Job Description

Social Worker II

Salary Range: $28.23 per hour, $4,893.20 per month, $58,718.40 per year

Location: Lower Lake

Job Type: Full-Time

Job Number: MSS06006

Department: Lake County Department of Social Services

Opening Date: 06/15/2026

Closing Date: 7/6/2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada); Tijuana

Position Information

Performs basic social services casework; identifies client needs for more intensive casework services and provides referrals; carries a caseload of moderately difficult cases; manages a caseload of increasingly difficult cases; and performs other related work as assigned. Working under general direction, Social Worker II is the journey level in the Social Worker series. Employees at this level are expected to carry a full caseload of moderately difficult cases requiring greater skill and depth of job knowledge in assessing problem situations and formulating plans for service. Typical assignments are within child welfare and adult services programs. However, at the agency's discretion, Social Worker II may be assigned to employment services to perform social services case work for employment services clients as required by department needs. Employees work with a high degree of independence in administering services and in using agency or community resources. Some positions may determine initial and continuing eligibility for one or more aid programs. Social Worker II differs from Social Worker III in that the latter is the advanced journey level, assigned the more complex cases, specialized functions and/or leadworker duties.

Supervision Exercised and Received: Incumbents in the Social Worker I/II classification receive direct supervision from a Social Worker Supervisor, or other higher-level supervisor or manager. This position qualifies for a Hiring Incentive, the Hiring Incentive is 10% of the annual rate of pay. The hiring incentive will be made in three (3) payments as described below. The first payment of 50% will be made to an employee within the next available pay period following the date of hire. The second payment of 25% will be made within the next payroll following the 12th month of employment. The third payment of 25% will be made within the next payroll following two (2) years of employment. Social Worker II – Annual Salary is $58,718.40, estimate total Hiring Incentive would be $5,871.84. The Hiring Incentive is only available on the initial, first time hire of the employee, past and current employees are not eligible. The employee must remain employed with the County for two (2) years or repay the hiring incentive on a pro-rated basis.

Examples of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conducts interviews with clients, family members, and others in their home, in the office, or via telephone to assess the basic social, physical, and mental needs of clients and obtain health information in order to identify and provide social services
• Performs case studies and evaluates individual and family case information to assess the safety of children and adults; determines appropriate types and methods of treatment
• Assesses reports of suspected abuse; may be required to work on-call; may provide information to law enforcement or district attorneys
• Develops and carries out culturally sensitive non-complex to moderate treatment plans for an assigned caseload in conformance with agency, state and federal requirements; assists clients and family members to develop strategies to accomplish case plan goals
• Refers clients to other staff members, or to community resources for direct and intensive services and specialized counseling as necessary; advocates on the clients' behalf for most appropriate services including enabling services
• Assists applicants and recipients in utilizing available resources
• Interprets policies, rules, and regulations of the agency to applicants, clients and others within the scope of their responsibility
• Makes home visits in connection with casework assignments
• Prepares and maintains case records and databases; communicates decisions, timelines, recommendations and case plans to clients, families and service providers
• May testify in court
• May be assigned to specialized functions
• Participates in in-service training and other staff development activities to increase knowledge of the social work processes and achieve technical competence
• Receives casework consultation from professionally trained staff members
• Provides community outreach for various agency programs
• Maintains client confidentiality; performs all duties in conformance with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics
• Performs related duties as assigned
• Carrying a caseload that includes cases with issues of moderate difficulty
• Counseling or supporting clients with complex or specialized needs; provides crisis intervention
• Providing self-help information, education, and services; works with client and caregivers to develop and improve caregiving and independent living skills
• Obtaining and evaluating policy, medical, and psychological reports
• May serve as mentor to staff, orients staff, provides training and guidance on cases

Minimum Qualifications

Pattern 1: One (1) year of full-time experience performing entry level social work case management in the Social Worker I classification in an Interagency Merit System (IMS) county; OR Pattern 2: One (1) year of full-time social work case management experience AND thirty (30) college semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units from an accredited college or university, including fifteen (15) semester units or twenty-two and a half (22.5) quarter units in social welfare, social/human services, sociology, or other social or behavioral science. Examples of acceptable social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, human services, law, nursing, nutrition, psychology, public health, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women's studies. Qualifying social work case management includes direct case work management, such as: assessment, evaluation; conducting investigations of abuse and neglect; preparing court reports; responsibility for a long term caseload, monitoring compliance through home calls and other personal contact; collaboration with other agencies and linking clients to resources and programs; development of a case plan, modification of case plans as needed/required; and authority to impose sanctions or implement actions that impact services.

Supplemental Information

Additional Information:

• A valid driver's license will be required at the time of interview. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Positions require pre-employment screening, including background checks, and fingerprinting.
• Government agencies accessing US government information, which includes federal tax information, must ensure that background investigation requirements for all agency employees and contractors that have access to federal tax information are consistent to the IRS background investigation requirements for access to federal tax information. A background check is required for all Social Services positions. Background requirements consist of three components which include fingerprinting, citizenship verification, and local law enforcement checks. Applicable agencies must conduct investigations during time of hire and ensure a reinvestigation is conducted 5 years from the date of the previous background investigation for each employee that has access to federal tax information.
• Lake County is required to verify Employment and Education if a conditional offer of employment is made to an applicant.
• Lake County offers: Flexible Office Hours available for most positions; Monday Friday with a variety of schedules between 6:30am - 7:00pm.
• Work remotely from home available for some positions upon Lake County Department of Social Services approval.

Examination Information:

Training & Experience Examination – Weighted 100%

The Training & Experience Examination is designed to elicit a range of specific information regarding each candidate's knowledge, skill, abilities, and potential to effectively perform the duties relative to the classification. Responses to the questionnaire will be assessed based on pre-determined rating criteria. All applicants must complete the entire examination to receive a score. To obtain a position on the eligible list, candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination.

Examination administration and processing time is approximately one week after the closing date of the job bulletin.

Eligible List Information:

A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Lake. The list will be utilized for 12 months after it is established unless the needs of the service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.

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