Job Description

Posting number: 26-7057-01 (O/PD)

Department: Public Defender

Job classification: Social Service Worker, Senior PS/L

Posting type: Open

Categories: Legal, Social Services, Community and Social Services

Summary

SALARY

$80,169 - $96,127 Annually

We are currently accepting applications to fill three vacancies for the position of Holistic Defense Advocate (Social Service Worker, Senior job classification) in Santa Barbara for the Public Defender’s Office. The current positions are grant funded and considered a Limited Term appointment. The duration of this appointment is limited to a period not to exceed three (3) years; but is subject to annual review by the Commission to ensure the temporary or limited term nature of such appointment remains appropriate based on business operational needs and/or resources.

We are also establishing one employment list for future vacancies in the Public Defender’s Office. Please select the locations you would like to be considered for current and future vacancies. If you qualify for this position and pass the required selection steps, your name will be sent to the hiring department of the vacancy locations where you have expressed that you are willing to work.

BENEFITS: The County of Santa Barbara offers generous benefits. For information click here. In addition, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for: Retirement reciprocity and/or Time and Service Credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate.

The Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office provides legal representation to people accused or convicted of a crime and who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, as well as those subject to civil mental health commitments and other proceedings where their liberty is at stake. Our lawyers employ a holistic approach to criminal defense that draws from traditional and non-traditional legal representation models. Our clients have access to an interdisciplinary team of lawyers, investigators and advocates, who strive to reduce their exposure to the criminal justice system, mitigate collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, and transform lives by addressing the social ills that contribute to criminal legal system involvement. Our advocacy often extends beyond conducting courtroom hearings and trials, as we aim to seek individualized solutions to the complex problems faced by our clients.

Within the Department is the Community Defender Division (CDD). Our specialized CDD team combines the expertise of public defense social workers, housing advocates, resource specialists, and attorneys to address the entire person and the underlying factors that lead to justice system involvement. By uncovering and documenting clients’ histories, challenges, and circumstances, the CDD develops comprehensive narratives that help courts understand the full context of each case. Through comprehensive support and coordination of services, the team assists clients by identifying critical mitigating factors to advocate for fair and appropriate sentencing, securing stable housing solutions, facilitating access to substance use treatment, connecting clients to medical insurance and healthcare, arranging appropriate mental health services, and coordinating with community resources for sustainable support. This integrated approach helps break the cycle of system involvement while building pathways to stability and wellbeing for our clients.

THE POSITION: Under direction, the first positionserves as a key member of the defense team, functioning as a defense-based advocate dedicated to the County’s Department of State Hospitals (DSH) Mental Health Diversion Program, an interdisciplinary partnership between the Public Defender, Behavioral Wellness, and community based agencies. The role provides defense attorneys with initial client assessments, mitigation information to inform case strategy, and support to advocate for diversion outcomes. Working directly with individuals incarcerated in the county jail and state hospitals, this position conducts diversion screenings and identifies pathways to treatment specifically for individuals who are Incompetent to Stand Trial. The position collaborates closely with attorneys and paralegals to advance diversion goals, works with Wellpath to support client stabilization during incarceration, and partners with the DSH diversion team to advocate for appropriate and safe community placements. The role requires oral and written advocacy with the courts, responds effectively to crises, and performs other duties as required. Additional duties include tracking and reporting program data, accompanying clients to court when necessary, and ensuring strict adherence to confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, and all Public Defender policies. This position is countywide and serves both Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

The second position serves on the Pre-Arraignment Early Representation program as a key member of the defense team. This position works closely with the teams assigned deputy public defender, and the Community Defender Division to support clients in custody and throughout reentry. Responsibilities include conducting jail interviews to develop release and reentry plans for arraignment proceedings; attending initial hearings to support individuals with acute needs; coordinating transportation and access to mental health, substance use, housing, and other community-based services; and maintaining ongoing communication with service providers to inform attorneys and assist clients. This role requires responding effectively to crises, utilizing Motivational Interviewing, and practicing holistic defense. Additional duties include tracking and reporting program data, accompanying clients to court when necessary, and ensuring strict adherence to confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, and all Public Defender policies. This position is based in Santa Maria.

The third position is a Legal Promotora, which adapts the Promotora de Salud model to the public defense context, serving as a cultural bridge between attorneys and indigenous migrant residents of northern Santa Barbara County, particularly Mixteco speakers, who face significant linguistic, cultural, and immigration-related barriers to legal access. This role supports community outreach through know-your-rights education, legal literacy workshops, and trusted presence in community spaces; supports clients with intake, documentation, and connection to community resources; and participates in multidisciplinary case discussions to bring cultural context to holistic defense strategy. The Legal Promotora maintains ongoing relationships with community-based organizations, provides interpreter-supported assistance for attorney-client meetings, and helps ensure culturally sensitive communication across the Public Defender’s Office by coordinating staff training and maintaining cultural resource tools. The position also identifies community needs, responds to barriers in real time, and strengthens trust in communities historically disconnected from the legal system. This position is based in Santa Maria.

Employees within this class work within a system of interdisciplinary departmental teams and contract service agencies to provide assessment, prevention, intervention, treatment, and related ancillary support services via an integrated service delivery system. This includes people with behavioral health needs, as well as those facing cultural and linguistic barriers that make it difficult to navigate the criminal justice system.

