Social Services Supervisor

The Social Services Supervisor performs highly responsible, professional work in the administration and supervision of Social Services programs involving the interpretation and assessment of policies and the supervision of professional, paraprofessional, and office support personnel within Social Services, supervises a unit providing services in one or more of the following program areas: child protective services, adult protective services, mental health case management, developmental disabilities case management, foster care, daycare, family-based services, and performs related work as assigned.  

The Social Services Supervisor is responsible for managing complex, varied program budgets, ensuring maximum monetary reimbursement for casework activities of social work staff, and responsible for the ethical provision of quality, person-centered casework services in adherence to federal and state statute and county policy and procedure subject to review by subordinates, administration, Department of Human Services, taxpayers, elected officials, and the media.

HOURS
Generally, Monday through Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.  A minimum of a 40-hour work week. As an exempt position, it may require more than 8 hours of work in any day or more than forty hours of work in any week to perform duties and to meet expectations.     

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The duties listed are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of those specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.  

PLAN, REVIEW & EVALUATE WORK OF SOCIAL WORKERS
Knowledge of training and supervisory techniques and an ability to successfully apply techniques as needed. 
Plan, review and evaluate the work of Social Workers in all stages of a case: assessment, case planning/coordinating, ongoing service provision, and case closure and recommend appropriate action.
Holds individual conferences with staff and interpret agency state policies, rules, and regulations. 
Reviewing written assessments, service plans, case notes, and closing summaries for content, ensuring they are person-centered and compliant with state and federal guidelines.
Communicating and coordinating Social Service appeals with the worker, the Director, the Appeals Office, and the County Attorney’s Office.  
Ensuring that the services offered to individuals and families fall within Social Services’ scope and current financial resources. 
Acting as the petitioner to the court and final approver of the filing of all Social Service-initiated court petitions.
Reviewing all redacted materials on time before the dissemination of this material to attorneys, clients, and other requestors.
Evaluating clients for program eligibility and making difficult decisions to accept, suspend, and terminate clients from programming, and providing a statutory rationale for doing so.  

HUMAN RESOURCE
Knowledge of human resource management principles, federal employment and labor law, county policy, and expectations, accurate labor/union contract knowledge, interpretation, and implementation.
Requires knowledge of the social worker's duties and responsibilities to ensure workers are adequately, consistently, and appropriately completing them. 
Knowledgeable of community and state resources to assist workers in fully utilizing them for the benefit of the clients, determine when court action is appropriate in social worker cases, and assure positive interagency relationships are maintained with other governmental and community professionals as social workers represent the agency when interacting with them. 
Be available to staff and provide consultation, make “final” case decisions, process information, and guide workers in solving complex client problems taking into consideration best social work practice, state and federal statutes, agency finances, community resources, and client specifics.  
Consults with the Director and Assistant Director when may involve agency liability, high exposure, or large expenditures of funds.   

EVALUATE AND MANAGE COMPLEX BUDGETS
Assists in the planning and development of Social Services budget and provides the justification and rationale to the Director and Assistant Director regarding social service unit budget needs and requests. 
Develop policies and procedures within their span of control to appropriately and adequately serve eligible consumers, and to maximize federal, state, private, and grant disbursements without going over departmental budgets. 
Coordinate with the Director and Finance Director regarding needs and anticipated trends of program areas. 
Provide approval of payments within their program areas for goods and services supplied by vendors; provide oversight of disbursement of funds in accordance with county contracts and funding requirements.  
Monitor and approve service arrangements created by staff in SSIS to make sure funds are used appropriately and adequate funding is available. 
Prevent, monitor, and report fraud and waste in all program areas as they arise, keeping management apprised of budget deviations. 

MANAGE RELEVANT INTAKES
Knowledge of interviewing techniques and methods for obtaining and communicating information. 
Interviews clients when special problems arise, listens to concerns, and grievances, and recommends/takes appropriate action. 
Monitor, prioritize, and review intakes relevant to specific program areas. 
Ability to maintain records, prepare reports, and compose correspondence related to the work.

