Social Worker III/IV

Job Description

Definition & Distinguishing Characteristics

Have you always had a passion for helping others? Do you enjoy being actively involved in helping families achieve positive outcomes that make their lives better? Then Colusa County Department of Health and Human Services is the place for you! We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Social Worker III/IV with a specific duty assignment in Resource Family Approval (RFA) within Child Protective Services (CPS) .

We are the largest Department in the County, with over 80 staff. Our agency works with Colusa County residents in administering social services programs, including Cal Works, Cal-Fresh, Medi-Cal, In-home Supportive Services (IHSS), Adult and Children’s Services, Public Health, and Housing. Within Child Protective Services, our team works to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families in our community. We work closely with resource families, caregivers, community organizations, schools, law enforcement, courts, and other service providers to support children and families.

Our agency has a strong leadership team that provides ongoing support for daily operations and assists our employees in reaching their full potential. Colusa County Social Services is committed to a collaborative, professional, and family-centered approach to child welfare. If you're interested, check out the job description pages HERE.
There is one position available that may be filled at any level, depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate. This recruitment will fill current vacancy and establish an eligibility list for future openings, eliminating the need for reposting.

What's this Job All About?

The Social Worker III/IV provides professional social services to individuals and families experiencing complex challenges affecting safety, stability, and overall functioning. Incumbents conduct thorough assessments, develop and implement tailored treatment or service plans, and provide counseling and interventions to address issues such as abuse, neglect, family conflict, medical or behavioral concerns, and environmental stressors.

For this specific duty assignment, the Social Worker will work within Resource Family Approval (RFA) in Child Protective Services. An RFA Social Worker recruits, assesses, and supports individuals and families seeking approval to provide care for children in the foster care system. The position conducts interviews, home assessments, background and safety reviews, and evaluates each family’s ability to meet the needs of children placed in their care.

The Social Worker provides guidance, training, and ongoing support to resource families throughout the approval process and beyond. The position works closely with CPS staff and community partners, completes required documentation, and helps ensure that placements promote the safety, stability, and well-being of children. This role provides an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with families while helping children find safe and stable homes.

Social Workers at these levels manage difficult caseloads with significant independence and may serve as a resource or consultant to less experienced staff. Duties include conducting interviews and home visits, interpreting policies and regulations for clients, coordinating and advocating for access to community and county resources, and maintaining detailed case records in accordance with legal and departmental standards.

Social Worker IVs perform the most advanced casework, including intensive long- or short-term treatment, specialized counseling, and investigations involving high-risk child, elder, or dependent adult situations. Social Worker IIIs handle complex case assignments requiring technical competence and may provide lead guidance to other workers.

Across both levels, strong analytical skills, sound judgment, effective communication, and the ability to work with diverse and vulnerable populations are essential for ensuring client safety, promoting well-being, and supporting long-term stability. For an RFA Social Worker, these skills are especially important when assessing families, providing support and guidance, and helping ensure children are placed in safe, stable, and supportive homes.

At the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), we work a 37.5-hour full-time work week, with the option of a flex-schedule. The County is also currently exploring remote work options of 1-2 days per week, depending on the position, upon completion of the probation period. This allows our staff to find a work-life balance that best fits their needs.

Embracing the Colusa County Work Culture
Working for Colusa County offers a unique work lifestyle that blends professional fulfillment with the tranquility of working in a rural and beautiful environment. Our county agencies take pride in our ability to work as a team, creating a collaborative and positive work environment where everyone has something to contribute, and everyone matters! Within Child Protective Services, our leadership team provides direction, supervision, and support while fostering a professional and family-centered approach to serving children and families. Working for Colusa County CPS provides an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with children, families, resource families, and community partners while making a positive impact in a close-knit community. The work can be challenging and requires strong communication, sound judgment, teamwork, and organization, but it also offers the opportunity to build a rewarding career while enjoying the benefits of a welcoming, small-town community and Northern California lifestyle, with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, spend time with family, and become connected to the local community.

How do we make a difference?

Department of Health & Human Services employees are dedicated to serving Colusa County residents by offering services that improve their health, promote their well-being, and help them become productive and independent contributors to our community.

Within Child Protective Services, our work is focused on promoting the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. As an RFA Social Worker, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by recruiting, assessing, approving, and supporting resource families who provide safe and stable homes for children in need. You will work directly with families throughout the RFA process, providing guidance, training, assessment, and ongoing support while collaborating with CPS staff and community partners. If you are looking for a rewarding career where your work directly impacts children and families and where you can be part of a supportive, collaborative team, we encourage you to consider joining Colusa County Department of Health and Human Services.

