Health & Human Services Intern

Job Description

About Company

Walworth County is an employer located in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, with its main address at P.O. Box 1001, 100 W. Walworth Street, Elkhorn, Wisconsin, 53121. Their phone number is 262-741-7950 and their website is http://www.co.walworth.wi.us. Walworth County operates as an Equal Opportunity Employer and states that all employees are “at-will employees.”

Job Description, Detailed

This posting describes various internship opportunities within the Health & Human Services Department of Walworth County.

• Job Title: Health & Human Services Internships
• Location: Elkhorn, WI
• Job Type: Limited Term
• Job Number: 2023-00093
• Department: Health & Human Services
• Opening Date: July 9, 2023
• Closing Date: Continuous

Overview:
The Health & Human Services Department offers a variety of internships, which can be both paid and unpaid, depending on the specific opportunity. These internships are designed to provide practical experience across multiple social and public health service areas, catering to students pursuing various degrees.

Detailed Internship Programs:

1. PUBLIC HEALTH
• Public Health Specialist Internships:
• Target: Broad range of degrees.
• Focus: Health education and communications.
• Activities: Developing/improving health education curriculum, participating in community events, preparedness activities, community health assessment, and improvement planning. Job shadowing across all public health areas is available.
• Environmental Health Internship:
• Target: Bachelor-level students with a science interest.
• Focus: Full range of environmental health.
• Activities: Water quality, childhood lead poisoning prevention, laboratory work, environmental sample collection, vector monitoring. Job shadowing in other environmental health areas is also offered.
• Public Health Nursing Internships:
• Target: Nurses pursuing BSN/MSN or enrolled in a BSN completion program.
• Focus: Meeting community health clinical rotation requirements.
• Activities: Based on program needs.
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Dietetic Internship—Community Rotation:
• Target: Bachelors or higher program students (supervised by an RD).
• Focus: Clinical experience in a community WIC setting.
• Activities: Nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support, biometric assessment, community education efforts. Designed to meet clinical requirements.

2. AGING AND DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER (ADRC)
• Aging and Disability Resource Center Dietetic Internship – Community Rotation:
• Target: Students (supervised by an RD).
• Focus: Nutrition/health education and services for older adults.
• Activities: Screening individuals for nutrition risk, nutrition counseling, documenting consumer interactions, exposure to senior nutrition program operations.
• Aging and Disability Resource Center Social Work Internship:
• Target: Bachelor degree level social work students.
• Focus: Working with older adults and adults with disabilities.
• Activities: Providing information and assistance, options counseling, connecting to resources and benefits. Exposure to elder abuse investigation, senior nutrition programs, health promotion, prevention programs, and Veteran Services.

3. CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
• Child Welfare Bachelor level Internships:
• Target: Social Work degrees.
• Focus: Learning and participating in child welfare services (Chapter 48 standards).
• Activities: Community events, treatment courts, experiencing Access, Initial Assessment, Ongoing Services, and Foster Care Services. Job shadowing across all Child Welfare areas.
• Child Welfare Master level Internships:
• Target: Master of Social Work degrees.
• Focus: Learning and participating in child welfare services (Chapter 48 standards).
• Activities: Initial Assessment, then Ongoing Services, experiencing Treatment Courts and Foster Care Services. Responsibility for a Child Welfare case and service implementation in the second half. Research of policies and best practice data may be assigned. Job shadowing across all Child Welfare areas.
• Youth Justice Bachelor level internships:
• Target: Social Work, Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Psychology degrees.
• Focus: Learning and participating in youth justice services (Wisconsin Chapter 938 standards).
• Activities: Job shadowing in Youth Justice.

4. VETERANS
• Veterans Service Office Internships:
• Target: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Social Work candidates (in collaboration with ADRC, Children & Families, and Behavioral Health Divisions).
• Focus: Veterans benefits navigation and counseling.
• Activities: Learning about Federal and State Veterans Benefits, counseling individuals on eligibility, interacting with Veterans and beneficiaries to determine needs and available programs.

5. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH UNIT (BHU)
• Behavioral Health Internships:
• Target: Broad range of social service degrees.
• Focus: Providing resources and support for mental health needs.
• Activities: Assisting mental health professionals with teaching coping skills, symptom management, and risk assessments.
• Behavioral Health Case Management Internships:
• Target: Master’s degree in Social Services (e.g., Social Work, Counseling).
• Supervision: Licensed clinicians (LCSW and LPC) available for clinical supervision and meeting educational program requirements (practicum/clinical hours).
• Activities: Providing mental health services in the community, such as assessments, recovery planning, skill development, individual/group counseling, accessing community resources, and psychoeducation (for Comprehensive Community Services and Community Support Program).
• Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic Internships:
• Target: Master’s degree in Social Services (e.g., Social Work, Counseling).
• Supervision: Licensed clinicians (LCSW and LPC) available for clinical supervision and meeting educational program requirements (practicum/clinical hours).
• Activities: Providing mental health services in an outpatient setting, such as assessments, recovery planning, skill development, individual/group counseling, and psychoeducation.
• Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention Internships:
• Target: Bachelor’s degree (minimum 500 hours) or Master’s degree in Social Services (e.g., Social Work, Counseling).
• Supervision: Licensed clinicians (LCSW and LPC) available for clinical supervision and meeting educational program requirements (practicum/clinical hours).
• Activities: Providing mental health services in the community, such as crisis assessments, linkage and follow-up to community resources, and psychoeducation. Work adheres to WI Statute 51 and DHS 34.

Benefits Summary for Casual, Limited Term, Student Workers:

As “Casual, Limited Term, Student Workers,” interns are subject to specific benefit limitations:
• Basis of Payment: Hourly.
• Not Eligible For: Vacation, Sick Leave, Holidays, Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Life Insurance, LTD Insurance, Vision Insurance.
• Wisconsin Retirement: Not eligible if expected to work less than 1200 hours per year. If an employee works 1200 hours, is employed for at least one year, and is not under 20 attending high school full-time, they will be expected to pay the employee portion, and Walworth County will pay employer required contributions pursuant to state law.
• Disclaimer: This is a brief outline; all terms are subject to specific plan documents, policies, and/or legal rules and regulations, and benefits are subject to change.

Application Questions:

Applicants are required to provide information through the following questions:
1. Preferred division/program area (multiple selections allowed: Public Health, Aging & Disability Resource Center, Children & Families, Veterans, Behavioral Health).
2. College/University Name.
3. Major/Minor.
4. Anticipated Graduation Date.
5. Preferred Semester/Time Frame (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall).
6. Brief description of preferred area of focus for the internship (i.e., desired experience).
7. Total internship hours needed.
8. If in contact with an HHS staff member regarding an internship, indicate which staff member.