ASSIGN CASES IN ALL PROGRAM AREAS
Monitors and evaluates the provision of client services in the program area. 
Knowledge of community resources for assisting families, individuals, and groups. 
Fosters effective community-agency relations and organizes community projects. 
Participates in community meetings and is responsible for the utilization of community resources. 
Represent the agency in community task forces and committees to influence local and state statutes and local service provision. 
Knowledge of state and federal social welfare laws, rules, and regulations. 
Knowledge of the state Social Services human services programs. 
Triaging intakes by response times and communicating response timelines to workers.
Ensuring that SSIS documentation requirements have been satisfied before assigning the case.        
Reviewing supporting intake documentation, such as Diagnostic Assessments, IEPs, and Mandated Reports, to ensure that clients meet eligibility requirements before assigning the case.  
Communicating assignments/tasks to workers clearly and concisely.  

POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND DEPARTMENTAL CHANGE.
Assist the Director and Assistant Director with developing, implementing, and evaluating agency policies and procedures, and managing departmental change.  
Effectively communicate potential problems with and to workers, vendors, community agencies, the Director, HR, or the County Attorney.   
Communicate problems and suggest solutions to the Director and Assistant Director regarding Kronos, Social Services Information System (SSIS), EDMS, and other programs so that work is effective and productive.   

RISK MANAGEMENT
Protecting highly confidential information regarding clients and staff.
Responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of workers and the general public by identifying workplace safety hazards, identifying and filing first reports of injury with HR, and ensuring the safe/calm evacuation or shelter-in-place of staff.
Responsible for immediately addressing urgent situations involving the public that might put the individual, employees or the general public at risk. 
Complies with all rules and policies to maintain a safe work environment.
Reliable, predictable attendance and punctuality.
Other duties, as assigned or apparent.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AT HIRE: 
Education 
An accredited Master’s Degree in Social Work and one year of experience as a Social Worker;

OR

A Master’s degree from an accredited college/university in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Human Service Administration, or closely related field (i.e., applied behavioral sciences) and one year of experience as a Social Worker;

OR

Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college/university and four years of experience as a Social Worker.

Licenses and Other Requirements: 
Valid Minnesota Class D Driver’s license.  The use of personal vehicle throughout the workday is required in the event a county vehicle is unavailable.     

REQUIRED MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, & QUALITIES AT HIRE: 
Knowledge of and ability to use human resource management practices.
Knowledge of state and federal data privacy rules, HIPPA, and client confidentiality standards.
Knowledge of leadership and coaching strategies to lead effectively.
Knowledge of the principles and techniques of motivational interviewing and assessment.
Knowledge of individual and group behavior.
Knowledge of budgets and grant management.
Knowledge of government structure at various levels (County, State, Federal).
Knowledge and ability to establish person/family-centered, measurable, and attainable case plans that meet state standards for compliance.
Knowledge and ability to assess immediate surroundings and circumstances. 
Working knowledge of trauma-informed care and response/services. 
Knowledge of socio-economic factors that promote stable family life.
Knowledge of physical and mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorders and how to treat or mitigate them.
Knowledge of social welfare research methodology.
Knowledge of family systems theory and human development.
Knowledge of the court system.
Knowledge of strength-based interventions and cultural competency.
Knowledge of and ability to intervene in crises.
Ability to multitask, think critically about information, use common sense, and make independent decisions.
Ability to establish rapport and collaborate with internal and external resources.
Ability to understand and manage continuity of care.
Ability to weigh self-determination vs risk of harm.
Ability to work constructively within an agency and develop, utilize, and coordinate community resources and services.
Ability to communicate professionally and effectively, both orally and in writing, and accurately interpret and use non-verbal social cues. 
Ability to comprehend and interpret local, state, and federal statutes and policies and convey this information effectively to others. 

Click "apply now" to apply online 

Please apply by 4:30pm May 31st