What are the benefits?

• A beautiful, safe community in which to work and serve.
• A caring, empathetic, & fun work family that you will be welcomed into - where we work hard, but play hard, too!
• A job with WORK-LIFE BALANCE
• Competitive salary commensurate with education & experience
• A LIFETIME PAYCHECK (3% @ 60 for Classic Members and 2% @ 62 for New Members) - As long as you work for 5 years and vest in the CalPERS system, you will receive a retirement paycheck for the rest of your life.
• Amazing health care BENEFITS at NO COST to you - Unless you choose a premium health care plan.
• Authentically kind and engaged leadership who truly enjoy developing staff.
• 457 Deferred Compensation.
• PAID vacation, PAID holidays (15), and PAID leave if you get sick.
• Vacation Parity - Previous service with a public agency counts towards vacation accrual at Colusa County. A public agency includes cities, counties, districts, the military, and similar entities. To learn more about vacation parity, please see our benefit summary.

COLUSA COUNTY CARES: NURTURING HEALTH, EMPOWERING LIVES!

Supervision & Examples of Duties

Social Worker III :

Incumbents in the Social Worker III classification receive general direction from a Social Worker Supervisor or other higher-level supervisor or manager and may act as lead worker to a group of Social Workers or other service employees.

Social Worker IV :

Receives supervision from a Social Worker Supervisor II or other higher-level supervisor or manager.

May provide lead direction to lower-level Social Workers or service employees.

Qualifications

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required Knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Social Worker III

Experience:

One (1) year of full-time experience comparable to the Social Worker II classification.

Training :

None.

OR

Experience:

Two (2) years of full-time experience as a Social Worker in a public or private agency.

AND

Training :

Thirty (30) college semester units, including fifteen (15) units in social welfare, social/human services, sociology, or other social or behavioral science behavioral science.*

* Examples of social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, economics, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, law, nursing, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, public health, religion, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women's studies.

License or Certificate:

Some positions in this classification may require possession of a valid California driver's License. Employees who drive on County business to carry out job-related duties must possess a valid California driver's license for the class of vehicle driven and meet the automobile insurability requirements of the County. Eligibility for employment for those who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the appointing authority.

Social Worker IV

Training :

A master's degree in social work, or a master's degree from a two (2) year counseling program (Qualifying master's degrees from a two - year counseling program are those that included an internship or supervised fieldwork (minimum of 900 hours) and completion of approximately 45 semester or 67 quarter units of graduate level courses with emphasis in vocational rehabilitation, family or marriage counseling, gerontology, or a closely related field. Completion of all of the requirements for a Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license program may be substituted upon submission of verifying proof.

License or Certificate:

Some positions in this classification may require possession of a valid California driver's License. Employees who drive on County business to carry out job-related duties must possess a valid California driver's license for the class of vehicle driven and meet the automobile insurability requirements of the County. Eligibility for employment for those who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the appointing authority.

Other Information :

Some positions may require possession of special language and cultural skills as a bona fide qualification standard. In these cases, candidates must demonstrate that they possess the required skills.

Supplemental Information

Salary information ( based on 37.5 hour work week) :
Social Worker III - $4,607 - $7,553 per month
Social Worker IV- $5,085 - $8,338 per month

The salary range above consists of 15 steps. Steps 1-6 are annual merit steps with approximately 5% difference between each step, based on successful performance. Steps 7-15 are additional merit steps, requiring 2 years of satisfactory performance at the previous step. Steps 7-14 provide 2.5% increases, while Step 15 offers a 5% increase. The final salary offered will depend on the applicant's experience and qualifications, ranging from steps 1 to 15.

Government agencies accessing US government information, which includes federal tax information must ensure that background investigation requirements for all agency employees and contractors that have access to federal tax information are consistent with the IRS background investigation requirements for access to federal tax information. A background check may be required if the position requires access to these types of records. Background requirements consist of three components which include, fingerprinting, citizenship verification, and local law enforcement checks. State agencies must conduct an investigation during the time of hire and ensure a reinvestigation is conducted 10 years from the date of the previous background investigation for each employee that has access to federal tax information.

Colusa County offers an excellent benefit package. For a summary of benefits, please click here: 2026 Benefit Summary

Closing Date/Time: 9/13/2026 11:59 PM Pacific