Social Work Assistant

Who We Are

The Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) is the state agency responsible for providing legal representation and other services to people accused or convicted of a crime who cannot afford to hire an attorney.

Our Mission: Advocating. Fighting. Helping.

Our Vision: A Fair Justice System.

Out Values: Compassion. Dignity. Equity. Integrity. Service. Community.

We are committed to building a work environment where all team members have a voice and can embrace our differences to innovate service to the public in our pursuit of fairness and justice for all people.

Follow OPD on Facebook, Linkedln, lnstagram, and Threads I Visit our Website

What You'll Do

You will serve as a Social Work Assistant in the Washington County Office of our Trial Services Division. We provide client-centered representation to indigent clients facing criminal charges. You will provide basic social services and collaborate as an integral part of a client's case team to help ensure holistic support throughout the legal process. You will assess client needs for community resources, make referrals, track client data, and also assist with identifying outpatient and intensive inpatient treatment for clients who would benefit from a more focused treatment program as part of their sentence. By addressing the client's emotional, psychological, and practical needs, you play a vital role in navigating legal challenges and reducing the likelihood of recidivism. You will work closely alongside attorneys and administrative staff in our Marietta Office, and your work will include travel throughout Washington County.

OPD's social work program supports proactive, holistic, collaborative and client-centered legal services to mitigate exposure to carceral punishment and promote public safety. The services our SWA's provide clients include: Resource Connection & Service Referrals, Case Management, Client Support, Case Collaboration & Advocacy, and Legal Navigation.

A successful candidate will have passion for working with a large team and assisting people who are facing the challenges of poverty. The preferred candidate will have professional or volunteer experience helping to pursue a fair justice system, and strong communication and organization skills.

This position has intermittent travel needs that may change month-to-month, based on business or client needs. The successful candidate will also be self-motivated and comfortable communicating via Teams or other conferencing software during those times.

The duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform basic assessment of clients' needs for medical, financial, and housing assistance and community resources.
• Assess referred clients who are at moderate-high risk to reoffend and clients who have been judicially released and are on diversion or community control.
• Interview clients, review clients' case files, speak with clients' attorney.
• Request client records (including but not limited to court records, medical records, education records, jail/program records for jail time credit purposes).
• Make necessary referrals and submit paperwork for eligibility determination by provider
• Research available resources at government entities, faith and community-based organizations, and other service providers.
• Assist in securing medical benefits, housing, utility bill assistance, veterans assistance, and other assistance.
• Identify availability and accessibility of appropriate and effective community interventions that will address the client's needs and coordinates community linkage services as appropriate for client and client's family while the client's case is pending disposition, until client has successfully completed diversion, or until client's community control ends.
• Track client progress and outcomes.
• Participate in planning of support systems for clients.
• Maintain data on all current clients; maintain data on local social services; track client data; track court-ordered evaluation scheduling and communicates with stakeholders to monitor completion and records.
• Input records and case notes into web-based case management system.
• Prepare and maintain required reports and/or progress notes.
• Maintain working relationships with attorneys, justice stakeholders, clients, families, and facilities.
• Under the direction of State Assistant Public Defenders, prepare written and oral statements for in-court presentations as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned:
• Answer phone calls and forward calls to appropriate parties for response.
• Coordinate attorney calls to clients and attorney visits to county jails and state prisons.
• Assist with retrieving documents at county, state, and federal courts and other offices.
• Provide administrative and clerical assistance.

Additional Information

The Social Work Assistant position is assigned to the State of Ohio's SEIU/1199 Pay Schedule, Pay Range 9, presented below in table format. Starting pay will be at Step 1 unless required by contract/legislation; candidates with exceptional qualifications may be considered for higher starting pay. Our steps give a standard path for earnings growth; you move to the next step after 180 days and annually thereafter. We typically have fiscal year Cost of Living Adjustments as well. Note: In the event a candidate demonstrates exceptional qualifications above minimum, they may qualify for a starting salary above Step 1.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Hourly $25.43 $26.46 $27.48 $28.61 $29.95 $31.34 Annually $52,894.40 $55,036.80 $57,158.40 $59,508.80 $62,296.00 $65,187.20

The Office of the Ohio Public Defender complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the OPD HCM Departme