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Mendocino County commission approves new family-and-children social worker classifications, reclassifies 17 incumbents
Summary
The Mendocino County Civil Service Commission approved two new classifications — Social Worker, Family and Children's Services, and Social Worker, Advanced Family and Children's Services — and reclassified 17 incumbents to those titles to better reflect division-specific duties and state regulatory requirements.
The Mendocino County Civil Service Commission voted unanimously to adopt two new social worker classifications and to reclassify 17 current incumbents into the new Family and Children’s Services tracks.
Denise Bartlame, assistant human resources director, said the new titles — Social Worker, Family and Children's Services and Social Worker, Advanced Family and Children's Services — were created at the request of the director of social services to reflect work specific to the family and children services division and to meet state regulatory requirements. "Staff and leadership have identified ongoing challenges including state and regulatory requirements that are not clearly reflected in the current classifications," Bartlame said.
DD Parker, director of social services, told commissioners the existing social worker series is applied across multiple divisions, which creates confusion for applicants and unclear expectations about training and experience. Parker said the change will make job postings clearer about whether openings are for emergency response, family maintenance, or adult/aging services. "The current job classifications are used across the board," Parker said, explaining why a division-specific classification was needed.
Commissioners asked whether the new classifications would replace the entire social worker series; staff clarified the two FCS classifications are additions to the existing series and the social worker 1–4 levels will remain in use for other divisions such as adult and aging services and IHSS. Bartlame said clearer job specifications will help applicants know which division they are applying to and will align internal expectations with state requirements.
A commissioner moved to approve the new classifications and the reclassification of qualified incumbents; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously on roll call. The action applies to 17 identified incumbents in the family and children services division, according to staff.
The commission did not receive public comment on the item. The reclassification becomes an administrative personnel action of the county; staff will implement the new job specifications and update postings and internal documentation accordingly.
