Job Description:

MAKE A DIFFERENCE with us.

Put your social services skills to work in a mission-driven environment.

About Us

Northwest Senior and Disability Services is seeking a social services worker to manage a set of consumer cases. Our agency is an innovative and forward thinking with a deep commitment to helping others. We are looking for someone who believes in serving the seniors and adults with disabilities in our community.

If you live with integrity and are professional, compassionate, and customer-service-oriented you are the type of person we want to hire. We live these principles every day, in all we do. These are our core values.

Recruitment #: 172-11-22 

Closes: Open Until Filled

Location: Salem - Southside

Salary: Starting at $4,021 per month, with excellent benefits (See below)

Agency Sponsored: Medical/Dental 100% paid for employee and 90-98% for dependents: generous Paid-time off, Public Employee Retirement (PERS), Employee Assistance Plan, Long Term Disability, great culture.

Employee paid: Deferred Compensation, Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, Colonial Life Supplemental Plans, Legal Shield.

General Description

Performs professional-level work in the provision of social services for a caseload comprised of either seniors and/or adults with disabilities.

Essential Functions

1. Collaborate with other staff members
2. Assess consumers’ non-financial needs for specific social services
3. Develop consumer care plans in accordance with regulations
4. Monitor and update the consumers’ care plan
5. Provide customer service to the consumer according to privacy regulations
6. Collaborate with a broad range of social service entities 

1. Collaborate with other staff members

• Communicate regularly with other staff members to fully comprehend and work to meet a consumer’s needs
• Read and understand the information in the consumer’s record including written narration and collaborate with others to meet the consumer’s needs
• Take advice and suggestions from quality assurance subject-matter experts, peer mentors, and supervisors regarding ambiguous case situations

 2. Assess consumers’ non-financial needs for specific social services

• Interview consumers about their physical and cognitive activities of daily living to determine a service-eligibility level
• Apply a consumer’s financial eligibility to their nonfinancial eligibility to recommend the most appropriate services for the consumer
• Use proprietary software to enter data about the consumer and their service-eligibility including written narration (Oregon ACCESS, Consumer Assessment and Planning System (CAPS), etc.)
• Complete all related forms
• Meet agency reporting requirements
• Participates in quality assurance case reviews to ensure accuracy of case manager’s work

 3. Develop consumer care plans in accordance with regulations

• Develop a case management plan for each consumer on the caseload
• Find all necessary case data and then analyze the data to formulate an appropriate plan
• Coordinate the delivery of services to consumers according to case management plans
• Help to arrange in-home, residential, or assisted-living care services; medical supplies, equipment, or transportation; etc. for the consumer
• Assist the consumer to alleviate serious environmental, medical, or social problems 

4. Monitor and update the consumers’ care plan according to the changing care needs of consumers

• Modify case management plans and delivery of services according to agency policy
• Assess and monitor risk and work with consumers to eliminate or reduce risk
• Enter consumer data into the appropriate database software and consult other State computer systems (Oregon ACCESS, ONE, etc.)
• Enter written narrative of the consumer’s ongoing needs
• Complete and process all required documentation to establish and maintain consumer benefits
• Facilitate and monitor provider payments and quality of services
• Provides supervisor with monthly case count reports

 5. Provide customer service to the consumer according to privacy regulations

• Understand and commit to follow rules governing consumer confidentiality, privacy, provider records, and investigations
• Use good judgment, courtesy, and tact when working with internal and external customers
• Understand and respond to requests from internal and external customers, social service professionals, and/or the general public in compliance with privacy laws
• Adhere to agency standards regarding the security of and access to private consumer information

 6. Know about a broad range of social services options

• Work with the public and private agencies and institutions that provide social support services to seniors and adults with disabilities, including onsite visits
• Interpret federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to benefits and apply them accurately to assist consumers
• Advise applicants, consumers, and the general public on their rights and responsibilities regarding assistance programs
• Know about a variety of local services such as food banks, in-home care providers, energy assistance programs, meal sites, legal services, etc. and connect consumers with any applicable resources as needed
• Provide technical assistance to community resources, in-home and medical providers, etc.

Job-Specific Skills Needed to Meet Agency Expectations

In order to best serve consumers, case managers must know, or be able to learn:

• The problems and issues confronting the consumers the agency serves
• The state and federal laws regulating the consumer’s social services
• Casework methods and techniques to individual cases
• How to prepare concise and complete case records, documentation, and reports
• How to use problem-solving and decision-making skills in order to serve consumers
• Appropriate questioning strategies to interview consumers to determine program eligibility and service needs

General Skills Needed to Meet Agency Expectations

Must be able and willing to perform the following:

• Support the agency mission and exemplify its core values—integrity, professionalism, service, and compassion
• Serve as a mandatory reporter of suspected cases of neglect, exploitation, and abuse of vulnerable populations as required by policy and regulation, and make the appropriate referral to a responsible agency such as Child or Adult Protective Services Units
• Interact and work effectively with others in a team to deliver services to consumers
• Demonstrate good interpersonal communication skills through written, verbal, and nonverbal communication
• Use sound organizational skills to meet deadlines in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner
• Speak, read, write, and understand English and follow verbal and written instruction
• Perform other work as assigned by the supervisor