Social Worker

CLOSES: 12/18/25

Healthcare

• Family Monthly Premium $350.58
• Single Monthly Premium Paid in Full by Employer
• Deductibles covered by VEBA plan funded by Employer

If you are looking to work in an environment that offers work-life balance, professional development, and the opportunity to contribute to the health of your community, then apply today. Carlton County Public Health has an immediate opening for you to join our dedicated and mission-driven team. Every day, Public Health strives to promote and protect the health and safety of the community. This long-term care position will focus on assessment, care coordination including community services to individuals, families and the community. This full-time, benefit-eligible position is located at the Carlton County Public Health & Human Services building with work being performed primarily in client's homes and in the community. This position will include professional public health nurse duties or social worker duties to ensure the proper administration and coordination of established public health programs per state statute, regulations, and guidance. Collaborate closely with local, regional, state, and Tribal health systems, governmental systems, and other agencies to develop interdependence. Must be skillful at developing and working with multi-disciplinary teams, families, and general public. Exercise independent judgment, exercise strong oral and written communication skills. Some evening and/or weekend work may be required.

BASIC FUNCTIONS (SIX AREAS OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSIBILITY):

• Perform social work duties to ensure the proper administration and coordination of established public health programs per state statute, regulations, and guidelines. The social worker will provide a full range of social work duties including care coordination, case management, assessment , public health education, and health promotion within the six areas of Public Health (PH) Responsibility per MN State Statute 145A: assure an adequate local PH infrastructure; promote healthy communities and healthy behaviors; prevent the spread of communicable disease; protect against environmental health hazards; prepare for and respond to emergencies; and provide public health services to individuals, families and the community.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
General Public Health Intervention (adapted from the Public Health Nursing Practice Standards)

• Participate in public health surveillance: monitor health events; collect, analyze, and interpret health data to plan, implement, and evaluate public health interventions.
• Disease and other health event investigation: identify threats to population health; determine mitigation measures; implement as appropriate.
• Perform outreach: identify populations of need and provide relevant information.
• Administer screening: appropriately identify screening tools and apply them to identify individuals with risk factors.
• Continuously practice case-finding: locate individuals and families with risk factors through client/community referrals and connect them to resources.
• Perform referral and follow up: link individuals, families, groups, organizations, and/or communities with necessary resources.
• Provide case management (assessment, planning, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of options and resources to meet an individual's specific needs): empower individuals and families with a strengths based and reflective approach; build the capacity of the community to coordinate and provide services.
• Perform delegated functions: operate under the authority of the Public Health Medical Consultant as allowed by law; serve as a peer mentor for other care coordinators and assessors within the Public Health or Long-Term Care unit; review assessments where guidelines may require a co-signature.
• Perform health teaching: effectively communicate with individuals, families, and communities to educate, promote healthy behaviors and improve health status.
• Translate knowledge from the health and social sciences to individuals and population groups through targeted interventions, programs and advocacy: engage the community, family or individual to increase self-care and coping skills and strategies to build relationships, connections, and mental health and well-being.
• Practice consultation: respond to perceived problems or issues with a community, system, family, or individual through information gathering and interactive problem solving.
• Collaborate with partners: work together to promote and protect health.
• Build coalitions: promote and develop linkages to solve problems and address health concerns.
• Act as an advocate: help to develop the community, system, individual, or family's capacity to act on their own behalf; use a health-equity lens in policy, system, and environmental change work.
• Apply social marketing principles and technologies to create change movement for health promotion.
• Participate in policy development: inform and help build knowledge of health issues; participate in planning for resolution and determining needed resources.
• Perform policy enforcement, as applicable, to assure that laws, rules, regulations, ordinances, and policies are followed to promote and protect health.

