Job Description

These positions (2 total) are Special Project positions grant-funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, through the Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program and have funding for federal fiscal years 2025 – 2026 (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026).

Quality, affordable, and competitive medical benefits are offered beginning first day of the month following your start date. You have three options to choose from. Dental, vision, and basic life insurance premiums are free and coverage is offered after one year of continuous service. Please note that these positions are not eligible for Adoption/Childbirth Leave or Disability Leave. Funding for this position ends at completion of the grant, so employment will not extend beyond completion.

You will serve as a Social Work Assistant in the Youth Defense department in the Appellate Division. The Youth Defense Department is a team of talented professionals focused primarily on post-disposition advocacy and ensuring the constitutional rights of children are fully realized and protected. We steadily work toward a holistic approach to helping youth in the justice system and know that the value of our advocacy extends beyond the child’s duration of confinement.

You will work closely with our Youth Defense team, our clients, and their families as you perform assessments for community resource eligibility, obtain releases of information, track clients’ progress and outcomes, prepare statements for in-court presentations, and generate and track resource records.

You will excel in this position by having proactive communication skills and strong organizational skills. These positions requires an ability to navigate and extract information from external websites and official documentation. Additionally, this position requires strong communication skills and the ability to build rapport well with youth and their families.

This position is currently eligible for hybrid schedule, giving you the opportunity to work from home for a portion of time after initial onboarding. Some employees in the Youth Defense department work one day a week in-office while others work in the office five days a week; the minimum in-office time is 8 hours per week. This position requires frequent and consistent visits to Department of Youth Services and private residential facilities throughout the state. The successful candidate will also be self-motivated and comfortable communicating via Teams or other conferencing software during those times.

The duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Performs basic assessment of clients’ needs for medical, financial, and housing assistance & community resources.
  • Interviews youth and families prior to release from the Ohio Department of Youth Defense (DYS).
  • Utilizes Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI).
  • Assesses youth while in DYS facilities and/or immediately following release from DYS.
  • Determine local services youth will be eligible for upon release.
  • Locates services that returning youth are eligible for in their home counties.
    
    
• Identifies community resources for re-entry success with youth and families based on YASI results and working in conjunction with Youth Defense Department counsel and Re-entry Program Administrator.
  • Provides input in formulation of re-entry plan, makes necessary referrals and/or submits required paperwork for eligibility determination by providers, assists youth with applying for/obtaining the services listed above.
  • Collects, prepares, maintains data for assessments.
    
    
• Obtains releases of information for youth and families pertaining to representation.
  • Requests records pertaining to youth representation, including but not limited to court records, medical records, education records, and children’s services records.
• Tracks client progress and outcomes.
  • Collects, prepares, and monitors data regarding client assessments.
  • Maintains working relationship and contact with youth, families, court system, providers, and other facilities as necessary.
  • Participates in planning of support systems for youth.
  • Provides counseling to promote skills for re-entry in community setting and/or to address problems/concerns.
  • Tracks results of youth who are engaging in re-entry program.
  • Tracks recidivism of youth who return to DYS or the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC) during the fiscal and/or calendar year.
  • Input records and case notes into OPD Online.
  • Prepares and maintains required reports and/or progress notes.
    
    
• Generates resource records and develops a system to track community resources available for use by agency and youth defense stakeholders across the state.
  • Inputs services available across the state in a database kept in Excel, OPD Online, and/or other information management system.
  • Contacts and maintains relationships with providers and facilities.
  • Researches availability of services using a variety of methods.
    
    
• Assists with client transportation to and from appointments and/or court when necessary.
• Under the direction of State Assistant Public Defenders, prepares written and oral statements for in-court presentations as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  • Answers phone calls.
  • Forwards calls to appropriate parties for response.
  • Coordinates attorney calls to clients and attorney visits to county jails and state prisons.
  • Assists with retrieving documents at county, state, and federal courts and other offices.
  • Provides administrative and clerical assistance with Youth Defense training seminars.
    

The Social Work Assistant position is assigned to the State of Ohio’s SEIU/1199 Pay Schedule, Pay Range 9. Unless required by legislation or union contract, starting salary will be the minimum salary of that pay range (step 1, currently $22.50 per hour) associated with this position. These ranges provide a standardized pathway for pay increases: with continued employment, new hires move to the next step in the range after 6 months and annually thereafter. The State of Ohio typically has Cost of Living Adjustments that increase wages in these ranges each fiscal year. Note: In the event a candidate demonstrates exceptional qualifications above minimum, they may qualify for a starting salary above step 1.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Hourly

$22.50

$23.41

$24.31

$25.31

$26.50

$27.73

Annually

$46,800

$48,693

$50,565

$52,645

$52,120

$57,678

The Office of the Ohio Public Defender complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact Tamra Meister, ADA Coordinator, at 614-466-5394 or [email protected].

Why Work for the State of Ohio

At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees*. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website! Our benefits package includes:

• Medical Coverage
• Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period
• Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
• Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
• Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
• Public Retirement Systems (such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS) & Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation)

• Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.

Qualifications

Requires current registration as Social Work Assistant as issued by State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & Marriage & Family Therapist Board in accordance with ORC 4757.29.

Preferred Qualification: 1+ years of relevant experience.

Job Skills: Building Trust, Critical Thinking, Establishing Relationships, Interviewing, Mental Health, Situational Awareness, Social Services

Supplemental Information

Intentional omission of relevant information, falsification, or misrepresentation of information on the application will disqualify the applicant. In addition, such intentional acts are grounds for immediate termination of an employee.

The final candidate tentatively selected for this position will be required to undergo a criminal background check. Criminal convictions do not necessarily preclude an applicant from consideration for a position. An individual assessment of an applicant's prior criminal convictions will be made before excluding an applicant from consideration.

All final applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to test for illegal drug use prior to appointment. An applicant with a positive test shall not be offered employment.

This position serves at the pleasure and discretion of the State Public Defender and will have an unclassified status.

Requires visits to Department of Youth Services and private residential facilities.

ADA Statement

Ohio is a Disability Inclusion State and strives to be a model employer of individuals with disabilities. The State of Ohio is committed to providing access and inclusion and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws.

Drug-Free Workplace

The State of Ohio is a drug-free workplace which prohibits the use of marijuana (recreational marijuana/non-medical cannabis). Please note, this position may be subject to additional restrictions pursuant to the State of Ohio Drug-Free Workplace Policy (HR-39), and as outlined in the posting.

Job Tags

Remote job, Hourly pay, Holiday work, Full time, Contract work, Part time, Local area, Immediate start, 1 day per week,

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