Social Worker III

Adult Protective Services/Mobile Integrated Healthcare

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, DC and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County’s public health and human services that the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.

As a department, we believe health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods, and healthy food. HHS’ provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.

If you are interested in working for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Social Worker III position.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

This position is a member of two teams, the first is the Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program which is under Emergency Medical Services which provides assessment and intervention to high users of Emergency Medical Services. The second is Adult Protective Services (APS) investigation team which is part of Health and Human Services Aging and Disability Services division.

APS/MIH Program participants are sometimes vulnerable adults that often have mental health challenges and are frequent users of Emergency Medical Services (EMS/MOCO Fire Department) Services. Vulnerable adult is defined as “an adult who lacks the physical or mental capacity to provide for the adult’s daily needs.” The APS/MIH social worker reports to supervisors in both APS and EMS but will spend 80% of work hours with the MIH program.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING:

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Works with a team comprised of Fire Department paramedics and an APS/MIH registered nurse to provide outreach and response to high users of EMS services with the objective of providing clinical assessment and resource referral to reduce unnecessary service utilization.
• Provides crisis intervention, as needed and completes data collection in the MIH program.
• Attends regular MIH planning meetings with the team.
• Conducts one to two APS investigations each month especially those that may intersect with Fire Department referrals investigating allegations of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and exploitations of vulnerable adults who are at-risk in the community and takes steps to ensure their safety in the least restrictive setting.
• Makes regular home and community visits to clients.
• Provides professional assessment and clinical intervention to clients.
• Prepares Court reports for guardianship in APS cases, as appropriate and necessary.
• Consults and collaborates with staff within the Department, as well as with collateral agencies such as hospitals, the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), State Attorney’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, and community public and private agencies.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

The employee will attend both monthly APS team meetings and monthly APS group supervision meetings.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

A background investigation will be conducted on the selected candidate prior to appointment and will be a significant factor in the hiring decision.

For information about Montgomery County Government’s comprehensive benefits package, please visit the MCG Total Rewards webpage and review our competitive benefits!

OHR reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position/IRC.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email to OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

Montgomery County Government also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, please refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for interview.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Requires: Possession of a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited college or university that meets the criteria of graduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Experience: Two (2) years, to include a minimum of 3,000 hours, of professional experience rendering social work services under the supervision of a LCSW-C in accordance with Maryland Board requirements.

Equivalency: There are not equivalencies for this position.

License Requirement: Must be licensed as a Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical – LCSW-C by the Maryland State Board of Social Work Examiners prior to appointment.

Note: There will be no substitutions for this requirement.

Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid Class C (or equivalent) driver’s license from the applicant’s state of residence when required for job-related duties.

PREFERRED INFORMATION:

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

• Experience working with multiple electronic systems and data bases.
• Ability to provide timely daily case documentation and communication.
• Demonstrated experience communicating and collaborating with multiple departments, agencies, and/or stakeholders.
• Ability to work in two Departments, each with its own organizational structure and policies.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Clinical background experience with vulnerable populations.

Experience in the above areas should be included in your resume.