Social Worker, Senior - Alternative Response Team

The Human Services Adult Behavioral Health area is seeking to hire a Senior Social Worker (SSW) to be part of the Alternative Response Team (ART). The ART team includes a Senior Social Worker paired with a Community Paramedic from North Memorial Health who will respond to calls for service in real time. The team will be embedded in the Brooklyn Park Police Department and dispatched by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office dispatch center. The ART team will respond to a variety of call types that the 911 caller defines as urgent, and that the dispatcher and/or responding officer does not flag as potentially violent or involving weapons. The team may respond with or in lieu of patrol officers to a call. The SSW will be responsible for completing a needs assessment and providing solution-focused interventions in person, refer for follow-up, and complete documentation.
Effective December 31, 2023, there will be a general salary adjustment of 2.5% to the minimum and maximum of the range.
Current Hennepin County employees who refer a candidate hired into an open competitive position may be eligible for a $500 referral bonus. For more information visitemployee referral program.
Location and hours:
This position is onsite and located at the Brooklyn Park Police Department, 5400 85th Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 and will require travel throughout Hennepin County. The work hours are Monday through Friday, 2 p.m. -10:30 p.m. Based on current requirements hires must live in or relocate to Minnesota or Wisconsin.
About this position type:
This is a full-time, benefit-earning position.
This position is internally classified as Social Worker, Senior.
Click here to view the job classification specification.
In this position, you will:

• Develop collaborative relationships with law enforcement, emergency departments, human services, and other community stakeholders/partners.
• Conduct needs and risk assessments of adults, children, and adolescents in crisis in the residents' homes or community settings.
• Utilize solution-focused interventions and together with the individual in crisis, create a personalized crisis/safety plan that is culturally informed, and person-centered.
• Support community paramedics to address medical needs.
• Facilitate immediate treatment planning, disposition, and coordination of recommendations and service coordination.
• Coordinate placement into facilities that provide higher levels of care for individuals assessed to be unsafe to remain in the community.
• Facilitate immediate service coordination with community providers and connect individuals to new and existing supports.
• Provide consultation, support, and resources to police officers when responding to behavioral health related calls.
• Document referrals received and case note utilizing state and county systems.
• Transport individuals as needed in a county vehicle to community providers to further stabilize.
• Participate in community engagement events.

Need to have:

• One of the following:
  • Master's degree or higher in social work or closely related field with course work emphasis in areas such as social work methods, human growth and behavior, and principles of social welfare.
  • Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, sociology, or human services, and at least 18 semester (27 quarter) credits of graduate work in the above areas, and three years or more of full-time supervised experience as a Social Worker.
  • Licensed as a Graduate Social Worker by the Minnesota Board of Social Work.
• A valid driver's license and daily access to reliable transportation to travel primarily within the metro area to meet with persons in their residential settings and/or perform authorized off-site work duties and the ability to obtain a Hennepin County Driver's Permit to provide transportation as needed to essential services.

Nice to have:

• Licensed or working towards licensure in any of the following:
  • Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC).
• Experience:
  • Serving individuals living with a mental health condition and/or substance use disorder.
  • Serving individuals who are involved in the criminal justice system.
  • Effectively interacting with people from diverse backgrounds including efforts towards disparity reduction.
    
• Knowledge of:
  • County and community resources for mental health, substance use disorder, social services, and basic needs.
  • Harm reduction principles.
  • Trauma-informed care principles.
  • Person-centered thinking.
  • Social determinants of health.
  • Race-based disparities and the impact of these disparities on the development of a community, social justice, corrective justice, socio-economic statuses, and the affects to overall health and wellness of populations.
    
• Ability to:
  • Function well in unpredictable and challenging situations calling for sensitivity, flexibility, resourcefulness, and independent judgment.
  • Work well independently and as a team.
  • Demonstrate strong interpersonal, organizational and computer skills.

Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. Bilingual candidates who pass a language assessment may qualify for additional bilingual pay and duties.
About the department:
Human Services delivers a variety of services to individuals or families that assist with basic needs or encourage client change around specific objectives. We work with individuals as well as systems and communities in order to develop policy and advocate for the people we serve. The people we serve and our communities are connected. By helping one, we help the other.
About Hennepin County:
Hennepin is the largest county government organization in Minnesota. Our employees work every day to improve the health, safety and quality of life for our residents and communities. All of our jobs align to one or more of our overarching goals -- that Hennepin County residents are healthy, protected and safe, self-reliant, assured due process, and mobile.
Our employees receive a combination of generous benefits and positive workplace culture not found at other organizations. This includes meaningful work that impacts our community, competitive pay, work-life balance, a variety of benefits and opportunities to grow. Learn more at The Bridge (select Guest).
Hennepin County envisions an organization where our commitment to diversity and the reduction of disparities is fundamental in providing excellent service to our community.
Your future. Made here.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Kristin Checco
Kristin.Checco@hennepin.usEmployment Type: Full-time