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 Senior Services and one vacancy at Erie County Department of Social Services. 

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Case Manager - Senior Services offers and supports the provision of case management services to the elderly;

Assess or assists in the assessment of elderly clients to determine appropriate plans of care;

Implements, monitors (through case conferences with case managers and/or visits to community agencies) and evaluates the effectiveness of plans of care, including but not limited to: referring people to private and public agencies; planning or implementing financial management for clients; provide final approval for implementation of case management services;

Develops and implements training and in-services on case management and other topics related to the elderly and the service system for staff and community groups;

Investigates and resolves complaints from clients, families, and other parties which affect the delivery and effectiveness of service;

Assists with implementation of single point of entry and/or NY connects;

Assists with implementation of mental health interventions of system development;

Implements standards set forth by funding streams;

Provides input for the evaluation of lower ranking employees to their supervisors; also provides oversight/guidance for staff as needed.

Obtains information and provides input as needed to higher ranking employees for the development of policies;

Represents the unit and/or the Department through both attendance and provision of information at appropriate committee meetings, community forums, or other venues as requested by supervisor and inputs into database;

Maintains records, submit reports, and handle correspondence in accordance with accepted standards for content and time frame standards and using appropriate software; collects data to evaluate performance measures, quality improvement and outcomes;

Learns and uses computer software and hardware as required for the position;

Assists the Social Case Supervisor and acts in that capacity when required;

Provides back-up coverage for lower ranking employees as needed.

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 four (4) year college or university with a Bachelor's degree and two (2) years of experience in a position related to a community organization or social agency in the human services area.*

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:
Eligibility for New York State driver’s license required at time of application. Possession of the license at time of appointment. Since these positions require substantial travel, candidates must demonstrate their ability to meet the transportation needs of the job in carrying out their responsibility in any location to which travel is required, including some locations not accessible by public transportation.

Notes:

1. *HUMAN SERVICES: Dealing with the social, mental and emotional needs of the people.

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

3. 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.