THE CURRENT VACANCY IS IN THE

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BRANCH OF THE

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY DEPARTMENT

ORAL EXAM IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR MAY 2024

SKILLS OR EXPERIENCES LISTED UNDER THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

STATEMENT MAY ALSO BE USED TO SCREEN APPLICATIONS

SEE “SPECIAL REQUIREMENT” SECTION REGARDING 

POSSESSION OF A VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE 

RESPONSES TO SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS REQUIRED

FINAL FILING DATE: MAY 22, 2024 AT 5:00 PM

SALARY INFORMATION

$3,260 - $4,161 APPROXIMATE MONTHLY* / $18.81 - $24.01 APPROXIMATE HOURLY*

*Please refer to the appropriate Bargaining Unit Memorandum of Understanding for potential future salary increases* Please visit https://www.shastacounty.gov/personnel/page/labor-agreements-mous.

ABOUT SHASTA COUNTY

Shasta County offers all the amenities of the big city while retaining a comfortable small-town atmosphere. With its natural beauty, affordable housing, excellent educational system, abundance of recreational opportunities, and excellent quality of life, Shasta County is a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) partners with communities to protect and improve the health and well-being of Shasta County residents. Established in 2006, the HHSA is organized into four branches: Behavioral Health & Social Services, Public Health, Economic Mobility, and a centralized Administration Services. The HHSA promotes optimal health for all. The frail, the abused, the mentally ill and those without resources look to the HHSA for services and resources to meet their basic needs, and to protect their health and safety. This transformation improves efficiency, avoids unnecessary duplication of effort, encourages collaboration among programs and organizes the HHSA’s services to be more responsive to the needs of the public.

Adult Services focuses on issues that affect people eighteen and older. Adult mental health services include outpatient mental health care, 24-hour crisis stabilization services for people at risk of hospitalization, 24-hour crisis residential services, long-term placement services and referrals to local non-profit organizations that provide additional services. This branch also provides Adult Protective Services to follow-up on elder abuse reports. In-Home Supportive Services help those who need assistance with daily activities in order to remain safely in their own homes, and the Public Authority keeps a registry that helps In-Home Supportive Services recipients find a screened caregiver to provide those services. The Public Guardian helps citizens who are unable to manage their personal and financial affairs and may require guardianship or conservatorship. Mental Health Services Act administration is also housed in the Adult Services Branch.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Under general supervision, the Social Service Aide assists Social Workers by performing specifically designated tasks related to the improvement of family functioning and child and adult services; and performs related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Social Service Aide is a paraprofessional class. Incumbents assist Social Workers by relieving them of routine tasks such as performing assessments of clients in the In-Home Supportive Services program, instructing parents in the development of parenting and household management skills, and/or performing various tasks for the child and adult service programs.

The Social Service Aide differs from the Social Worker in that the former requires a lower level of skill and training than the level required of a professional Social Worker.

Supervision Exercised and Received: Incumbents in the Social Service Aide classification receive supervision from a Social Worker Supervisor or other higher-level supervisor or manager.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The Health & Human Services Agency of Shasta County is committed to providing fair and equal access to services. If you share this same commitment, desire a meaningful career serving the public, and want the opportunity to make a difference for your community, consider a career with us. We celebrate and are committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion, and actively seek and encourage applications from persons with diverse backgrounds and characteristics. The ideal candidate will be able to make an immediate positive impact on external and internal customers. With a professional attitude and appearance, the ideal candidate will demonstrate a desire for serving those in need while promoting community health and well-being. This individual will be a positive contributor to the site culture and exemplify the agency values of Collaboration, Adaptability, Respect and Excellence. We welcome a candidate who is interested in a fast-paced, team-oriented, collaborative environment. The ideal candidate will be good with communication, multitasking, organizing and have the ability to maintain strong interpersonal skills. 

The ideal candidate will have experience working with adults who are struggling with or are disabled by a pervasive mental illness, dementia, medical issue, or lack the ability to care for themselves. They will possess good communication skills (both verbal and written), have a compassionate attitude, and work well with a varied and often unpredictable array of job duties. This Service Aide supports the work of the Public Guardian’s office in serving the needs of their clients. 

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: Maintains a routine caseload of elderly adults who are infirm or incapacitated and receiving household services; conducts ongoing client needs assessments and verifies needs by contacting medical and health services providers; presents client assessments to professional staff for approval; completes narrative reports regarding a client's condition and services provided and/or recommended. Enters data regarding case and client information and contacts into automated system; makes client referrals to medical personnel or social workers as needed; train and receive certification to deliver evidence or research based parenting services to families in the Child Welfare System; provides direct training and counseling to mentally ill and developmentally disabled parents on parenting and household management skills, and teaches families about nutritional meal preparation, budgeting and household care; monitors the medical and psychological care of abused children; supervises visits between parents and children and reports observations to social worker; provides emergency child care; transports or accompanies clients to appointments for service or interviews; may testify in juvenile court hearings; assists Social Workers in providing a variety of child and adult social services; acts as liaison between clients and professional staff, individuals and groups in the community serviced; directly assists families in using and learning about the resources of society, particularly medical, legal and employment services; maintains records of work performed, and performs other related work as required; performs related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of: Basic rules and regulations regarding In-Home Supportive Services, child abuse reporting, and Welfare and Institution Codes; basic community resources useful to clients served, acceptable housekeeping and homemaking standards, including the methods, materials and equipment used in general housekeeping work; basic methods and attitudes involved in the in-home care of physically ill, handicapped or disabled persons and adequate food preparation with limited kitchen equipment.

