Job Description

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Division of State-Operated Specialty Care, Bureau of Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders is seeking a Social Worker 3 to join our team! This full-time position offers opportunity for advancement, growth, and development, and is generally scheduled Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. with one later evening required per week and some on-call responsibilities.

The Social Worker 3 provides case work management services, 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.

This position will be required to obtain certification from the Iowa Board for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (IBTSA) as a Sex Offender Treatment Professional Level I (SOTP I) within 3 years of appointment.

Applicants will be required to complete a background check to be considered for this position.

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. The facility provides state-of-the-art treatment to patients to lower their risk of re-offending and to release them from confinement as quickly as possible. There is a full range of diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitative services focused on addressing the conditions impacting a patient’s likelihood of re-offending.

We have a great total compensation package, including:

• Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS) (Employee contributes 6.29%/State of Iowa contributes 9.44%)
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan) (State of Iowa matches up to $75/month)
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance (See below for additional information)
• Vacation Leave (96 hours/year to begin, and increases with years of service)
• Sick Leave (144 hours/year)
• Paid Holidays (9 days/year)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance ($20,000 paid for by the State of Iowa)
• Long-Term Disability Insurance

For additional information on benefits click here.

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Cherokee Highlights

CCUSO is located in Cherokee, a city of approximately 5,000 set in the beautiful Little Sioux River Valley in Northwest Iowa. Residents enjoy fishing and canoeing on the Little Sioux River which 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 and outdoor activities 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. 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 HHS 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.e-verify.gov.

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;

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;