placement out of the home, or Court when warranted;
• Establishes a professional helping relationship with individuals and families and provides casework counseling to motivate them to increase their capacity and confidence in their ability to effectively problem solve and make good choices for themselves and/or family;
• Gathers information regarding families by interviewing neighbors, family members, school personnel, physicians and any others familiar with the family or case;
• Reviews existing case records and available information for use in formulating a plan of treatment;
• Makes the necessary community service referrals on behalf of the individuals and families assigned;
• Writes and/or monitors service plans with individuals and/or families by maintaining on-going contact with service providers and routinely updates supervisor of progress;
• Conducts service plan reviews with individuals, families, and service providers to update the service goals and report progress;
• Conducts evaluations of homes for court reports or certification and placement recommendations of prospective foster boarding homes, adoptive homes and/or relative homes or for custody/visitation;
• Petitions, testifies, and prepares reports and or attends and testifies in Family Court;
• Maintains positive working relationships with various community agencies to which individuals and families can be referred for services;
• Determines emergency needs and takes appropriate action;
• Provides casework counseling in a number of areas including disability benefits, medical benefits, available community services, financial management and parenting in an effort to guide them through the system;
• Conducts case history searches by retrieving data stored in a statewide computer system and/or local records;
• Prepares a variety of reports, case notes, service plans, correspondences and court summaries on paper and/or a personal computer;
• Transports individuals as the need arises;
• May report at night or on the weekend to emergencies of abuse or neglect of children or adults;
• May directly assist Caseworkers and related paraprofessional employees in formulating service plans, assessments of clients progress and eligibility to ensure proper procedures are being followed;
• May train and periodically coach new Senior Caseworkers or Caseworkers.

FULL PERFORMANCES, KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS : Thorough knowledge of State and Federal laws and rules governing Social Service programs; good knowledge of community service agencies and programs; good knowledge of interviewing and investigative techniques and practices; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others; ability to counsel individuals in the areas of economic, social, emotional and vocational problems; ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; ability to operate a personal computer and utilize common office software programs; ability to develop and implement a service plan for individuals and/or families; ability to direct the work of others; ability to understand and empathize with the needs and concerns of others; ability to analyze and organize data and prepare records and reports; physical condition commensurate with the demands of the position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS : 

Open Competitive :

Possession of a Bachelor's degree** and one (1) year of experience in social casework*.

Social Casework experience does NOT include determining eligibility for benefits, such as food stamps, medical assistance, housing, child support, emergency services, day care, HEAP assistance, etc., or coordination thereof.

*Definition: Social Casework is defined as maintaining a caseload of clients which includes making assessments for multiple services, coordination of services and performance of follow up visits to continually reassess client needs, and/or child protective service functions including field visits, interviews, and referrals of needed services.

** Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. A list of acceptable companies who provide this service can be found on the internet at You must pay the required evaluation fee.

Promotional :

Permanent competitive class status as a Caseworker

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

1. Possession of appropriate level driver's license is required at time of appointment and must be maintained throughout the time of service in this classification.
2. New hires will be required to submit to and pass a pre-employment Staff Exclusion List (SEL) check and a State Central Register (SCR) background check due to access and exposure to child abuse and maltreatment records.

To apply, please submit your civil service application, resume, cover letter, references, and a copy of your attorney's license to Allegany County Human Resources & Civil Service, 7 Court Street, Room 216, Belmont, NY 14813. Please visit Allegany County Human Resources ( for the complete job description and the civil service application. 

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