Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Languages
Timeline
Generic

Carolina Ortiz

Santa Maria

Summary

Proven leader in social services, adept in multicultural competence and analytical thinking, significantly improved client outcomes at County Of Santa Barbara. Expert in service planning and community outreach, leveraging strong decision-making and problem-solving skills to address complex cases and enhance family unit functionality.

Overview

10
10
years of professional experience

Work History

Social Services Supervisor II

County Of Santa Barbara
11.2022 - Current
  • Plans, organizes, and directs a social service unit providing the most complex casework such as in adoptions and child and adult protective services; counsels, motivates and evaluates the performance of staff; reviews staff work for completeness and adherence to relevant laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  • Plans, develops, coordinates, and provides staff training and development on complex social service programs.
  • Determines necessity of investigation by social work staff and/or police of reports regarding physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, severe and general neglect, and exploitation of children and dependent or elderly adults, including self-neglect.
  • Directs the taking into custody of neglected and abandoned children, from their homes, and directs their placement with relatives, or in foster homes, group homes, institutions, or other suitable placements; directs casework for dependent and elderly adults designed to maximize their independence, ensure their health and safety in their homes and eliminate risks to the degree possible.
  • Reviews and approves recommendations to the court regarding the physical and legal custody of children, such as recommendations for children to be temporary dependents of the court, placement into guardianship, or for permanent separation from the care and control of current provider; prepare reports using personal computer applications such as word processing; reviews and approves Service Plans for dependent and elderly adult caseload and serves as consultant for complex and difficult case situations.
  • Reviews and approves the legal sufficiency of investigation, casework, and reporting on matters related to guardianship, parental relinquishments, and adoptions and for the comparable legal, ethical and regulatory matters relating to protective services for the dependent and elderly adult client population.
  • Assists in the design and implementation of service delivery programs.
  • Assists in establishing and maintaining department's community resources network; represents the department in the community and speaks before groups on matters related to assignment.

Social Services Practitioner

County Of Santa Barbara
09.2016 - 11.2022
  • Responds to and investigates complaints of child, elder, or dependent adult physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, severe and general neglect, and exploitation, abandonment, isolation, and financial abuse; performs intake screening in order to make emergency response assessments; interviews clients and other involved parties in order to assess home environment, individual functioning, and family background and dynamics; makes diagnostic assessments of problems; takes action necessary to minimize the risk of abuse to children, elders, or dependent adults, including short-term crisis intervention counseling, takes into custody neglected and abandoned children, and places children with relatives, foster homes, group homes, institutions, or other suitable placements, or assists in the conservatorship process for elder or dependent adults who are mentally incapacitated.
  • Develops and implements service plans; counsels children and parents, elder, or dependent adults and their relatives to enhance functioning of family unit; develops agreements with families to meet voluntary or court-ordered objectives and monitors progress toward delineated objectives by evaluating behavioral adjustment; acts on behalf of child, elder, or dependent adults, within legal authority, to arrange for medical treatment and/or other needs; makes referrals to community resources.
  • Coordinates activities with law enforcement, legal, and the court systems; prepares court reports and legal documents; obtains police, medical, and psychological reports to substantiate recommendations; reports cases of suspected abuse to appropriate law enforcement and legal agencies; testifies and/or presents case investigative findings; participates in out-of-court settlement.
  • Places children in appropriate care facilities and makes permanency planning recommendations based upon an analysis of individual physical and psycho-social needs, available facilities and homes; determines suitability of applications for adoptions and investigates environment; matches children with prospective adoptive parents; counsels adoptive parents and children to assess and provide for needed support services; provides supportive counseling to children and parents.
  • Manages assigned caseload; prepares narrative and statistical reports, documents, and correspondence regarding client status; documents case files; prepares and serves legal documents; testifies in court;
  • Represents the department in the community and speaks before groups on matters related to assignment.
  • Utilizes mainframe computer applications including Child Welfare System/Case Management System and Adult Protective Services Database for caseload management; uses personal computer application including Microsoft Office Suite in preparation of various reports, documents and correspondence.

Social Services Worker

County Of Santa Barbara
01.2014 - 09.2016
  • Conducts in-home or on-site visitations to interview clients, family members and other interested parties to assess needs for social services; gathers and evaluates information regarding employment history, housing situation, physical functioning, financial status, capacity for independent living and availability of domestic services; evaluates clients concerns and observes behavior; develops service plans and establishes case files.
  • As a protective service worker, investigates reports of child or vulnerable adult abuse, neglect and/or exploitation; assesses the degree of immediate risk to the child/adult and takes necessary action to minimize the risk; coordinates activity with other agencies and involved parties including relatives, school personnel and officers of the court.
  • Develops service and treatment plans, evaluates client and/or family behavioral adjustment and monitors client progress toward delineated objectives; counsels clients using a variety of counseling modalities.
  • Counsels clients on available resources, barriers to employment, independent living skills and other areas involving defined problems or concerns; explains procedures, rights and responsibilities.
  • Assists clients in identifying and obtaining basic services needed for independent living; identifies and makes referrals to a variety of public and community agencies providing food, shelter, clothing, medical, educational and other services; schedules client appointments; acts as client advocate in obtaining services.
  • Manages assigned caseload; prepares narrative and statistical reports, documents and correspondence regarding client status; documents case files; prepares and serves legal documents; testifies in court and State Hearings.
  • Identifies and assesses suitability for out-of-home care placements conducts on-site visits to assess living conditions.

Education

MSW - Social Work

California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA
05.2019

Skills

  • Multicultural Competence
  • Service planning
  • Written and verbal communication
  • Client Needs Assessments
  • Interviewing skills
  • Community Outreach
  • Analytical thinking
  • Decision-Making
  • Problem-solving aptitude

Languages

Spanish
Professional Working

Timeline

Social Services Supervisor II

County Of Santa Barbara
11.2022 - Current

Social Services Practitioner

County Of Santa Barbara
09.2016 - 11.2022

Social Services Worker

County Of Santa Barbara
01.2014 - 09.2016

MSW - Social Work

California State University - Long Beach

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Carolina Ortiz