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 Social Services.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Case Assistant-Social Services assists Caseworkers and Child Protective Workers in the performance of duties, which involve the coordinating of visits between children in foster care or placed with kin and their parents and siblings; 

Prepares plan of work for unit to include objectives, time frame for completion and evaluation; submits to supervisor for discussion/approval;

Trains and supervises direct reports in interviewing applicants and referrals for childcare, foster care adoption, adult services, preventive services, or other services of the department;

Directs unit and supervises staff; disseminates official policy materials; is sensitive to needs of the unit regarding training in the use of supplementary resources; coordinates the work load of all direct report staff;

Prepares reports based on activity records of the unit;

Assists in the review of cases periodically to determine changes affecting client circumstances and need for service;

Assists in coordinating a visitation plan, which may involve the supervising and transporting of children for visits and appointments, as well as, establishing suitable locations for such visits;

Documents interactions with clients and children, collateral information on cases and performs written work as directed;

Designs and coordinates parent orientations and parent/child workshops, designed to promote positive visits between children, parents and foster parents/caretakers;

Assists parents, foster parents and caretakers with providing positive experiences for their children and assists with transportation as directed;

Oversees preparation of appropriate information for client files, court proceedings and other casework/CPS related events;

Provides back-up assistance to the department in covering in-house and in-territory client related events, such as remanding children into care, overseeing children while parents are interviewed or taking/retrieving information to/from agencies, etc.;

Provides case related and/or program related information in relevant meetings and conferences;

Assists other staff with assessing the needs of clients and their children;

Operates personal computer for word processing, e-mail and case recording.

Qualifications:

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

A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree; or:

B) Completion of sixty (60) semester credit hours of study at a regionally accredited or New York State registered two (2) or four (4) year college or university and two (2) years of experience which involved coordinating a human services program; or:

C) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and four (4) years of experience which involved coordinating a human services program; or:

D) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Possession of a valid New York State Driver’s License at time of permanent appointment.
2. Section 424-a of the Social Services Law requires the local social services district to inquire whether the applicant is the subject of an indicated child abuse or maltreatment report on file with the State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment.

Notes:

1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.

2. 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. Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

5. 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.