Social Welfare Worker ; Program

This is a permanent position in the Dutchess County Department of Family and Community Services. Appointees to this class are provided training for a period of one year consisting of classroom and on-the-job segments designed to provide essential knowledge and some skills including: a variety of regulations of the financial service programs, investigation techniques, interviewing skills and stress management techniques. The appointee will be assigned limited duties and gradually, as experience in the social welfare programs is gained, the workload will be increased;

and the employee will take on more complex duties and greater independence in the delivery of financial service programs including:
Public Assistance, Medical Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Child Support Enforcement services. Supervision is not a function of the class.

• Receives classroom and on-the-job training in investigation techniques including interviewing procedures and practices, Federal and State Law and policies concerning the provisions of social welfare programs and related human service programs and stress management;
• Conducts investigations, including in-depth interviews to elicit sufficient information to approve, deny or determine the feasibility of a financial service program, make an appropriate referral or proceed with further investigation;
• Trains in and keeps abreast of changing laws, regulations and policies in order to assure the correct provision of financial services and to perform related duties;
• Trains in and redetermines or recertifies approval for financial services;
• Trains in and researches applicant status, prior history and payment or grant history utilizing various electronic data storage and retrieval systems;
• Trains in and records information on forms to be entered into electronic data storage and retrieval systems to record and update case records, to compute budgets, etc.;
• Trains in, informs and advises clients/applicants on the services provided by the agency and on related services provided by other agencies.

• Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and an Associate's or higher-level degree.
• NOTE:
  
  Your degree or college credit must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the "U.S." Department of Education/"U.S." Secretary of Education.

WHAT IS THE HELP PROGRAM? The HELP Program was developed to assist New York State in addressing a shortage of workers for some of our most important positions: health and human services. This program waives exam requirements to help New York State agencies more quickly hire diverse, qualified permanent employees.