$76,024.00 - $97,052.80 Annually
Location : All Locations - San Luis Obispo County, CA
Job Type: Permanent - Hourly
Job Number: 0725PM-001519-01
Department: Health Agency
Division: Health Agency - Public Health
Opening Date: 07/15/2025
Closing Date: 7/30/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

About the Position
The County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency is hiring a Deputy Public Guardian (County Classification: Social Worker IV) to join the Office of the Public Guardian.

This position provides the direct case management of LPS and Probate conservatees who come to the attention of the Office of the Public Guardian through the appointment of the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo.

This position maintains a very visible role with the Superior Court, County Counsel, and Behavioral Health.

Job Functions:1. Information and Referral: Identify and analyze situations accurately and make sound judgements as to adequacy and care of mental and physical conditions of conservatees. Identify and coordinate conservatees to the appropriate services, which will meet and maintain their level of care needs.

2. Psychosocial Assessment: Conduct the initial interview and ongoing conservatee interviews at the placement location of the conservatee to gather information regarding the conservatee's level of functioning including activities of daily living, mental comprehension, coping strengths and weaknesses, physical strengths and weaknesses, formal and informal resources, legal and estate concerns, history of mental illness and severe substance use and the impact on the conservatee's psychological functioning. Consideration of the availability and appropriateness of family or interested third party.

3. Developmental and Monitoring of Treatment Goals and Objectives: In collaboration with the conservatee, Behavioral Health, treating physicians, facility staff, and social workers, establish interventions and needs of the conservatee regarding care and maintenance. Establish ongoing care plans implementing and monitoring treatment goals and objectives through in person visits and telephone/video contact.

4. Institutions for the Mentally Diseased Placements, Long Term Care Placements, Board and Care placements: With thorough knowledge of each of these systems, secure appropriate placement for conservateees and assist in accessing funding resources through available government and private resources.

5. Counseling and Crisis Intervention: Through institutional and home visits, use counseling skills and interventions to enhance the emotional and psychological functioning of the conservatee. Respond to crisis situations with the goal of maintaining the conservatee at their current level of care requirements and level of functioning.

6. Court Transportation: Arrange for needed court transportation for scheduled court trial and jury trial appearances for the conservatee as requested.

7. Zoom Appearances: Arrange for Zoom appearances for the conservatee at their placements for all scheduled court appearances as requested.

8. Advocacy: Interact with formal and informal systems to represent conservatee's needs and to secure resources.

9. Collaboration with Other Health Care Professionals: Coordinate services for conservatees through participation in interdisciplinary team meetings, conservatee care plan conferences and collaborations with other community professionals.

10. Record Keeping: Maintain confidential records regarding conservatee status and casework services, court documents, and estate transactions and dispositions.

11. Program Development: Identify gaps in resources and develop appropriate services to meet the conservatee's needs and assist in outreach activities. Monitor, interpret, and implement policies related to psychosocial care in order to meet regulatory guidelines.
12. Assist as the back up to the Conservatorship Investigator in their job duties and responsibilities as needed.

All other duties and necessary responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Deputy Public Guardian.

Travel: This position requires travel throughout California to conduct in-person visits with conservatees. These visits are generally completed on a semiannual basis but may vary depending on the Conservatee needs or court requirements. Flexibility in scheduling is essential, as out of county visits may require extended workdays or overnight travel.

On-Call/Stand By: This position requires the participation in the after-hours on call rotation schedule.

to view the detailed job description.
This recruitment may be used to fill future permanent, substitute, limited term, and temporary positions, both full-time and part-time throughout the County.
The Ideal Candidate
Minimum Qualifications

A combination of education, training, and experience resulting in the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. An example of qualifying education and experience includes:

Social Worker IV: One of the following options:
A: Possession of a Bachelor's or Master's in any field AND one (1) year of experience equivalent to a Social Worker III with San Luis Obispo County.

Examples of closely related degrees: Psychology, Sociology, Social Services, Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Counseling, Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, Public Health, Social Welfare, Humanities, Nursing, Ethnic Studies, Child Development, Health Science, Anthropology.

Examples of Job-related experience:
Experience in a public or private agency that includes supporting or managing a caseload comprised of people with various types of social service problems, by properly applying the laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of social service agencies.

Licenses and Certificates
A valid driver license is required at the time of application. A valid CALIFORNIA driver's license is required at the time of appointment and must be maintained throughout employment.
How to Apply

Applications, including answers to supplemental questions, must be submitted online by the final filing date.

Most County recruitments require you to respond to supplemental questions as part of the application process. We recommend that you review these questions prior to beginning your application.

An initial application review will be conducted. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and are best qualified will be invited to participate in selection activities which may include online assessments, performance exams, written exams, and interviews.