Ability to: Interview persons to obtain a variety of information applicable to the provision of social services; understand and accept differences in human behavior resulting from cultural, economic or other forms of deprivation; effectively instruct physically and mentally disabled adults in parenting and household skills; deal with physically and sexually abused children; prepare basic written reports; recognize and report specific indications of need for social services; maintain confidential information in accordance with legal standards and/or County regulations; establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers, outside organizations, and the public.

These standards are typically attained with EITHER the equivalent to completion of two (2) years of college, including fifteen (15) semester units in social welfare social/human service, sociology, or other social or behavioral science*; OR two (2) years of full-time experience in a public or private Social Services agency providing services to disadvantaged adults or children.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT

Some positions in this classification may require possession of a valid California driver's License. Employees who drive on County business to carry out job-related duties must possess a valid California driver's license for the class of vehicle driven and meet automobile insurability requirements of the County. Eligibility for employment for those who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the appointing authority.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS

Responses to the following must be submitted with a completed application.

1. Have you completed two years of college education or the equivalent, including fifteen (15) semester units in social welfare, social/human service, sociology, or other social or behavioral science? If yes please list program attended and courses taken, if no, please type N/A.
2. Do you have two years of full-time experience working in a public or private Social Services agency providing services to at least one of the following: 1) elderly and/or disabled adults, 2) children and/or adults with mental health needs, 3) children and/or families who have experienced trauma? If yes please list name of agency, dates of employment, and duties performed. If no, please type N/A.
3. Do you have experience taking and following direction without direct oversight or supervision? If none, please write “n/a”. If yes, please give a brief example.
4. Do you have experience filling out detailed applications or documents such Veteran’s Service Affairs or Social Security/Disability applications? If none, please write “n/a”. 
5. Do you have any experience working with individuals who are elderly, may have dementia or mental illness? If none, please write “n/a”. 
6. Do you have experience working in a position where there are often unpredictable and varied job duties? If none, please write “n/a”.
7. Are you able and willing to travel out of town and overnight with last minute notice?

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move more than fifty (50) pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles, extreme cold, and extreme heat. Exposure to unsanitary conditions, e.g., spoiled foods, feces, urine, and disease. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

*Examples of social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, economics, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, law, nursing, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, public health, religion, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women's studies.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• All new employees are required to have their paycheck directly deposited to a bank account.
• Some positions may require a valid California driver's license and acceptable driving record according to County policy.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act to perform the essential functions of the position.
• As part of the selection process, all individuals provided with a preliminary offer of employment with Shasta County will be subject to a background investigation, including a criminal history check (primarily completed through the taking of fingerprints). An image of your fingerprints will be captured and sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history, (if any), will be evaluated along with the other information received in connection with your application. Except as otherwise required by law, a criminal conviction will not necessarily disqualify you from the position. The nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the surrounding circumstances, and the relevance of the offense to the position applied for may, however, be considered. 
• Based on the results of the background investigation and criminal history check, applicants may then be provided with an offer of employment conditioned on the results of a medical examination, which includes drug/alcohol testing. 

• In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, County employees, in the event of a disaster are considered disaster workers and may be asked to respond accordingly.
• Positions in this classification are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the County and the United Public Employees of California – General Unit.

Shasta County Personnel will accept applications and responses to the supplemental questions until 5:00 p.m., on May 22, 2024. A Resume and/or Cover Letter will be accepted in addition to the application form but will not serve as a substitute for a completed application. It is not acceptable to complete the application with statements such as, “Refer to Resume and/or Cover Letter,” or “See Attached Resume and/or Cover Letter” the employment application must be completed in its entirety prior to submission. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Closing date postmarks or faxes will NOT be accepted. This recruitment will establish a list that may or may not be used by other departments. Prior applicants must reapply to be considered. 

Applicants will be screened and those considered best qualified will be invited to appear for an oral and/or written examination. Meeting the announced requirements does not guarantee inclusion into the selection process. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of additional application screening, written and/or practical exam(s), oral interview, or any combination thereof. 

Veterans' Credit:Veterans (as defined by California Government Code section 18973) who have been discharged from military service under conditions other than dishonorable and who receive a passing score on all components of the employment examinations (up to and including oral examinations) shall receive credit for an additional five points to be added to their final examination score. To be considered for this credit, a veteran MUST provide a copy of his or her discharge document (DD-214 or equivalent) and information as to the type of discharge (honorable, dishonorable, etc.) WITH THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OR BEFORE THE FINAL FILING DATE. 

Applicants are encouraged to apply on-line at www.ShastaCountyCareers.com or submit an application to the Shasta County Personnel Office.

Arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants with disabilities. Requests for accommodations may be made to the Shasta County Personnel Office by the filing deadline posted on this bulletin. Shasta County does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you feel you are being denied service based on a disability, our ADA Coordinator may be reached at (530) 225-5515; relay service (800) 735-2922; fax (530) 225-5345.

Shasta County will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Shasta County is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act.

SHASTA COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Shasta County Personnel