Child Welfare Caseworker

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nDescription:\nApplications will be accepted until position is filled and removed from the Delta County jobs website. \n \nChild Welfare Caseworkers, a position that offers deep rewards by breaking cycles of abuse and helping vulnerable children thrive.\n\nChild Welfare Caseworkers work in social service agencies to ensure children grow up in safe, supportive environments. They investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, assess family dynamics, and determine necessary interventions to protect children at risk. When safety requires it, caseworkers facilitate foster care placements while aiming for family reunification whenever feasible. They also offer resources and counseling to help families manage challenges like substance abuse, domestic violence, and financial strain. To meet complex family needs, they partner closely with law enforcement, educators, and healthcare providers. \n\nGENERAL POSITION DESCRIPTION:\nProvide assessment and/or ongoing social casework services to families where child abuse, neglect, or youth in conflict issues are present or suspected. Caseworkers provide 24-hour response to reports of abuse and/or neglect in accordance with guidelines set forth in Federal and State law including the Colorado Children’s Code and Colorado Code or Regulations Volume VII. Develop case plans to address issues impacting the safety and well-being of children and youth. Make referrals to other agencies, when appropriate. Receives supervision from the unit supervisor, program administrator and/or director in the assigned area.\n\nThe Caseworker position consists of three separate tiers, each with increased responsibility, experience, and independent operation.\nLevel I – Applies basic skills while developing some specialized skills in procedures, operations, techniques, tools, materials, and/or equipment appropriate to area of specialization; performs routine and/or repetitive tasks, limited decision making required; generally, works under close supervision; has no or limited experience; work is performed from within specific limits of established procedures and/or defined instructions. (0-2 years of experience)\nLevel II – Applies skills and job knowledge in area of specialization; applies procedures, operations, techniques, tools, materials, and/or resources to meet needs of area of specialization at an intermediate level of knowledge and understanding; may work on non-routine tasks, projects, and applications; resolves issues/makes working decisions within area of specialization or responsibility with minimal supervision. (Minimum of 2 years of experience as a child welfare caseworker)\nLevel III – Works on varied tasks ranging from routine to complex. Applies full range of specialized skills and job knowledge; frequently adapts procedures, techniques, tools, materials, and/or resources to meet specialized needs; may serve as lead; performs broad and/or focused assignments under general supervision; relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish assigned tasks. (Minimum of 5 years of experience as a child welfare caseworker)\n\nESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES (all levels):\n\n Provide case management services in accordance with agency, state, and federal guidelines and laws. \n Investigate reports of alleged abuse/neglect maintaining time frames in accordance with Volume VII Timeliness of Assessments. \n Interview and observe victim(s) and other children that reside in the home using regulated protocol and investigative questioning techniques gathering enough information for Safety and Risk Assessment. Interview all family members, other residents and all relevant witnesses to gain as much information as possible on family situation including dynamics, resources and barriers. Based upon physical observation and results of interviews, determine level of risk and safety and course of action using Child Protection standards. Consult with Law Enforcement and Department Attorneys for additional insight and direction when necessary.\n Provide 24-hour a day on-call emergency services and crisis intervention.\n Provide resource mobilization, information and referrals to other agencies involved in child protection.\n Conduct investigations of alleged physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Includes cases involving adolescents, youth in conflict and adjudicated delinquents.\n Work collaboratively to establish and monitor treatment plans with families and service providers.\n Utilize solution focused practice to mitigate risk, enhance safety and expedite case resolution.\n Complete comprehensive reports and case documentation in a timely manner. \n Conduct home visits, attend community meetings, and participate in court hearings.