Final candidates will be required to have an in-depth background review performed before proceeding in the process. Please note that references will not be contacted until the end of the process.

If you have questions or would like to discuss the opportunity further, please contact Human Resources at hr@co.slo.ca.us. Confidential inquiries are welcomed.

For further information regarding the County of San Luis Obispo, visit our website at
Reasonable Accommodation Notice
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. Please call 805-781-5959 for assistance or e-mail hr@co.slo.ca.us for more information.

Veteran's Preference Points
If you are applying for employment with the County of San Luis Obispo and you served in the United States Armed Forces, you may be eligible for veteran's preference points as part of the recruitment process. Some dependents and survivors of eligible veterans may also be eligible for preference points. for more information and to learn how to apply for this benefit. Please note that Veteran's credits must be on file with the County of San Luis Obispo Veterans Services Office prior to the recruitment closing date indicated on the job announcement.

Equal Employment Opportunity
The County is an equal opportunity employer. Objectives are directed toward assuring equal opportunity in selection / promotion, pay, and job assignments. Recruitment and selection procedures have been established to ensure non-discrimination on the basis of political or religious opinions or affiliations, age, sex, race, color, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or other non-merit factors. In addition, the County complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act in hiring and retaining employees. For more information contact the Human Resources Department at (805)781-5959.
Make a Difference
Employees of the County of San Luis Obispo are public servants who impact the lives of our community every day. From supporting efforts to reduce homelessness, keeping our drinking water clean, or serving the families in need in the community, County employees make a difference.
Compensation and Benefits
Your annual salary is supplemented by a generous benefit package.

For additional information regarding the benefits listed that may be available to you, visit the associated .

Some benefits include:

- Medical (PPO, EPO, HDHP), Dental (HMO, PPO) and Vision Insurance
- Health enhancing programs such as Hinge Health, GIThrive and Carrum Health for medical enrollees.
- Cafeteria (County contribution to pay for insurance premiums)
- Free visits to the employee health clinic
- Mental Health resources/benefits including Headspace
- Voluntary insurance plans (life insurance, disability, critical illness and many more)
- A lifelong retirement benefit through the San Luis Obispo County Pension Trust
- Optional deferred compensation plan
- Tax savings accounts (medical and dependent care)
- Paid personal, sick and vacation days
- 12 paid holidays
- Employee Assistance Program
- Education and Wellness Allowance
- Post Employment Health Plan
- Family Friendly workplace policies
- Flexible work schedule options
-Rideshare commuter benefits
- Pet Insurance
The County of San Luis Obispo has been recognized as a Diamond Level Family Friendly Workplace by San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. We support our employees through: childcare assistance, flexible scheduling practices, paid and unpaid leave, comprehensive health benefits, flexible spending accounts, and employee assistance programs.

Pension Benefit and Employee Contribution Rates:
The County's pension is a defined benefit plan that provides a guaranteed monthly pension payment for life based on your time in service, wages, and other factors. The County is the primary contributor to the pension fund, but the health of the pension fund also depends on mandatory employee contributions. Employees are required to pay a percentage of their base pay towards the pension fund, ranging from 5% to 19%. This amount is deducted from your paycheck pre-tax every pay period. To find out how much will be deducted from your paycheck should you be hired for this position, please contact Pension Trust at (805) 781-5465.

Healthcare Benefits and Cafeteria Contributions:
The County offers comprehensive medical coverage to you and your family, along with two dental plan options and vision coverage. All permanent employees receive a monthly employer contribution (or 'cafeteria' contribution) to help them pay for their portion of the medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums. The amount of the cafeteria contribution varies by Bargaining Unit (BU) and the extent to which employees enroll their dependents. If the cafeteria amount is greater than your selected premiums, the remainder of the cafeteria is paid out to you in your paycheck as taxable income. If the cafeteria amount is less than your monthly premiums, you pay the remainder of the premiums with pre-tax wages.

To estimate your out-of-pocket costs (or cashback from extra cafeteria),

Learning and Development
The County prioritizes your learning, personal and professional development, and career growth. Employees have access to over 1500 on-demand courses, instructor led courses, and job-specific trainings.

Employees can take courses to upskill to make themselves more competitive for promotional opportunities and further their career growth. Examples of courses include:

- Emotional Intelligence
- Supervisor/Manager academies
- Microsoft Suite courses
- Defensive Driving
- Financial management
- Retirement preparedness
- Teambuilding
- Written Communication
- Conflict Management
- Clifton StrengthsFinder and DISC
- Job specific conferences/trainings

Student Loan Forgiveness
Did you know that if you are employed by a government agency you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program
County employees also have access to GotZoom, a program that offers tools and support to navigate your federal student loans.

Homebuyer assistance program
Employees have access to the "Assist-to-Own" program sponsored by to get a loan for the down payment.
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