Ideal Candidate will have:

• Strong cultural competency and cultural humility, with the ability to work effectively with diverse communities, including Spanish-speaking and indigenous immigrant populations
• Proven ability to build trust and maintain ongoing relationships with justice-impacted individuals and marginalized communities
• Experience conducting community outreach, education, or advocacy in culturally diverse settings
• Skill in navigating complex legal, social service, housing, and behavioral health systems
• Ability to coordinate and provide transportation and assist clients in accessing essential services
• Strong crisis response skills and the ability to remain calm, resourceful, and supportive during urgent situations
• Effective communication skills, including the ability to bridge gaps between clients, attorneys, and service providers
• Comfort working in carceral environments and supporting clients during court proceedings
• Experience co-facilitating workshops, legal literacy sessions, or know-your-rights education
• Ability to collaborate within multidisciplinary teams and contribute cultural context to holistic defense strategies
• Strong organizational and documentation abilities, including tracking client progress and reporting outcomes
• Commitment to client-centered, holistic defense and the mission of supporting justice-impacted individuals with compassion and dignity
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and uphold attorney-client privilege in all interactions
• Fluency in Spanish; familiarity with Mixteco communication protocols is highly desirable

Examples of duties

1. Conduct interviews, assessments, and outreach to identify client needs and develop individualized release, reentry, or service plans
2. Provide culturally informed support to justice-impacted individuals, including assistance navigating legal processes, social services, and behavioral health systems
3. Coordinate and provide transportation to court hearings, treatment appointments, and essential services
4. Co-facilitate workshops, know-your-rights presentations, and legal literacy sessions in community settings
5. Maintain consistent communication with attorneys, service providers, and multidisciplinary teams to support holistic defense strategies
6. Assist clients with intake, documentation, and referrals for housing, mental health, substance use, and other stabilization resources
7. Provide interpreter-supported meetings and help bridge cultural and linguistic gaps between clients and legal staff
8. Build and maintain strong relationships with community-based organizations, co-host outreach events, and promote community trust
9. Respond to crises promptly and effectively, ensuring clients receive immediate support and access to appropriate resources
10. Track client outcomes and program performance data, preparing regular updates and reports for supervisors and attorneys
11. Maintain client confidentiality and uphold attorney-client privilege in all interactions
12. Serve as a consistent, trusted presence in the community and/or carceral settings to increase access, engagement, and continuity of care

Qualifications

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree including 30 semester or 45 quarter units of course work in social work, psychology, sociology, child development, or other behavioral sciences; AND two years of professional social work experience; OR,
• Two years of experience performing duties comparable to a Social Service Worker with Santa Barbara County; OR,
• A combination of training and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Additional Requirements:

• Possession of or ability to obtain a valid California Class C Driver’s License may be required.
• Independent travel, including transportation of clients, within the County, throughout California, out of state, or country is required.
• Will be required to work outside normal business hours.
• Positions allocated to this class may require bilingual skills.

Knowledge of: interviewing and life skills counseling techniques; medical, psychological, educational, and social service resources, needs, problems, attitudes, and behavior of assigned client population; function of public assistance and social services systems; the practical application of human behavior and child development/parenting or aging principles; socio-economic/psychosocial factors affecting individual behavior, independent living social functioning, and social abnormalities.

Ability to: interview a variety of people with diverse socio-economic backgrounds and temperaments and obtain specific information; assess social service needs; encourage clients in progress toward independent living and/or social functioning; learn, apply, and explain complex regulations and policies governing processes in assigned program; work independently; understand and follow direction; listen; cope with unusual life circumstances; manage a caseload and recall case details; maintain confidentiality of information; write reports and prepare routine statistical reports; organize and prioritize work assignments; make decisions and independent judgments; determine the appropriate course of action in an emergency or stressful situations; understand program objectives in relation to departmental goals and procedures; deal firmly and fairly with clients; maintain accurate records and document actions taken; identify and make referrals to local and regional providers of social, medical, and/or other specialized services; act on behalf of client to obtain needed services; access and use personal computer applications in a Windows (or equivalent contemporary operating system) environment; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships.

Supplemental information

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:

1. Review applications and Supplemental Questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
2. Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking: Responses to the required supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and scored. Candidates’ final score and rank on the employment list will be determined by responses to the supplemental questionnaire. This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 13 qualified candidates.

Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive written notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.

BACKGROUND CHECK AND MEDICAL EVALUATION: Public Defender's Office will conduct a background investigation. Current or excessive use of drugs, sale of drugs, serious criminal history, or deception relating to employment history may bar employment. Other departments may require an extended background check including credit history; this is at the discretion of each department.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

Recruiters will communicate with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.

Disaster Service Worker: Pursuant to Governmental Code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

The County of Santa Barbara provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type with regard to any characteristic or status protected by any federal law, state law, or Santa Barbara County ordinance. The County continues to be committed to a merit-based selection process and to eliminating barriers to attracting and retaining top qualified candidates. The County has a long-standing practice of providing a work environment that respects the dignity of individual employees and values their contributions to our organization.

APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE: Friday, October 2, 2026 at 4:59 p.m. PST. postmarks not accepted. Applications and job bulletins can be obtained 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com.

Collin Graham: cgraham@countyofsb.org