Allegan County

Social Worker - Public Defender's Office

Public Defender's Office - Paw Paw, MI - Full Time

Allegan County has much to offer, with 24 Townships, 9 Cities, and 2 Villages across nearly 900 square miles. The landscapes range from the lakeshore to beautifully wooded lands, our County’s natural resources are a gift to be treasured. Allegan County businesses, citizens, and employees are world-class, and we remain a welcoming, closely-knit community. We are one of the fastest-growing counties in Michigan.
Allegan County Government places high importance on our core values: Respect, Integrity, Commitment and Honesty. A common thread among our leadership, employees and volunteers is a strong desire to serve and be part of something meaningful. We were recently identified as “Best in Class Winner” among mid-size companies for our excellence in optimizing employee and organizational well-being. We have also received the Impact Award for excellence in educating our employees about their retirement plans and overall financial wellness. We are looking for dedicated, caring, energetic people to join our team!

Job Summary:

Provides expertise in the area of social work and mitigation while operating as a liaison between the public defenders and our clients as well as service providers, stakeholders, and the general public. The social worker provides essential recruitment, training, supervision, utilization and evaluation of a volunteer social worker workforce through the development of the Social Worker Holistic Defense Internship Program.

Start date for this position: August 1, 2024 or later

Starting Wage: $27.55 per hour, full-time

Excellent Benefits Plan: Health benefits begin on the first of the month after your hire date
- Medical, Dental & Vision (3 medical plans to choose from, 2 of which are FREE)
- County-funded Health Savings Account with our two high-deductible medical plans
- County-paid employee life insurance coverage
- County-paid short-term disability coverage, up to 52 weeks
- Generous retirement plan, including a county contribution of 7% of your annual earnings
- Tuition Reimbursement Program for college degree courses
- Generous PTO plan, including front-loaded hours into PTO bank at hire, and annually on January 1.
- 13 paid holidays, in addition to PTO
- FREE use of Allegan County government's two fitness centers

Responsibilities and Duties:

Provides holistic defense social work and mitigation expertise to assigned defense counsel through relevant social work/mental health research and the application of that research to individual indigent defense cases.
Collaborates with team members to advocate for reduced sentences and/or alternatives to incarceration for clients through gathering factual mitigation through interviews and obtaining records, analyzing records, researching and recommending alternatives to incarceration, and writing pre-pleading memoranda to judges and prosecutors seeking reduced sentences and alternatives to incarceration.
Advocates in various ways on behalf of clients to social service agencies, judges, programs, and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney's.
Work closely with clients to make appropriate referrals to address clients' social service needs such as drug treatment, housing, and other benefits and also assist clients in navigating social service agencies.
Develop and manage the Office of the Public Defender's Holistic Defense Social Worker Internship Program.
Provides social work expertise relating to the Holistic Defense project and in support of the office's objectives as established by the Chief Public Defender by collaborating with stakeholders, the private sector, local, state, and federal units of government and various county departments as directed.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's Degree in Social Work required, a Master's Degree in Social Work is preferred.
One (1) year of experience in Social Work is preferred.
One (1) year of Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, or Holistic Defense experience in a legal setting is preferred.

Allegan County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. A copy of our EEO Utilization report is available on our website:
https://www.allegancounty.org/home/showpublisheddocument/2802/637974740005930000

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