Forensic Social Worker/Forensic Professional Counselor

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT # PDS-2022-08

PUBLIC DEFENDER SERVICE FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Forensic Social Worker/Forensic Professional Counselor
PDS-0101-11 (GS-11 Equivalent)

Opening Date: April 29, 2022 Closing Date: May 20, 2022, 11:59pm

Location:
Public Defender Service
Office of Rehabilitation and Development 601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 110
Washington, DC 20004

Number of Vacancies:1

Position Information: Full-Time (Term expiring September 30, 2024)

Who May Apply: Open to US Citizens and those authorized to work in the US with a District of Columbia social work or professional counselor license.

Prior to hiring, candidate must hold an active social work or professional counselor license in the District of Columbia.

PDS Overview: The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) is a federally funded, independent organization governed by an eleven-member Board of Trustees. PDS provides legal representation to individuals facing a loss of freedom in the local criminal, delinquency, and mental health systems in the District of Columbia. PDS’s approximately 221 employees, comprised of attorneys, social workers, investigators, administrative, and technical staff, collaborate with each other to advance the PDS mission. PDS’s main office is located at 633 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. District of Columbia residency is not a requirement for employment. PDS is funded by federal appropriations, and all employees are entitled to participate in federal health and life insurance plans, federal retirement plans, Workers Compensation, and the Thrift Savings Plan. Transferring employees will receive recognition of creditable federal service for leave accrual and retirement purposes.

Employment at the Public Defender Service (PDS) is neither federal nor District of Columbia government employment, and all employees are at-will.

Division Description: The Office of Rehabilitation and Development (ORD) provides the social work component of the defense in the representation of children and/or adult clients. ORD helps staff attorneys develop least restrictive, individualized sentencing and rehabilitation plans for clients, case-based counseling, case management, and collaboration with agencies serving children and adults. Since 2016, ORD has increased its post-conviction work and has prepared for the release of men and women serving a prison sentence of at least 15 years for a crime committed between the age of 15-25 by creating community release plans.

Major Duties: This position is located in the Office of Rehabilitation and Development and provides services to adult clients in the District of Columbia. Under the general supervision of the Chief of the Division, incumbent duties develop biopsychosocial evaluations, create and implement reentry plans as well as present testimony in court and, upon release, assist with successful reentry. Incumbent will perform the following duties: work in concert with legal counsel on behalf of agency clients, client family, and other collateral contacts to establish personal background and history summaries; create release plans geared to the specific and individual needs of each client; develop sentencing strategies; evaluate and recommend reentry plans including housing, reuniting with family, treatment options and vocational training programs; employment, identify and make referrals for medical and mental health services, educational, substance abuse treatment, and other services; work with local social service agencies or jails/prisons to identify programs and resources for clients and their families; keep abreast of and develop cooperative relationships with service organizations and legal agencies to assist clients with matters related to their reentry. Position will include visits to place of employment, residential or community-based programs, and other similar locations and will include visits to correctional facilities throughout the nation.

How you will be evaluated: Your application package includes your résumé and required supporting documents. Please ensure your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position. Failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a rejection of your application package.

Application package requirements: In addition to a traditional resume, candidates should submit a separate narrative statement addressing the following quality ranking factors. These factors will be used to distinguish the best-qualified applicants from a group of persons basically qualified for the position. Failure to submit your narrative response for this job will negatively affect your eligibility and/or rating for this position.

1. Experience working with arrested adults and understanding of the plight of persons from poor backgrounds.
2. Direct defense experience working with adult clients in prison and reentry issues.
3. Knowledge of social work concepts and concepts related to rehabilitation and alternatives to confinement.
4. Demonstrated excellent writing and oral persuasion skills and ability to communicate effectively to broad spectrum of people.
5. Demonstrated computer skills.
6. Familiarity with treatment and rehabilitation resources available in the D.C. metro area.
7. Knowledge of the court system.

Rating: Your application package will be rated and ranked among others, based on your experience, education, training, performance appraisals, and awards relevant to the duties of this position. Your rating can be lowered if your application package is not supported by the required documents.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application package will be referred to a selecting official for consideration at which time you may be required to participate in a selection interview. Non-local candidates may be interviewed initially via Skype or other electronic means.

Vaccination Policy: As a condition of employment and before starting employment, all employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a reasonable accommodation due to a disability or sincere religious belief. Prior to your first date of employment, candidates will be required either (A) to submit proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to the Office of Human Resources or (B) request and receive an accommodation due to disability of sincere religious belief.

Telework: This is a full-time, term position that will expire on September 30, 2024. Due to the pandemic, this position is eligible for remote work. At this time, PDS is on a maximum telework schedule until October 2022. Beginning in October, we expect this position to shift to a hybrid work schedule; the details of this schedule will depend on the needs of the Division, assignments that must be performed in person (e.g., court hearings, client visits in detention facilities) and office space availability. For these positions, it will be the responsibility of the forensic social worker to ensure that any remote work they perform complies with the ethical and practice requirements of the remote jurisdiction.