Job Description

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Department of Human Services (DHS) merged on July 1, 2022, to form one agency, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). We are seeking a Social Worker 3 to join the team at the Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders (CCUSO). This is a full-time position with some on-call responsibilities and opportunity for advancement, growth and development.

The Social Worker 3 provides case work management services and performs sex offender specific counseling and related therapy consistent with recognized standards using approved methodologies and techniques. Primary responsibilities within this area include providing individual therapy, facilitating group sessions and designing behavior modification plans for the well-being of the client. This position is responsible for case management of assigned clients and works collaboratively with other team members to ensure effective communication, consistency and follow-through. The Social Worker 3 also assists in crisis intervention and de-escalation of potentially volatile situations as well as the assessment of patients at risk for self-harming behaviors. Other responsibilities include participating in team meetings, helping to match clinical efforts to departmental goals and providing on-call coverage as assigned on a rotational basis.

CCUSO provides a secure, long-term, and highly structured setting to treat sexual offenders who have served their prison terms, but, in a separate civil trial, have been found likely to reoffend. CCUSO has a 5-phase treatment program that includes group and individual therapy, psycho-educational programming, physiological assessments and transitional release. Patients may also be court ordered into the community through supervised release. Treatment is determined using the Risk-Need-Responsivity Model based on the principles of respect for the person, behavior is changeable, and services align with the individual’s needs.

We have a great total compensation package, including:

• 
  Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS)
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan)
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Vacation Leave
• Sick Leave
• Paid Holidays (9 days/year)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance

For additional information on benefits click here (Download PDF reader).

Cherokee Highlights

CCUSO is located in Cherokee, Iowa, a city of approximately 5,000 set in the beautiful Little Sioux River Valley in Northwest Iowa. Enjoy fishing and canoeing on the Little Sioux River that winds through town, providing a backdrop to a well-developed parks and trails system. In addition, Cherokee has over 1,000 acres of land devoted to parks for things like camping, hiking, and horseback riding. Cherokee is the home of the first accredited museum and planetarium in Iowa, Sandford Museum and Planetarium, established in 1951. Cherokee may be the smallest town in the world to have its own symphony orchestra! This 60-member orchestra has been referred to as the “best kept secret in Northwest Iowa.”

Cherokee is home to Western Iowa Tech Community College and 1 hour or less from other educational institutions including Morningside College, Northwestern College, Buena Vista University, and Dordt College. This quintessential Iowa town is 1 hour from Sioux City and 2 hours from Omaha. It is also 2 ½ hours from Des Moines, home to Wells Fargo Arena (a host site of NCAA Basketball and premier concerts), as well as Lauridsen Skatepark, the nation’s largest public skate venue. Additionally, Des Moines has one of the nation’s finest State Fairs and is home to professional sports teams the Iowa Cubs, Iowa Wolves, Iowa Barnstormers and Iowa Wild. Check out these 10 Reasons to Move to Iowa.

The State of Iowa is an EEO/AA Employer
HHS values those with “lived experience” and encourages adults who were fostered as youth, foster parents, and/or parents who were in the DHS system to apply. Minorities, women, persons with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply (Hearing and Speech Impaired – Relay Iowa 1-800-735-2942 TDD).

Our agency uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree and the equivalent of three years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency;

graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in social work and the equivalent of two years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency; a Master's degree in social work from an accredited college or university; an equivalent combination of graduate education in the social or behavioral sciences from an accredited college or university and qualifying experience up to a maximum of thirty semester hours for one year of the required experience; employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes the equivalent of one year of full-time experience as a Social Worker 2 shall be considered as qualified.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description (Download PDF reader).

Additional Qualification Requirements

For designated positions in case management, the appointing authority may request those applicants possessing a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major or at least 30 semester hours or its equivalent in the behavioral sciences, education, health care, human services administration, or social sciences and the equivalent of 12 months of full-time experience in the delivery of human services in the combination of: chronic mental illness, developmental disabilities, and intellectual disabilities as a Targeted (Medicaid) Case Manager;

an Iowa license to practice as a registered nurse and the equivalent of three years of full-time nursing or human services experience with the above population groups.

Applicants wishing to be considered for such designated positions must list applicable course work, experience, certificate, license, or endorsement on the application.

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