\n Participate in the court process providing factual information regarding investigation and safety assessment and/or on-going/permanency recommendations and needs. Attends court hearings, confers with lawyers, children, parents, and significant others in reference to their respective roles. Testify in court to make recommendations regarding treatment of child and family including the need for out of home placement, emergency protective orders, progress of initial protective orders, treatment, adoption and the like as necessary.\n Work with, and advocate for, families in crisis situations and/or those impacted by trauma, substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, multi-generational poverty, child abuse, child neglect, sexual abuse, etc.\n\nGENERAL JOB DUTIES:\nLevel I\n\n Assess allegations, safety, risks to/of children/youth, risks and safety risks of referral cases to include receiving referrals, completing intake and assessment forms and assessing the safety of the home and/or need for out-of-home placement.\n Provide crisis intervention and on-going counseling as needed to assist families in decision making and problem resolution; act as advocate for clients.\n Accept referrals or cases involving moderate to severe allegations.\n Coordinate client services and safety with other County departments, professionals, and outside collateral agencies (i.e., law enforcement, medical personnel, school staff, and foster care services).\n Design a treatment plan to address risk and needs assessments, establish goals and objectives, and coordinate client services and referrals.\n Prepare and present case information and documentation to the courts, state review proceedings, and for communications with attorneys and/or other professionals.\n Refers clients to outside state and community resources.\n Monitor compliance or non-compliance; determine appropriate course of action.\n Appropriately handle emotionally charged people and situations, and deals with a variety of types of human suffering.\n Provide education for clients and the community on assigned topics.\n Participate in various committees and boards related to program activities and responsibilities.\n Develop and write a variety of documentation, complete necessary forms, and write correspondence relevant to each case.\n Perform data entry and on-going case updates in the system as assigned.\n Consistently comply with timelines for data system entry and report submission. For Intake Caseworkers this means at a minimum maintaining a 90% safety/risk timeliness and a 90% assessment closure timeliness. For Ongoing/Permanency an average of 90% client and parent contacts are made and reported timely each month as well as 90% of 90 days reviews completed on time. Court report deadlines will be adhered to 90% of the time. \n Interpret and apply rules and statutes governing the responsibilities of the position.\n Perform other similar and related duties as assigned.\n\nLevel II\n\n Perform all duties of a level I caseworker at an intermediate level with minimal supervision.\n Prepare and present case information and documentation to the courts, state review proceedings, and for communications with attorneys and/or other professionals with comprehensive and well written reports.\n Assess allegations and safety risks of referral cases to include receiving referrals, completing intake and assessment forms, and assessing the safety of the home and/or need for out-of-home placement.\n Design family specific treatment plans to address safety concerns, risk and needs assessments. Establish goals and objectives and coordinates client services and referrals.\n Court report deadlines will be adhered to 95% of the time. \n Work toward timely permanency in all ongoing cases and establish a firm concurrent plan within nine (9) months. \n Both Intake and Ongoing caseworkers will achieve 90% or higher on all ARD in-home, assessment, and out of home reviews. \n\nLevel III\n\n Perform all duties of a level I and level II caseworker at an advanced level under general supervision.\n Provide intake and/or ongoing, complex social casework to adults, children and/or families.\n Evaluate the needs of clients, develop case plans to address specific issues. Make referrals to other agencies, when appropriate. Monitor progress and intervene when progress is lacking. \n Train, mentor, coach and assist in the professional development of caseworkers and staff. \n Provide case consultation and technical assistance to caseworkers and staff as directed by supervisor or in lieu of supervisor if unavailable.\n Act as backup to the on-call caseworker as needed.\n Act as an experienced guide to caseworkers on the more complex or specialized caseloads\n Manage the cases with the most severe allegations and complicating factors competently: severely mentally ill, sexual abuse allegations, human trafficking, egregious, near fatal and child fatality cases.\n Conduct group supervision meetings with caseworkers.\n Develop new programs/processes/policies with supervisors and administrator.\n Serves as a liaison and/or member of various committees/teams and collaborates, presents reports to and negotiates/networks with others outside own work area to coordinate efforts and maintain cooperative and efficient relations; attends and makes presentations at community forums and task force meetings.