Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one present vacancy at the Erie County Department of Mental Health.

Examples of Duties:

A Forensic Mental Health Community Discharge Planner facilitates treatment linkages to appropriate mental disability services in the community; 

Represents Forensic Mental Health Services in contacts with legal- penal and mental health service agencies;

Maintains liaison between the Forensic Mental Health Services, the Single Point of Accountability, Community Mental Health Agencies and the Criminal Justice System;

Collects case information from individuals identified as having a serious mental illness, behavioral health needs and/or co- occurring addiction disorders;

Also gathers information from Forensic Mental Health Assessments, Legal-Penal Agencies, Mental Health, Addictions, and other Health and Human Service Providers, and if applicable significant others, to assist in the completion of community discharge planning activities and in support of achieving successful linkage to community services at re- entry back into the community;

Supports joint efforts of Forensic Mental Health staff and the Single Point of Accountability including preparing required case record discharge planning documentation toward facilitating successful client linkage to community treatment and support services;

Completes referral packets for community treatment, care coordination and residential services;

Assesses risk criteria to identify need for pre-release entitlement planning, including completing applications and case management activities in support of successful reintegration back into the community;

Perform thorough accurate documentation of activities in case record and coordinates among various disciplines/entities responsible for the person’s care;

Identifies systems and individual barriers to effective discharge planning, linkage to service and successful re-entry into the community.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered four (4) year college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Criminology, or Psychiatric Nursing. One year experience providing
treatment, case management or rehabilitation services to individuals with serious mental health disorders and co-occurring addictions disorders.

Notes:

1.  Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Interviewing

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.

2. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

3. Principles and practices of social casework

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices used to provide casework services. Questions may cover such topics as developmental, mental, physical, and social disabilities and/or impairments; assessing client strengths and needs; building and maintaining relationships with clients and their support network; ability to make and advocate for appropriate service referrals; ability to provide advocacy and support; and professional and ethical concerns in casework practice.

4. Working with individuals to promote mental health

These questions test for knowledge of characteristics, causes and treatment methods associated with chronic mental illness and/or addiction. Questions cover such topics as establishing, maintaining and terminating client relationships; recognizing, interpreting, and responding to individual and group behaviors; providing access to essential services such as financial, housing, medical, educational, legal, vocational, and recreational; and eligibility criteria of programs and agencies offering such services. 

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.