Entry Level Social Service Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $47,340.00 - $79,032.00 Annually
Location : Redding, 96007, 96073, 96003, 96002, 96001, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Job Number: 259_262_268_HHSA_BHSS_031826
Department: Health & Human Services Agency - Behavioral Health & Social Services
Opening Date: 03/18/2026
Closing Date: Continuous
THE CURRENT VACANCIES ARE IN THE SHASTA COUNTY
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BRANCH
APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED WEEKLY UNTIL POSITIONS ARE FILLED
THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME, QUALIFIED CANDIDATES
ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY IMMEDIATELY.
RESPONSES TO SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS REQUIRED
FINAL FILING DATE: CONTINUOUS
SALARY INFORMATION
Assistant Social Worker: $3,945 - $5,036 APPROXIMATE MONTHLY*/$22.76 - $29.05 APPROXIMATE HOURLY*
Social Worker: $4,568 - $5,829APPROXIMATE MONTHLY* / $26.35 - $33.63 APPROXIMATE HOURLY*
Senior Social Worker: $5,161 - $6,586 APPROXIMATE MONTHLY* / $29.77 - $38.00 APPROXIMATE HOURLY*
These positions are in the United Public Employees of California - Professional bargaining unit. Please refer to the applicable bargaining unit labor agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) for potential future salary increases:

• This recruitment will be used to fill positions in Child Welfare Services.
• This is a continuous recruitment that is open until the needs of the County are met.
• This is a continuous recruitment which means applicants are only able to apply once every six months to this specific recruitment.

Click this link to hear from the staff doing this work: Shasta County Child Welfare Services
Click here to view the full job description for Assistant Social Worker
Click here to view the full job description for Social Worker
Click here to view the full job description for Senior Social Worker
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The Ideal Candidate will work from a place of honesty, and integrity, and be internally motivated to provide a high level of professional service. The Ideal Candidate will have experience with providing services in the community or a home-based setting, and be focused on linking clients to supportive services, providing skill-based services to increase life functioning, and monitoring progress towards client focused goals.
Candidates will see themselves as skilled professionals, able to contribute to a multidisciplinary team setting. The candidate will work as a team member in Child Welfare Services to achieve positive outcomes for children, youth, young adults, and families in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being.
Even if a candidate does not have all these qualities, if they have minimum qualifications for the positions and operate with integrity, and are ambitious to learn, please apply.

• The ideal candidate for Assistant Social Worker (ASW) desires an entry level position in Child Welfare Services supporting children and families. The ASW will support social workers and the team with the needs of complex children, youth, and families and will have a caseload of children, youth, and families receiving child welfare interventions and services. The ASW will provide direct interaction and support for children with disrupted placements, with transportation needs, case management, and emotional support during times of strength and times of crisis. The ASW will possess a 4-year college degree that provides an academic background in psychology, social work, or closely related field. The candidate is seeking an opportunity to join a team that provides a network for safety, permanency and well-being for children and youth in the foster care system.

• The ideal candidate for Social Worker/Senior Social Worker will have a case load of children, youth and families receiving child welfare interventions and services. The ideal candidate desires to work with children and families and support them within a scope of work that values culture, family, community; and the core practices that embrace building strong networks for families to change and grow. The ideal candidate will also possess a master's degree in social work from an accredited college or university, OR a master's degree from a two (2) year counseling program from an accredited college or university OR a 4 year degree in social work, psychology or closely related field of study AND has had a minimum of 2 years' experience doing case management or case work services in a social service or educational/health system in which there was direct work, case management and/or interventions with children and families.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Assistant Social Worker

• Studies and applies the principles and techniques of social work to a caseload which includes basic types of services problems;
• As a learner-trainee, interviews clients to ascertain the nature of their problems and develop elementary services plans;
• Carries out the less difficult services plans under close supervision where the end result normally is a tangible service, such as employment, referral to a community center or an environmental change;
• Makes referrals to other staff members when problems are beyond level of competence;
• Interprets services rules, regulations, and policy to clients and the general public when within the scope of responsibility;
• Maintains necessary casework records;
• Attends training courses designed to further understanding of the social work processes and to increase technical competence.

Social Worker:

• Carries a caseload of the more difficult types of social service cases involving individualized treatment and specialized advanced application of casework methods and skills;
• Diagnoses client problems and follows through with the more difficult treatment plans with a high degree of independence;
• Interviews clients in office or home to assess needs for service;
• Explains the optional and mandatory nature of social services programs; interprets State, County and departmental rules, regulations and policies to individuals and groups;
• Responds to requests for information and makes referrals to appropriate workers or departments;
• Gathers, maintains and disseminates current information on community resources;
• Prepares reports, case records and correspondence; as an additional duty,
• Incumbents may function in a lead capacity and assist with casework consultation and training for other social workers;
• Assists in developing and implementing unit policies and procedures;
• Acts in the absence of the supervisor or as designated in assigning cases and reviewing and approving case decisions;
• Attends meetings and does related work as needed.