Specific Public Health Intervention

• Determine initial and ongoing eligibility for public programs based on client's assessed needs and financial eligibility. Refer clients to other resources as needed.
• Coordinate Medical Assistance (MA) eligibility with designated Income Maintenance staff. Assure client eligibility for MA program is in accordance with applicable state and federal guidelines.
• Using an interdisciplinary approach, coordinate with Adult Protection staff to respond to reports received from the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center.
• Assist clients and families in accessing resources and services including financial assistance and a variety of other services and supports, both formal and informal.
• Work within the guidelines of the following home and community based programs: Alternative Care (AC), Elderly Waiver (EW), Community Alternative Care (CAC), Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO), Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+), Special Needs Basic Care (SNBC), Personal Care Assistant (PCA), Moving Home Minnesota (MHM), Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS), Essential Community Supports (ECS), and Relocation Service Coordination (RSC).
• Using professional social worker judgement, synthesize assessment data and mutually establish a person-centered care plan which includes interventions to mitigate risk and is in alignment with the client's individual and family goals.
• Monitor and review services and needs semi-annually, annually, or when client needs change. Monitor client progress toward mutually established, person-centered care plan goals; evaluate efficacy of the plan; make modifications as needed to promote goal achievement.
• Consult with health care providers including physicians, home care agencies and other community agencies to promote continuity of care. Obtain physician orders as needed for durable medical equipment, supplies and skilled services.
• Through autonomous decision-making, facilitate progress, meet objectives and deliver prescribed outcomes within a variety of public health and grant programs.
• Insure ongoing competency using best practices including peer review, reflective practice, goal setting, and self-evaluation.
• Participate in local agency and Quality Improvement and Performance Management planning and policy development.
• Attend and participate in assigned local, regional, or statewide committees, task forces, teams, councils and meetings for program and policy work as relevant and based on assigned program(s).
• Assist with local and regional Community Health Assessment and Action Planning as assigned to include developing surveys, performing assessments, identifying areas of need, establishing criteria for evaluation of programs, and preparing reports. Assist in community mobilization in relation to PH priorities
• Assist in designing relevant orientation guidelines and participate in orientation of new staff on the team and within the agency, student social workers, and interns. Serve as a resource for professional development for colleges and universities. Contribute to the support, direction and teaching of colleagues to enhance professional development.
• Maintain appropriate program-specific electronic charting. Ensure documentation is current, accurate and timely. Complete nursing documentation for client-specific cases including assessment findings, intervention(s) provided and outcomes.
• Using social worker process, independently perform ongoing holistic health assessments of individuals, families and communities by evaluating their physical, mental, social, spiritual and environmental health status using the appropriate assessment tool; perform gap analysis; provide social worker and community health intervention based on assessment of need and current community resources. Convene community partners to improve health/social systems to address gaps
• Comply with HIPAA, data privacy and data retention policies and procedures.
• Intervene in emergency situations, assess safety, and notify proper authorities. Act as a mandated reporter.
• Address emerging issues within health equity, health disparities, and the social determinants of health within assigned programs and with the unit to improve population health locally and regionally.
• Complete and maintain certification as a MNChoices Assessor.
• Participate in planning, exercising, responding, recovering, and post –incident evaluation. Actively engage in emergency operations as needed. Provide 24/7 contact for responding.
• Provide Care Coordination (the deliberate organization of client care activities) to facilitate the appropriate delivery of health care services, ensure smooth transition between home and community based settings, acute, rehabilitation and nursing facilities, for the purpose of promoting health, safety and independence.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in social work, psychology, sociology, or closely related field; or a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in any field and one (1) year of experience as a social worker in a public or private social services agency.

Experience:

• One year of home and community-based, or proof of applicable experience in a similar setting.

Certificates/Licenses Required:

• Valid driver's license and proof of insurance required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Knowledge of social work practice and theory, practice advances and updates to social work literature.
• Knowledge of MN Statute 145A, the Local Public Health Act.
• Knowledge of health care systems structure and function; ability to make appropriate client referrals based on need, program guidelines, and community resources.
• Knowledge of health care issues and trends specific to the work specialty to which assigned.
• Knowledge of information management systems appropriate for assigned program(s).
• Knowledge of billing procedures required by Medicaid/Medicare and other third party payers if applicable.
• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws, ordinances, resolutions and regulations relating to health programs and accompanying documentation requirements
• Knowledge of a full range of community resources.
• Knowledge of social worker and referral practices and requirements, using policy and risk management as guiding principles, in such areas as child abuse, vulnerable adult, chemical dependency, emergency services, crisis intervention and foster care screening.
• Knowledge of and skill in using specialized screening tests and evaluation tools as needed in assigned program areas. May require additional training for specialized areas.
• Skill in interviewing adults and children using motivational interviewing techniques, and person centered language.
• Skill in performing physical, emotional, and social assessments of individuals, families and communities.
• Skill in working effectively with diverse cultural or ethnic populations.
• Leadership skills required to delegate tasks, coordinate client/family care and mobilize community resources.
• Ability to maintain records, compile data in meaningful form, and prepare complex written and oral reports for local, county and state level agencies.
• Ability to access and identify current public health information and data.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with citizens, public officials, physicians and other medical professionals and co-workers, etc.
• Ability to work cooperatively with clients, co-workers, general public and other agencies.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and complete a variety of different assignments at various stages.
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility, including in providing back-up to others, and willingness to create, implement, and adapt to new ways of doing things.
• Ability to develop, organize and deliver public health presentations, classes, fairs, workshops and other outreach activities.
• Ability to assess and use critical thinking skills and exercise independent judgment in all situations, including, but not limited to, crisis or emergency situations.
• Ability to prepare accurate records and reports.