State of Maryland

A Social Work Regional Supervisor, Criminal Justice is a regional supervisor of professional social work providing clinical and therapeutic or forensic social work services in either a criminal justice or indigent defense environment.  Employees in this classification that work in a criminal justice environment provide 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 provide 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 supervise Social Workers Advanced, Criminal Justice, and Social Work Supervisors, Criminal Justice.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a Social Work Manager, Criminal Justice or other designated administrator or a District Public Defender, Division Chief or designee when assigned with the Office of the Public Defender.  Employees generally work in juvenile facilities, other criminal justice or juvenile services environments or public defender offices.  Employees are frequently exposed to hazardous situations and must exercise vigilance and sound judgment when working with clients.  Employees in this class may be required to work evenings and weekends.

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 Regional Supervisor, Criminal Justice is differentiated from the Social Work Supervisor, Criminal Justice in that the Social Work Regional Supervisor, Criminal Justice supervises Social Workers Advanced, Criminal Justice and Social Work Supervisors, Criminal Justice assigned to criminal justice or juvenile services facilities or public defender offices within a region while the Social Work Supervisor, Criminal Justice has full supervisory responsibility for Casework Specialists, Criminal Justice and Social Workers I and II, Criminal Justice..  The Social Work Regional Supervisor, Criminal Justice is differentiated from the Social Work Manager, Criminal Justice in that the Social Work Manager, Criminal Justice is responsible for directing, coordinating and managing all activities of a departmental social work program in a criminal justice setting.

Plans, coordinates, supervises and evaluates the work of Social Work Supervisors, Criminal Justice and Social Worker Advanced, Criminal Justice;

Instructs staff in administrative and operating policies, procedures and practices regarding safety and security, treatment modalities, personnel practices and related matters;

Completes required regional reports and makes appropriate recommendations to improve services;

Reviews progress reports and case material to assure compliance to standards and procedures for providing social work services within the region;

Assists in planning and conducting in-service training activities for social workers and related support staff;

Evaluates program and staffing needs within the region and coordinates temporary reassignments of staff within the region to maximize services to clients;

Represents the department at meetings, forums and study groups within and outside the agency;

Assists the program manager or other administrative official in the development of policies, procedures and treatment protocols;

Provides guidance and social work consultation to agency staff;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the principles, practices and ethics of professional social work;

Knowledge of the principles, practices and problems of social work supervision;

Knowledge of diagnostic criteria and language used in medical and mental health records, reports and planning;

Knowledge of criminal justice or juvenile services procedures and practices used to insure the safety and security of the public and institutions;

Knowledge of standards of conduct, personnel regulations and fair employment practices as they apply to professional social work staff in a criminal justice or juvenile services environment;

Knowledge of individual and group behavior;

Knowledge of the social aspects of physical and mental illness, disabilities and deficiencies;

Ability to identify and manage manipulative behavior;

Ability to instruct and mentor subordinate staff in providing individual and group therapeutic counseling, crisis intervention and on-going treatment to clients in a criminal justice or juvenile services environment and ensure confidentiality; Ability to prepare accurate and cogent reports;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff of criminal justice or juvenile services institutions, such as juvenile services staff, public defender staff, court personnel and representative of other agencies and institutions, community organizations and public interest groups;

Ability to plan, coordinate, supervise and evaluate the work of social work supervisors, licensed and unlicensed social work staff and other support staff.

Education:   Determined by the State Board of Social Work Examiners under the licensing requirements for Social Workers.

Experience: Five years of experience providing clinical and therapeutic social work services through the application of the principles, methods and procedures of professional social work, to clients requiring rehabilitative counseling or forensic social work services, including eighteen months of experience completing assessments formulating diagnostic impressions, treating mental disorders and other conditions or providing psychotherapy as a Certified Social Worker-Clinical and one year of experience supervising lower level Social Workers providing clinical and therapeutic social work to clients.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute a Doctorate degree in social work from an accredited college or university for up to one year of the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience at the rank of Corporal/Petty Officer or higher as a commissioned officer in Social Work classifications or Social Work specialty codes in Social Science, Psychology or Welfare fields of work for the required experience.

1. Employees are required to be licensed as a Certified Social Worker-Clinical by the State Board of Social Work Examiners for eighteen months prior to appointment to social work supervisor positions in State service per Code of Maryland Regulations 10.42.08.04(2)(b), effective July 1, 2004.

2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

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 must qualify for and successfully complete the Entry Level Training Academy operated by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions.

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

Class specifications 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.

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 as 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 from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and therefore, all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.