Position Title: Social Service Worker 2 – Lead Worker
Location: Pickaway County Job & Family Services, 1005 South Pickaway St., Circleville, Ohio 43113
Base pay: $29.64/hour
Benefits include: Vision, Dental, Health, Life Insurance; PERS; Deferred Compensation; Vacation; Sick pay; Personal time; Holiday pay; Direct Deposit.
The Social Service Worker 2 – Lead Worker position is responsible for providing structured guidance, coaching, and professional development, as well as, support to new and emerging Social Service Workers. The individual in this position serves as a subject matter expert in Children Services practices, Adult Protective Services practices, models documentation standards, promotes compliance with agency policies, and supports consistent, high-quality service delivery. The Social Service Worker 2-Lead Worker plays a vital role in strengthening staff competency, ensuring child safety, and promoting best practices across the unit.
Job Description
Essential Functions of the Position
Assumes the supervisory duties in the absence of the Program Manager, including, but not limited to emergency placement oversight, and problems with current open cases in intake/ongoing units; trains and mentors new caseworkers; reviews work of Children Services caseworkers and reports outcome of review to Program Manager; listed as primary caseworker for cases until completion of CORE training for new caseworkers; and assist in the new staff onboarding process.
Provides individual coaching, side-by-side support, and field-base training to Social Service Workers; facilitates shadowing, case reviews, and skill-building activities aligned with agency
standards and State policy; assist staff in the development of investigative, assessment, safety planning, and case management competencies; reviews case documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance; supports caseworker in preparing for court hearings, family meetings, and multi-disciplinary staffing; assist in SAR meetings; assists caseworkers at home visits, school visits, and court hearings as needed; orders drug screens as needed.
Maintains a thorough understanding of agency protocols, child welfare statutes, and best practice guidelines; collaborate with Program Manager to identify training needs, performance concerns, and ongoing professional development opportunities; promote a supportive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive work environment; models professionalism, ethical behavior, and effective communication at all times; assist in on-call duties on a monthly basis; and performs on-call investigations as needed when assigned. When necessary, the Lead Worker may carry a limited child welfare caseload as circumstances arise
Serves as back up on-call supervisor along with Program Manager and Administrator; back up approver for RMS; intake case screener in the absence of Program Manager and/or Administrator. takes intake referrals, reviews caseworkers’ documentation in SACWIS for quality assurance; reviews and processes approvals in SACWIS; reviews and approves assessments in SACWIS.
Responds to client complaints; conducts county conferences prior to state hearings and ensures compliance on state correspondents with Quality Assurance state staff on cases being reviewed.
Attends agency meetings; attends trainings on new rules and regulations; develops new policies and procedures for Social Services Unit as needed; trains general public on abuse and neglect recognition and prevention. Meets with Program Manager on a monthly basis for individual and managers meetings for planning and feedback; interprets, clarifies, and assists in developing policies and procedures; educates support services regarding new/revised policies and procedures.
Serves on in-house and community committees. Remains informed of current development and procedures pertinent to duties; participates in staff development activities and services review procedures; attends staff meetings and supervisory conferences. Meets all job safety requirements and all applicable OSHA safety standards that pertain to essential functions. |
Maintains required licenses and/or certificates.
Meets all job safety requirements and all applicable OSHA safety standards that pertain to essential functions.
Demonstrates regular, punctual, and predictable attendance.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Minimum Acceptable Characteristics
Knowledge of: Children services counseling; Adult Protective Services, interviewing; social work techniques; education techniques; adult services; SACWIS, Microsoft Word; Excel; Traverse; Microsoft Outlook; Internet software; government structure and process; Social Services laws and/or regulations; agency goals and objectives;* agency policies and procedures;* federal, state, and local laws; community resources and services; English grammar and spelling; personnel administration; supervisory principles and practices; case management; social services policies, programs, rules, and regulations.
Skill in: data entry; computer operation; use of modern office equipment; motor vehicle operation. |
Ability to: deal with problems involving several variables within familiar context; deal with variety of variables within somewhat unfamiliar context; deal with many variables and determine specific action; recognize unusual or threatening conditions and take appropriate action; define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; exercise independent judgment and discretion; understand, interpret, and apply laws, rules, or regulations to specific situations; perform basic addition and subtraction; prepare accurate documentation; compile and prepare reports; use proper research methods to gather data; conduct effective interviews; communicate effectively; train or instruct others; understand a variety of written and/or verbal communications; maintain records according to established procedures; handle sensitive inquiries from and contacts with officials and general public; develop and maintain effective working relationships; resolve complaints. *This position has been classified as safety sensitive. |
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Minimum Qualifications
Per Section 5153.112 of the Ohio Revised Code, applicants of a Public Children Services unit must have one of the following:
(1) Bachelor’s degree in human services related studies;
(2) Bachelor’s degree in any field and employment for at least two years in a Human Services related
occupation
(3) Associates degree in human services related studies; or
(4) Employment for at least five years in a Human Services related occupation
(5) Completed at least 60 credit hours or the equivalent towards a degree in human
services related studies
For employment to continue, a person described in Option 2, 3, or 4 above must obtain a job-related bachelor’s degree not later than five years after the date of employment with the agency commences.
NOTE: All liability and responsibility for determining “human services-related studies” or “human services-related occupation” rests with the employing agency.
Per Section 5153.122 of the Ohio Revised Code, each caseworker shall complete at least 8 Caseworker Core Modules during the first year of the caseworker’s continuous employment, consisting of courses in recognizing and preventing child abuse and neglect, assessing risks, interviewing persons, investigating cases, intervening, providing services to children and families, and other topics relevant to child abuse and neglect. After the first year of continuous employment, each caseworker annually shall complete thirty-six hours of training in areas relevant to the caseworker’s assigned duties.
In addition, applicant must have a valid driver’s license and possess a cellular telephone for purposes of emergency communication, and completion of CORE training issued by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services within one year from date of hire.
Unusual Working Conditions/Hazards
The position possesses responsibility for the safety of children by requiring the incumbent to make determinations as to whether these children are in an “imminent risk of harm.” These children are incapable of protecting themselves from physical, mental, and/or sexual abuse. Injuries, if they do occur are likely to involve temporary disabilities such as bruises or cuts. Serious mistakes in terms of failing to remove children or adults from homes could conceivably, although extremely infrequent, cause death (e.g. suicide) or a permanent disability. Additionally, the position involves performing duties which require taking some special safety precautions, such as when contacting and negotiating with a family suspected of child abuse or neglect. However, performing this duty does not require the use of protective clothing. Exposure to these situations is likely to result in threats of injury, which are rarely acted upon. However, the position involves regular exposure to environmental factors (e.g., cold, excessive heat, noise, fumes, vibration, dirt) during interviews and meetings conducted outside of the office. The position may involve lifting or carrying children, and exposure to contagious diseases. Contact with possible violent clients, vicious animals, life threatening situations; exposure to hazardous driving conditions, exposure to secondhand smoke; ascends or descends stairs; may be required to lift up to 50 lbs.
If interested, please submit resume and Ohio Civil Service Application to: Pickaway County Job & Family Services, 1005 South Pickaway Street, P.O. Box 610, Circleville, Ohio 43113, Attn: Human Resources. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
Posting Deadline is: 4:00 p.m., Friday, January 10, 2026.
EEOE/M/F/D/V
