The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking a Community Services Aide III to work in Child Welfare Services.

This individual will work with social workers to provide case oversight and support to parents and children. This work may involve in-home, out-of-home, or Protective Services investigation cases.

The individual may be required to: provide interpretation and translation services for children and parents; monitor visitation between children who are in foster care and their parents who come to visit; report progress to social workers; accompany and/or assist non-offending parents with filing victim compensation claims and with applying for public assistance benefits; locate resources for clients; teach household management and other life skills to parents, with emphasis on parenting practices such as appropriate discipline to assure safety of children; prepare and maintain client records and reports containing information on visits and compliance with rules and regulations; and, transport children to/from court, medical appointments, parent/child visitation, and other case-related activities.

Bilingual applicants in the Spanish/English languages are encouraged to apply. If the candidate selected for this position possesses multilingual skills, he/she will be required to successfully pass an examination assessing oral communication, reading comprehension, and interpreting skills. For Advanced proficiency, the candidate must also pass an examination requiring translating text from Spanish to English and vice versa.

This position requires the ability to attend meetings or perform work at locations outside the office. The individual must be able to lift and carry children of various ages, carry car seats and navigate stairs, as families live in buildings/homes that have steps but no elevators or ramps.

The selected candidate will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment medical exam, drug and alcohol screening. In addition, the selected candidate will be required to complete a criminal background check and will also be checked through the Maryland Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect and federal and state sex offender registries. Any applicant who fails the medical exam, background check, or whose name appears on either of the registries may be disqualified from employment for this position.

OHR reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position/IRC.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email to OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

Montgomery County Government also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, please refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference .

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for interview.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law : Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code . Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

Experience: Three (3) years of experience providing delivery of social, health and/or public assistance services.

Education: Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State of Maryland

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

License : Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid State of Maryland driver's license when required for job-related duties.

The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas:

• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills and familiarity with electronic client databases
• Experience in the delivery of client-focused costumer services to diverse and vulnerable populations to assess individual needs and offer necessary guidance and support
• Demonstrates the ability to conduct business in both the Spanish and English languages
• Knowledge of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and experience working within a program (public or private) which adheres to the mandates of ADA and HIPAA
• Experience identifying both agency and community resources, coordinating services and advocating on behalf of children and/or families in need

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.