Senior Social Worker:

• In addition to the duties listed above, carries a caseload of the most responsible and difficult types of social service cases dealing with highly complex family and individual problems involving individualized treatment and specialized advanced application of the highest level of casework methods and skills.

When Assigned to Child Welfare Services: Takes referrals regarding child abuse or serious neglect, gathers specific information, determines the urgency and severity of risk and determines appropriate actions to be taken, including crisis intervention with families to reduce the risk to the child; handles emergency responses; establishes cooperative working relationship with families and assists in developing a treatment resource plan with the parents and community resources as needed; observes child's developmental progress and determines best methods of dealing with behavioral problems; assists family members in resolving marital, financial, or other particular problems related to abuse; may provide specialized case services in child sexual abuse or children's group work; refers clients to other agencies and community resources; may advise parents on problems of child custody; arranges for foster home placement of children; may provide court testimony in child abuse or neglect cases; provides leadership in departmental conferences and training programs; may present information on child protective services to community groups; prepares correspondence, case records and written reports as required; prepares and presents juvenile court petitions within specified time limitations for the purpose of removing child from natural parents; provides case management for family reunification or maintenance cases under the jurisdiction of Juvenile Dependency Court.
When Assigned to Resource Family Approval: Recruits, evaluates, and assesses foster care home applicants; recommends placement of children in foster homes; provides training for foster parents to ensure conformance to Resource Family Approval program requirements.
When Assigned to Adoptions: Interviews applicants wishing to adopt children and determines their suitability; studies the background, health and development of children which may be adopted, interviews natural parents and determines their attitudes, reasons and consent to placing a child for adoption; verifies background information on adoptive and natural parents and insures that legal matters have been satisfactorily resolved; in cases of child neglect, abuse or abandonment may initiate court action to terminate parental rights of natural parents; prepares and files reports on case background, providing recommendations to the courts; coordinates the adoptions process with other social workers, interested agencies and departments as necessary; counsels natural and adoptive parents prior to and following adoption and supervises adoptive placements; provides leadership in departmental conferences and training programs; prepares reports and correspondence as necessary.
QUALIFICATIONS
Any combination of education and experience sufficient to directly demonstrate possession and application of the following:
Assistant Social Worker
Knowledge of: Basic principles of individual and group behavior; the general nature of social problems calling for the general principles of public assistance policies and programs; basic public welfare programs of the Federal, State, and local levels; principles of interviewing and methodology; socio-economic conditions and trends.
Ability to: Establish rapport with clients and their families in working toward a solution for their problem; analyze situations and adopt effective courses of action; speak and write effectively; learn and understand the agency programs and automated systems.
Social Worker
Knowledge of: Social casework objectives, principles, methods and caseload organization and management; the functions and services provided by a public social service agency including basic knowledge of community resources; principles of human growth and development; the laws, policies and administrative procedures of County social service programs; community organization and the social problems calling for the use of public and private community resources; principles and techniques of interviewing and recording in social casework.
Ability to: Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with clients and their families, other employees, representatives of other public agencies and community organizations and groups; effectively use community and agency resources; utilize supervision and direction effectively to meet program goals of the department; communicate effectively in written and oral form; manage a difficult caseload; understand and explain pertinent regulations and policies; maintain current, accurate case records and use automated systems as necessary.
Senior Social Worker
Knowledge of: Social casework objectives, principles and methods with special emphasis on working with sensitive and complex child protective and adoption or placement cases; the functions and services provided by a public social service agency; principles of human growth and development; the laws, policies and administrative procedures of County social service programs; community organization and the social problems calling for the use of public and private community resources; principles and techniques of interviewing and recording in social casework; the psycho-social, medical and economic interrelationships that result in individual and social dysfunctioning; regulations and department policies related to child protection services and adoption, placement services or juvenile court.
Ability to: Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with clients and their families, other employees, representatives of other public agencies and community organizations and groups; the psycho-social, medical and economic interrelationships that result in individual and social dysfunctioning; regulations and department policies related to child protection services and adoption, placement services or juvenile court; utilize supervision and direction effectively to meet program goals of the department; prepare accurate written reports; understand and explain pertinent regulations and policies; maintain current, accurate case records; effectively seek out and use community and agency resources related to service needs; facilitate maximum client participation in treatment and assistance plans; perform as a lead worker over a small group of social service workers; independently perform the most complex, sensitive and specialized casework services in child protective services and adoptions or placement; provide leadership and consultation to other social workers in casework concepts and methodology; deal with and confront hostile and abusive persons who are resistive to change and services; make effective court presentations in contested juvenile hearings; maintain...