5624 - Social Worker (Public Defender)

Salary Grade: 10

Pay Range
Hiring Range: $49,763 - $59,715 Annually
Full Range: $49,763 - $69,668 Annually

(additional $1.00 per hour given for a Master's degree in Social Work or LMSW Certification)  

Salary offers are based on the candidate's equivalent experience and internal equity with other employees within the same job classification. 

The Pima County Public Defender’s Office is seeking skilled and dedicated Social Workers to join its Social Work and Mitigation Unit to aid in representing adult and juvenile clients. Our team provides client-centered, holistic defense for adults and juveniles facing criminal charges or adults in the dependency process. Our Social Work and Mitigation team is an integral part of the defense team and provides expert guidance in the areas of mitigation, treatment and community resources, rehabilitation, and sentencing alternatives for our clients. The team works in partnership with clients to offer support and advocacy to address the underlying issues that led to a client’s involvement with the justice system. We are seeking energetic and dedicated social workers to work as part of our criminal defense team and advocate for our clients both in and out of court. 

Duties/Responsibilities

(Work assignments may vary depending on the department's needs and will be communicated to the applicant or incumbent by the supervisor.)

Provides direct social services, counseling, and crisis intervention to individuals and families involved in the legal system which may include dependency, delinquency, and/or criminal cases, or in an office/community-based setting which may include outpatient clinics, hospital/ED, rehabilitation, or detention facilities;

Conducts client screenings and assessments and evaluates data to identify causes of problems and determine the proper therapeutic approach to then make referrals to appropriate specialists/services congruently with established care plans;

Works collaboratively with other professional staff and related working professionals to help represent the client;  

Provides ongoing assessment of clients’ emotional, behavioral, and social needs;

Provides crisis management counseling to clients or therapeutic crisis intervention and emergency services as appropriate and required for the client’s needs;

Develops client re-entry plans or treatment plans and follow-up care programs and helps set individual and/or family-centered goals to meet client needs;

Provides focused support and counseling to clients and families dealing with the criminal justice system or the impact of bereavement and loss, trauma, chronic illness, physical disability, substance use, and/or behavioral health issues;

Participates in developing training modules to address needs in the community related to substance use, trauma, suicide prevention, overdose, and general mental health;

Informs concerned parties on the impact that psychosocial and cultural differences have on illness;

Evaluate the home environment and determine if the client's needs are being met;

Maintains liaison with and refers clients to appropriate community resource agencies;

Maintains client records and prepares written recommendations and reports to responsible parties; Obtains treatment records and coordinates care with family, community providers, and others relevant to healthcare and community re-entry plans;

Maintains security and confidentiality of information created or encountered in the performance of assigned duties;

Serves as an advocate on behalf of clients to coordinate services and information with community agencies, state agencies, social service systems, and courts;

May provide transportation to health, housing, and justice appointments;

May testify in a variety of judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings.

Minimum Qualifications

(1) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in social work, behavioral or social services, or a closely related field as defined by the appointing authority at the time of recruitment.

OR

(2) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in a behavioral or social service, or a closely related field as defined by the appointing authority and two years of experience in client, family, and child behavioral services, child welfare and needs or crisis intervention counseling.  

(Additional relevant education from an accredited college or university may substitute for one year of the aforementioned experience.)

Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see resume" on your application.

Preferred Qualifications: (Be specific in describing your experience in your application. Ensure the descriptions provided illustrate your competencies, specifically addressing the required and preferred qualifications.):   

1. Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) from the AZ Board of Behavioral Health Examiners, or ability to be licensed within the first six (6) months of hire.

Selection Procedure: 

Pima County Human Resources Department reserves the right to admit to the selection process only those candidates that meet the minimum/desired qualifications. All applications will be assessed based on an evaluation of the listed education and experience. Candidates meeting the minimum/desired qualifications may be further evaluated/scored against any advertised Preferred Qualifications. The hiring authority will interview and select the successful candidate from a referral list provided by Human Resources. Additional assessments/testing may be required as part of the selection process.