State of Maryland

A Family Services Caseworker Trainee is the entry level of work providing direct social services to troubled individuals or families that are designed to sustain and improve the social, health, economic, behavioral and emotional functioning of customers.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a Licensed Social Worker.  Employees in this classification may be required to work evenings and on weekends. Work is performed in customers’ homes, schools, hospitals and other community settings.  Employees may be required to deal with potentially hazardous situations.

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 Family Services Caseworker Trainee, Family Services Caseworker I and Family Services Caseworker II are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Family Services Caseworker Trainee learns to perform duties under close supervision.  The Family Services Caseworker I performs duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed.   The Family Services Caseworker II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Learns to assist customers in identifying, developing and using their potential capabilities and community resources to resolve social, health, emotional, behavioral and economic problems;

Learns to interview customers to obtain information needed to determine eligibility for social services;

Learns to assess case situations and make recommendations to supervisor regarding individualized plans of service;

Learns to provide limited counseling and crisis intervention services to customers;

 Learns to establish and maintain personal contact with other social services agencies and community resources to facilitate the referral of individual customers;

Learns to check public records, such as birth records, for data and to verify information such as income, kinship and residence;

Learns to prepare and manage case records and reports concerning information secured and services rendered;

Learns to testify in legal proceedings regarding family service cases;

Learns to develop and implement a personalized training plan to maintain and upgrade knowledge and skills related to the delivery of direct services;

May learn to provide on-call coverage;

May learn to participate in the investigation of suspected child or adult abuse or neglect;

May learn to make recommendations for placement of children in foster and adoptive homes;

May learn to participate in the initial investigation of fatalities that result from suspected abuse or neglect;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of human growth and development;

Knowledge of emotional, social, economic and physical needs of children and adults;

Knowledge of individual and group behavior;

Knowledge of the social implications of various diseases or disabilities;

Ability to learn the basic principles and techniques of interviewing customers and recording relevant information;

Ability to learn to assess customers’ circumstances to evaluate their strengths, weakness, environmental constraints and resources;

Ability to learn to work effectively with children and adults who have social, economic, emotional, behavioral or health problems;

Ability to learn to enhance and develop problem solving and coping capabilities of customers;

Ability to learn to identify health, social service and mental hygiene resources and resources for individuals with disabilities and aged individuals;

Ability to learn to refer customers to the appropriate health, social service and mental hygiene resources;

Ability to learn to make recommendations regarding individualized plans of service;

Ability to establish and maintain professional working relationships with staff members, other agencies and institutions and the general public.

Education:   A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in an appropriate behavioral science, such as: child development, sociology, social work, psychology, counseling, nursing, criminology, juvenile justice, human growth and development, human services, mental health or human resources management that includes at least 30 credit hours in human services or human development.

Experience: None.

Note: These requirements are established by the Social Services Administration by authority provided in Human Services Article Title 4, Subtitle 301 Section (b) (1) of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The Department of Budget and Management, Office of Personnel Services and Benefits does not have the authority to accept substitutions or equivalents.

1. Candidates for this classification must complete an approved training program and pass a competency test prior to permanent appointment to positions.

2. Employees in this classification are required to meet mandatory standards for continuing education as determined by the Department of Human Services. Employees who fail to obtain the required continuing education credits shall be subject to disciplinary action including demotion, suspension and dismissal.

3. Employees in this classification may be subject to on-call duty and may be required to provide telephone numbers where they can be reached.

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 Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated 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 Services Professionals classes.  As provided by 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.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.