State of Maryland

A Social Work Manager, Criminal Justice is the managerial level of professional social work providing clinical and therapeutic or forensic social work services in a criminal justice 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 direct and coordinate all activities of a social work program in a criminal justice or juvenile services setting and supervise Social Work Regional Supervisors, Criminal Justice, or Social Work Supervisors, Criminal Justice and may supervise Social Workers Advanced, Criminal Justice.

Employees in this classification receive managerial supervision from an administrative official or a District Public Defender, Division Chief or designee when assigned with the Office of the Public Defender.  The work of this class is generally performed in an office setting but may be performed in juvenile facilities, other criminal justice or juvenile services environments, or public defender offices.  Employees are exposed to hazardous situations and must exercises vigilance and sound judgment when working with clients.  The work may require evening and weekend hours.

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 Work Manager, Criminal Justice is differentiated from the Social Work Regional Supervisor, Criminal Justice in that the Social Work Manager, Criminal Justice directs, coordinates and manages a social work program designed to meet the needs of clients in a criminal justice or juvenile services environment and supervises Social Work Regional Supervisors, Criminal Justice or Social Work Supervisors, Criminal Justice while the Social Work Regional Supervisor, Criminal Justice has full supervisory responsibility over Social Work Supervisors, Criminal Justice and Social Worker Advanced in a region.

Directs and coordinates all activities of a social work program in a criminal justice or juvenile services environment;

Establishes policies and procedures for the agency's social work program, oversees the implementation of the policies and procedures and approves revisions;

Establishes program goals, standards and controls to meet the social work program objectives within a criminal justice or juvenile services setting;

Oversees and manages the personnel and financial resources of the agency’s social work program;

Develops short and long-range plans for social work program operations and resources;

Determines the organizational structure and staffing needs of the social work program;

Plans, coordinates, supervises and evaluates the work of Social Work Regional Supervisors, Criminal Justice or Social Work Supervisors, Criminal Justice;

Oversees development and training of social work staff and related support staff;

Evaluates existing social work program activities and initiates, modifies or terminates program activities;

Coordinates social work program activities with other agency activities;

Represents the department in a liaison capacity with managers and officials of public and private agencies and organizations concerning the social work program;

Performs other related duties.

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 of the Maryland AIDS Professional Education Center.

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

5. Employees of the Department of Juvenile Services are required to complete the Correctional First Line Supervisor Training within one year of appointment.

Class Descriptions 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. 

Class Descriptions for Professional Service classes provide information about the Nature of Work, Examples of Work, General Requirements and Acknowledgements.  The Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities; Minimum Education and Experience Requirements; Special Requirements; and recruitment and testing procedures are set by the using agency.

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 Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.