What are the responsibilities and job description for the County Agency Social Worker position at Minnesota Merit System?
Classification Summary
Chisago County Health and Human Services, Center City, MN, has a full-time (40 hours per week) County Agency Social Worker - Child Welfare and Intake Specialist vacancy.
This position will provide intake, assessment and case management services for Child Protection, Child Welfare and Parent Support Outreach Programs (PSOP) and support Child Protection teams in other tasks as needed.
Mission Statement:
Intentionally honoring history, building community and welcoming future.
Vision Statement:
Chisago County is the place to grow and develop for all generations.
Chisago County MN is a robust area to live, work, and play with small town ideals, natural beauty, and rich heritage that shapes the culture less than an hour from the Twin Cities. It is a unique destination offering opportunities for tourism, shopping local, and outdoor activities.
Chisago County benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, PERA, optional Deferred Compensation plans, vacation accrual, sick accrual, holiday pay, and Monday-Friday work week.
Examples of Duties
- Interviews clients at intake.
- Carries a caseload where a need for continuing social casework predominates.
- Provides counseling to families and individuals.
- Conducts complex case evaluation for the purpose of assessing problems and determining appropriate types and methods of treatment.
- Prepares intensive long or short-term treatment plans, which require a fund of casework knowledge.
- Identifies client situations, which require intensified service and brings to the attention of supervisor for help or referral.
- Provices adult and child protective services.
- Provides vocation/employment services.
- Provides adult and children's mental health services and services to persons with disabilities.
- Provides or assists in providing services to other cases involving difficult or complex social and financial problems.
- Interprets programs to clients, refers clients to appropriate community services.
- Interprets social and emotional factors to others involved in treatment of clients.
- Prepares social histories with emphasis on psychosocial factors, adoption, or foster home placements.
- Supervises foster home placements.
- Interviews and screens prospective adoptive parents.
- Provides preventive services.
- Interprets policies and regulations to clients.
- Provides casework services for rehabilitation and care of children.
- Prepares and maintains case records which meet federal, state and local guidelines.
- Dictates findings and correspondence.
- Prepares regular and special reports.
- May provide work direction to social work para-professionals.
- Participates in in-service training and other staff development activities to increase knowledge of social work processes and skill in application to individual cases.
Minimum Qualifications
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in social work, psychology, sociology or closely related field.
or
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in any field and one year of experience as a social worker in a public or private social services agency.
Chisago County Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor of Social Work degree. Master of Social Work preferred OR a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in any field and one year of experience as a social worker in a public or private social services agency.
Preference may be given to applicants with previous child protection experience and/or applicants who have successfully completed the Child Welfare Specialization within their degree program, including a field placement within a child protection/child welfare setting that serves IV-E eligible families.
Examination Process
The examination will consist of a rating of training and experience based on the information you provide in your application and your responses to the supplemental questions included in the application process. You must read the questions carefully, answer truthfully, and include any experience claimed in your answers to the supplemental questions in the Work Experience section of your application. Any experience claimed in your answers to the supplemental questions but not included in the Work Experience section of you application will not be credited.
Please attach a copy of your college transcript when applying. Otherwise, you will be asked to verify your degree with official transcripts upon hire.
Once your application has been submitted changes cannot be made. If you have a change in location availability or your contact information changes please email dhs.merit.system@state.mn.us with the new information and include your applicant ID.
Note: This is a two step application process
1. Submit an application to Minnesota Merit System by clicking on the following link: 011-OC (County Agency Social Worker - Bachelor's)
AND
2. Submit an online Chisago County Application by the November 18th, 2026 deadline.