Forensic Social Worker

Full Job Description

Bargaining Unit: Local 1021 - Social Services Rank & File Unit

The Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office is excited to announce a recruitment to fill two (2) Forensic Social Worker vacancies.

Forensic Social Workers may be assigned to one of the Public Defender Office’s many units, including the Client Services Unit, the Mental Health Unit, and the Post Conviction Unit.

The Forensic Social Worker works as an integral member of a multi-disciplinary, holistic legal defense team.

Typical duties include developing social histories and mitigation strategies that influence client-centered resolution of pending criminal cases, performing professional-level case management and investigative work to support the Public Defender’s Office in effectively representing clients, linking clients to community-based agencies and services, and coordinating with criminal justice partners from other agencies.

The Public Defender’s Office has over 100 attorneys serving the Courts of Contra Costa County.

Located in the Bay Area, Contra Costa County extends from the San Francisco Bay to the western edge of California’s Central Valley.

One of the most populous counties in California, Contra Costa encompasses a range of urban, suburban, and rural communities.

CCPD has an office in Richmond serving West County, an office in Martinez serving Central and East County and a Youth Defense Office in Walnut Creek.

In addition, we oversee an Alternate Defender’s Office in Martinez.

At the CCPD, we believe in innovative and zealous advocacy.

Our core philosophy is that justice can only be served when the most vulnerable among us are treated with the same attention and dignity as the most powerful.

We ensure that each client receives excellent representation by carefully monitoring attorney’s workloads and providing excellent in-house training.

We take a holistic approach in representing our clients, which includes support services within our office such as immigration attorney experts, forensic attorney experts, mental health attorney experts, social workers, and post-conviction relief representation.

As an office, we foster practices and policies that promote equity, racial justice, diversity, and inclusion.

Multilingual applicants are encouraged to apply.

We are looking for someone who has:

• An understanding of the role of the Public Defender, who advocates on behalf of indigent individuals accused of crimes
• Impeccable writing and verbal skills
• The ability to work well with individuals who come from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
• The ability to conduct psychosocial assessments and interviews, and identify and assess an individual’s needs and strengths
• The ability to cultivate relationships and work with other agencies and departments within the criminal legal system
• The ability to prioritize and manage multiple assignments
• The ability to provide crisis counseling and redirection to individuals in order to assist them in meeting their goals
• An understanding of the holistic defense philosophy and ability to work on a multidisciplinary team

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Intake and case management of participants in the program
• Identifying the root causes that may have led to the individual’s criminal system involvement
• Identifying available community-based social services and connecting clients with those services
• Advocating for community-based solutions as alternatives to incarceration
• Writing biopsychosocial (social history/mitigation) reports and assessments of clients

A few reasons you might love the job:

• You will develop an understanding of the criminal court system’s impact on vulnerable communities
• You will have the opportunity to work independently and in a fast-paced environment
• You will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with supportive colleagues

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• Working in a fast-paced environment
• Balancing multiple demands on your time and assisting multiple clients
• Navigating a web of social services systems across the county
• Maintaining self-care while working with adult clients who are impacted by trauma and injustice

Competencies Required:

• Critical Thinking: Analytically and logically evaluating information, propositions, and claims
• Delivering Results: Meeting organizational goals and making decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks
• Innovative Problem Solving: Identifying and analyzing problems in order to propose new ways to do business
• Legal & Regulatory Navigation: Understanding, interpreting, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations
• Safety Focus: Showing vigilance and care in identifying and addressing health risks and safety hazards
• Using Technology: Working with electronic hardware and software applications
• Action & Result Focused (Taking Initiative): Initiating tasks and focusing on accomplishment
• Adaptability: Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires
• Professional Integrity & Ethics: Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
• Presentation Skills: Formally delivering information to groups
• Writing Skills: Communicating effectively in writing
• Building & Maintaining Relationships: Establishing rapport and maintaining mutually productive relationships
• Group Facilitation: Enabling constructive and productive group interaction
• Leading Cross-Divisional Collaboration: Demonstrating cooperation and teamwork while working within and across divisions and teams
• Strategic Thinking & Perspective: Evaluating immediate actions in context of achieving long range objective

Qualifications

License Required: Possession of a Valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s License. Out of State valid Motor Vehicle Operator's License will be accepted during the application process.

Education: Possession of a Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university with a major in social work, sociology, counseling or psychology, or a closely related field.

Substitution for Education: A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in psychology, sociology, social welfare or a closely related field and three (3) years of full-time or its equivalent experience as either a social caseworker in a public or private human services agency or as a Deputy Probation Officer performing juvenile investigations or supervision may be substituted for the required education.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Training related to understanding the roots of intimate partner violence
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Graduate degree in social work or related area
• Experience working with clients impacted by substance use, mental illness, or housing insecurity
• Experience writing biopsychosocial reports or mitigation reports

Additional Information