Clinical Social Worker Associate (37.5 Hour)

If you are you interested in a career that you are passionate about and receive personal fulfillment while making a difference, the Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center is looking for you to be a part of their team!  

The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families' (DCF) is hiring  talented and motivated Clinical Social Worker Associates.  

What We Can Offer You:

• To work for a Forbes top company: ‘Forbes’ State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule;
• Industry leading health benefits, including medical and dental coverage;
• Comprehensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings;
• Paid time off including 13 paid holidays per calendar year;
• A culture that encourages work/life balance;
• Professional growth and development opportunities.    

Position Highlights:

• Full time
• 37.5 hours per week
• Monday - Friday
• 8:30am - 4:30pm four (4) days a week, with one evening shift a week 11:00am – 7:00pm
• Albert J. Solnit South Campus - Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) – Quinnipiac Unit
• 915 River Road in Middletown, CT  

The Role:

Job duties include, but are not limited to:

• Independently performing highly skilled direct clinical social work treatment;
• Conducting comprehensive clinical assessments;
• Provides individual field work instruction and/or clinical supervision;
• Develops comprehensive service plans including measurable treatment objectives;
• Initiates consultation and collaboration with other mental health providers to improve delivery of current services.   

About Us:

The Department of Children and Families' (DCF) mission is partnering with communities and empowering families to raise resilient children who thrive. We are proud of our diverse and dedicated workforce who strive every day to meet the needs of those we encounter.  

The Albert J. Solnit Children's Center – South Campus is a state-administered Psychiatric facility for Connecticut’s children who are under the age of eighteen, located on a 67-acre campus overlooking the Connecticut River in Middletown, CT. The center provides comprehensive care to children and adolescents with severe mental illness and related behavior and emotional problems who cannot be safely assessed or treated in a less restrictive setting.  

We hope you take this opportunity to join our team and make a difference!

These positions will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.  

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening and must specify their qualifications on their application. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 

Please note you will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system. Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account.   

Note:  At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position.  These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.  Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. 

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.  

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Julie Barker, at Julie.Barker@ct.gov.

All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period.  It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

In a state agency behavioral health program as part of a multi-disciplinary team at one or more locations this class is accountable for skilled clinical social work treatment and leadership services involving complex case assignments.

Independently provides highly skilled direct clinical social work treatment and/or substance abuse services to clients with complex psychological and social problems through comprehensive clinical assessments and provision of individual, family and group treatment; provides individual field work instruction and/or clinical supervision which includes instruction in use of comprehensive psychosocial assessments and current diagnostic categories, taking into consideration cultural, social, economic, medical, environmental and legal issues; develops comprehensive service plans including measurable treatment objectives; initiates consultation and collaboration with other mental health providers to improve delivery of current services and/or identify unmet needs within current service system; provides clinical supervision to Licensed Master Social Workers; assists in resolution of administrative, personnel and clinical issues in program and/or agency; develops data for statistical and planning systems and/or research and publication; prepares administrative reports and suggests operational policies and procedures; oversees development and/or implementation of individual client treatment and/or service plans; may be assigned administrative oversight of research projects; may provide clinical and/or administrative leadership to program components such as crisis intervention teams, inpatient treatment teams, case management teams, psychoeducational program services, psychosocial rehabilitation and forensic services; may provide forensic evaluations and expert testimony to courts; may represent program or agency during licensing and certification inspections conducted by regulatory bodies; may represent program or agency in liaison relationships with other community agencies and resources; may provide in-service educational presentations concerning available health, mental health and human services resources and means to access them; may chair facility or community based committees that develop policies and plans to serve psychiatrically disabled individuals; may present information on mental illness and mental health services to community groups; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of and ability to instruct others about theories of human behavior, current diagnostic categories of mental illness, family dynamics, substance abuse and human sexuality; considerable knowledge of social, cultural, economic, political, religious, medical, psychological and legal issues which influence behavior of clients, families, service programs and society at large; knowledge of statutes, regulations and standards relating to mental health services; knowledge of state law governing licensed clinical social worker practice standards; considerable oral and written communication skills; considerable administrative skills; considerable ability to independently apply in practice current psychiatric treatment modalities including but not limited to behavioral, cognitive, object-relations, crisis intervention and psychosocial rehabilitation approaches; ability to integrate theory and case material in assessing and devising comprehensive treatment and/or service plans for difficult and/or complex case assignments; ability to lead task groups including but not limited to treatment teams and agency committees.

• Experience providing clinical services to children, adolescents and/or transition-age youth with complex psychiatric profiles and to their families.  
• Experience providing case management services in collaboration with community systems of care.  
• Experience implementing evidence-based practice and working as part of a multidisciplinary clinical team.  
• Experience providing clinical services to a culturally diverse population.

1. Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license to practice clinical social work pursuant to Sec. 20-195 (m) through (r) of the Connecticut General Statutes.
   
2. Incumbents in this class must possess and maintain eligibility for participation in federal health care programs as defined in 42 U.S. § 1320a-7b(f).
   
3. Incumbents in this class may be required to have knowledge of sign language and communication ability with the deaf and hearing impaired in designated positions.
   
4. Incumbents in this class may be required to have ability in Spanish oral and written communication in designated positions.
   
5. Incumbents in this class may be required to be a certified Substance Abuse/HIV Supervisor.
   
6. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.