State of Maryland

A Social Worker Advanced, Criminal Justice is the advanced level of professional social work providing expert clinical and therapeutic or forensic social work services in either a criminal justice or indigent defense environment.  Employees in this classification that work in a criminal justice environment provides clinical and therapeutic services to clients who have demonstrated a need for rehabilitative intervention because of behavioral factors or personality disorders and co-existing mental health, health, substance abuse or other social adjustment factors.   Employees in this classification that work in an indigent defense environment provides forensic social work services, including mitigation to clients charged with crimes or delinquent offenses and create defense strategies with Assistant Public Defenders for the legal disposition of criminal or delinquent cases.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions but may act as mentors to lower-level Social Workers, Criminal Justice.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a Social Work Regional Supervisor, Criminal Justice or a Social Work Manager, Criminal Justice or a District Public Defender, Division Chief or designee when assigned with the Office of the Public Defender.  Employees generally work in juvenile facilities, other criminal justice or juvenile services environments, or public defender offices.  Employees are frequently exposed to hazardous situations and must exercise vigilance and sound judgment when working with clients.  Employees in this class may be required to work evenings and weekends.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Social Worker Advanced, Criminal Justice is differentiated from the Social Worker II, Criminal Justice in that the Social Worker Advanced, Criminal Justice provides expert clinical and therapeutic social work services to the most demanding clients in need of intensive rehabilitative counseling and may mentor lower-level social workers while the Social Worker II, Criminal Justice performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.  The Social Worker Advanced, Criminal Justice is differentiated from the Social Work Supervisor, Criminal Justice in that the Social Work Supervisor, Criminal Justice has supervisory responsibility for Casework Specialists, Social Workers I and II, Criminal Justice.

Applies social work values, principles and techniques to assist clients to confront their personality disorders including anti-social behaviors and any co-existing health, mental health, substance abuse or other social adjustment factor;

Conducts the most complex therapeutic counseling with the most demanding client populations, such as clients who have profound disabilities due to behavioral health diagnoses, head trauma, or other developmental disability, terminally ill or suicidal, or clients who exhibit extreme personality-disordered or anti-social behaviors or clients who are under institutional segregation controls or in a defense situation;

Acts as a mentor to other social workers and social work interns, by providing guidance in specialized areas of group and individual counseling and may provide guidance in case management or provide guidance in creating a defense strategy;

Provides psycho-social assessments and remediation plans and makes treatment recommendations;

Completes required institutional or court reports and recommendations;

May conduct therapeutic group sessions with a cognitive behavioral theory base to remediate clients’ personality disorders, including anti-social behaviors;

May participate in multidisciplinary treatment teams;

May conduct support groups to address social and emotional issues of special concern to clients, such as grief, pregnancy, parenting skills and domestic violence;

May maintain special files related to confidential social work interactions with clients;

May provide case management services and act as liaison to community organizations to develop and coordinate after-care plans for special needs clients scheduled for transitional services for clients in various stages of the adjudication process;

May represent the department at meetings with other government agencies, community organizations and public interest groups;

May coordinate training agenda and present in-service training to other social work staff for the purpose of introducing new protocols and enhancing morale;

May design, develop and field test new treatment protocols and may assist in the development of program policies and procedures;

May assist assistant public defenders with developing a higher-level defense strategy for clients charged with criminal or delinquent offenses;

May provide forensic social work services including mitigation to clients charged with criminal or delinquent offenses;

May provide expert testimony in court proceedings;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of principles, practices and ethics of professional social work;

Knowledge of diagnostic criteria and language used in medical and mental health records, reports and planning;

Knowledge of procedures and practices used in criminal justice environments to insure the safety and security of the public and the institution;

Knowledge of individual and group behavior;

Knowledge of community and residential resources addressing the after care or transitional services needs of special clients in various stages of the adjudication process;

Ability to provide group and individual therapeutic counseling to clients in a confidential setting and to insure confidentiality where possible and appropriate;

Ability to identify and manage manipulative behavior;

Ability to work effectively with clients who have health and mental health problems and scarce economic, social and emotional resources and support;

Ability to instruct and mentor social workers and social work interns in developing a plan of service which offers the potential for follow-through;

Ability to work effectively with high-risk clients, such as clients on institutional segregation or defendants charged with a variety of offenses or crimes;

Ability to assist clients to develop a plan of service which allows for follow through;

Ability to prepare accurate, cogent reports;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff of criminal justice institutions, such as juvenile services staff, court personnel and representatives of other agencies and institutions, community organizations and public interest groups;

Ability to testify in court proceedings.

Education:   Determined by the State Board of Social Work Examiners under the licensing requirements for Social Workers.

Experience: Three years of experience providing clinical and therapeutic or other social work services through the application of the principles, methods and procedures of professional social work to clients requiring rehabilitative counseling or forensic social work services.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute a Doctorate degree in social work from an accredited college or university for up to one year of the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience at the rank of Corporal/Petty Officer or higher as a commissioned officer in Social Work classifications or Social Work specialty codes  in Social Science, Psychology or Welfare fields of work for the required experience.

1. Employees are required to be licensed as a Certified Social Worker-Clinical by the State Board of Social Work Examiners prior to appointment to a position in State service. Applicants who do not have a license may also apply pending receipt of the required license. When the license is obtained, submit a copy to the hiring department.

2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

1. Employees are required to meet mandatory standards for continuing education as determined by the hiring department. Employees who fail to obtain the required continuing education credits shall be subject to disciplinary action including demotion, suspension and dismissal.

2. Employees of the Department of Juvenile Services must complete an approved training program in group counseling techniques.

3. Employees of the Department of Juvenile Services may be required to complete the Level I Counseling course certified by the Maryland AIDS Professional Education Center.

4. Employees of the Department of Juvenile Services must qualify for and successfully complete the Entry Level Training Academy operated by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.  

This classification is assigned to bargaining unit F, Social and Human Service Professionals.  As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.