\n Provides guidance to caseworkers involved in crossover youth cases and assists the caseworkers when the Department is the “lead agency.”\n Participates in management meetings with Results Oriented Management System (ROM) data to identify trends for the unit and implement procedures for best practice.\n Provide guidance and case decision support when a supervisor or administrator assigns a specific specialty area to the employee. These could include specific abuse/neglect categories, age populations, mental health disorders, substance use disorders, or another subject area in consultation with state agencies.\n\nRequirements:\nEducation:\nA bachelor's degree from a higher education institution with coursework related to the job responsibilities of child welfare social caseworker. Course work examples can include and are not limited to, the development of human behavior, child development, family intervention techniques, diagnostic measures, or therapeutic techniques; and, Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human service-related agency. 12 CCR 2509-7.603.1 C.2 Child Welfare Qualification and Certification Requirements [Eff. 9/1/22]\nMay be eligible for an educational waiver from the Colorado Department of Human Services if pursuing a bachelor’s degree. \n\nExperience:\nLevel I\n\n Two years of full-time professional social casework experience in a public or private social services agency is desired.\n\nLevel II\n\n Regular and routine completion of level I general job duties at an intermediate level.\n At least two (2) years of full-time child welfare social case work experience is required. \n Must have completed the New Caseworker Academy along with the 40 or more additional training hours required for recertification training by the State of Colorado and maintain certification as Child Welfare Caseworker in good standing.\n Familiarity and some experience in both initial and on-going casework is required.\n Regularly meet 95% timeliness for court reports.\n Actively work to achieve timely permanency and have a firm concurrent plan within 9 months of removal.\n Achieve 90% or higher on all ARD in-home, assessment and out of home reviews for items within the caseworker’s ability to control and/or impact.\n\nLevel III\n\n Regular and routine completion of level I and level II general job duties at advanced level.\n At least four (4) years of full-time child welfare social case work experience is required.\n Must hold and maintain a certification by the State of Colorado as a Child Welfare Caseworker.\n Must regularly provide comprehensive and well written reports to all stakeholders.\n Accurate timelines for data system entry and reports are consistently met at or above the standards required for a level II caseworker.\n Demonstrate caseworker leadership by mentoring and coaching at least two (2) coworker in a planned manner.\n Proven competency by managing at least five (5) difficult cases in at least two (2) different specialty areas with minimal supervisory assistance.\n\nCombination of education and experience may waive specific requirement.\n\nLicenses and Certifications:\n\n Must possess and retain an unrestricted State of Colorado Driver’s License.\n Levels II and III require a State of Colorado Child Welfare Caseworker Certification.\n\n \nGENERAL BENEFITS:\n\n Medical, dental, vision insurance\n Selective optional insurances available to the employee and eligible dependents on a cost share basis between employee and the organization\n Life insurance and employee only medical insurance is available at no cost to the employee \n Pre-tax flexible spending account (FSA)\n Employees contribute 4% of their salary to a 401(a) retirement account fully matched with 4% from the County \n Optional 457(b) tax advantaged deferred-compensation retirement plan\n Paid time off is accrued at 14 hours per month to start\n 11 paid holidays per calendar year\n Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that includes 6 counseling sessions along with some legal and financial support counseling\n Modified work schedules for positions and employees that qualify\n Additional employee discounts and fringe benefits are available\n\nPHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:\nPhysical Requirements: Independently mobile, type, use hands and fingers, handle or feel objects or tools, reach with hands and arms, talk, listen, hear, read, see, lift, climb in and out of a vehicle, drive a vehicle, climb stairs\n\nLifting: 40-pound requirement; must be able to lift small children\n\nExposure to Elements: Normal office environment, occasional severe weather (heat, cold, ice)\n\nHandling of Dangerous Equipment: None, but may be exposed to in homes\n\nRisk of Assault or Injury: Moderate with the possibility of animal bites, must frequently deal with angry and hostile clients who occasionally become both verbally and physically aggressive and/or threatening, possibility of bodily injury to worker and/or client families, expos