Senior Social Worker (Mental Health Consultant)

The Child Care Health Program (enter CCHP Website) provides health consultation, training, and education to child care and early learning educators to elevate their skills in guiding, nurturing, and supporting the health, safety, social and emotional development, nutrition, and learning of all children in their care. The CCHP is an interdisciplinary team of nurse, mental health, nutrition, and educator consultants who collaborate to offer in-person and virtual services and trainings to those educators. The successful candidate for this position will have excellent communication, relationship, and trust-building skills; knowledge of early childhood development and attachment; and the ability to work with diverse educators and families.

Consultation focuses on the behavioral, developmental, and socioemotional needs of children from infancy through school-age. In addition to consulting with early learning educators about the children in their care, the MHC may also consult with parents/family members to provide information about managing behavior and mental health and offer referrals for behavioral or developmental services as needed. In partnership with other mental health staff on the Child Care team, the MHC will be responsible for leading the mental health work of the unit, consulting with partners at the City of Seattle and the rest of the Child Care Health Team.

Within the interdisciplinary team of Public Health Nurses, Mental Health Consultants, Educator Consultants, and Nutritionist, this Mental Health Consultant (MHC) will provide on-site consultation services to child care and early learning programs. Following the model of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC), the CCHP MHCs strive to build the capacity of educators, families, programs, and systems to prevent, identify, and reduce the impact of behavioral problems among children.

Note: This recruitment will be used to create an eligibility pool to fill additional Career Service, Term-Limited Temporary (TLT), or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) vacancies that may occur over the next six months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Work Schedule

This position has a regular schedule of Monday through Friday, generally 8 AM to 5 PM, with some limited flexibility. It may require that you work occasional evenings and Saturday hours, as well for trainings and meetings. This position is subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is eligible for overtime pay.

Remote and Onsite Work

The Child Care Health team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is (Chinook Building - 401 5th Ave. Seattle, WA). 

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

• Engage in on-site, individual child observations and assessments, and give educators behavior management strategies and behavioral health care plans, as well as promote socioemotional and behavioral health for children in early learning settings. 
• Establish and maintain supportive relationships with community child care centers, Family Child Care homes, and other community supports for children birth to five. 
• Maintain knowledge of community services and resources to address the developmental, behavioral, and socioemotional needs of children birth to five, and make necessary referrals for services. 
• Provide technical assistance to educators and families for children who are referred for further assessment.
• Train and support early learning educators to identify at risk children by using standardized developmental screening tools (e.g. ASQ3), including those for socioemotional/behavioral health. 
• Participate in community groups and coalitions that address the behavioral, developmental, and socioemotional needs of children in early learning settings. 
• As a member of the CCHP Mental Health Consultant group, collaboratively manage difficult cases and provide training and technical assistance around your areas of expertise. 
• With your Child Care Health Program colleagues, provide interdisciplinary consultation, training, and advocacy for how to manage complex cases, attend to cultural and systemic dynamics, and facilitate the integration of care for child health and behavioral concerns. 
• Develop and lead trainings for educators as requested to facilitate understanding and support of child development and behavioral health, as well as to prevent behavioral health risks in children. 
• Professionally document interventions and supports to record completed work. 
• Engage with the CCHP in continuous quality improvement and evaluation processes to elevate its work with those it serves.

Ideal Candidate:

• Master’s degree in Social Work or Counseling or related field from an accredited university. 
• Ability to successfully obtain agency affiliated counselor status within probationary period. 
• Demonstrated experience working with young children, including clinical evaluation and assessment of behavioral, developmental, and mental health concerns. 
• Knowledge of professional social work principles, methodologies, and ethics. 
• Knowledge of and skill in the use of the therapeutic relationship to foster client engagement and self-determination. 
• Knowledge of human psychosocial development within the context of the family, community, and culture. 
• Knowledge of brief therapy theories and techniques and understanding of therapeutic process. 
• Knowledge of techniques for facilitating client motivation to manage behavior problems. 
• Knowledge of health, social, and systemic issues, as well as of equity and social justice, that impact client and community well-being. 
• Skills in crisis intervention, client advocacy, and case management.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully apply appropriate and best practice models of care based on diverse client presentations. 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and respectfully, both orally and in writing. 
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and foster a variety of strong interpersonal relationships in a multidisciplinary team, and with outside partners and organizations. 
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a high level of organization to meet a high-volume workload and documentation demands. 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications 
• Ability to travel in a timely manner within King County to engage in work at locations that may have limited access to public transportation.

Desired Candidate:

• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) preferred. 
• Bilingual or multilingual candidates highly desired. 
• At least three years of post-graduate professional experience providing independent behavioral health counseling service for children and families in a healthcare or educational setting. 
• Previous experience with Parent-Child Psychotherapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Attachment, Regulation, Competency (ARC), play and family therapy, and/or other trauma-informed therapeutic modalities.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

To whom may qualies

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Resume

(Please note: Cover Letter, Additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of Basic Life Support (BLS) / CPR (if applicable).
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment. (and Pre-employment Physical, if applicable).
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en. 
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department. 
• If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Union Membership

Protec 17

Contact

For more information about the application process please Contact recruiter