Social Caseworker III - Assessment & Permanency

Salary : $61,805.39 - $71,076.19 Annually
Location : Pete Mirelez Human Services Center, 11860 Pecos Street, Westminster, CO
Job Type: Regular Full-time
Job Number: 07525
Department: Human Services
Division: Children Adult & Family Services
Opening Date: 06/08/2026
Closing Date: 6/15/2026 4:30 PM Mountain
Our Mission: To responsibly serve the Adams County community with integrity and innovation.
EEO: Adams County is an equal opportunity employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status or any other legally protected characteristic.
Position classification: Hybrid -- Job duties and expectations allow for onsite and remote work scheduled every week. Employees in this classification are regularly scheduled onsite one (1) to four (4) days per week based on the County needs and as determined by Department Director. Hybrid classified roles can be onsite more than the set minimum based on employee preference.


What Success Looks Like In This Job

Position Classification
At Adams County, we value workplace flexibility. This role offers both hybrid-remote working arrangements as well as flexible scheduling options after initial training period of 90 days.


Hybrid -- Job duties and expectations allow for onsite and remote work scheduled every week. Employees in this classification are regularly scheduled onsite one (1) to four (4) days per week based on the County needs and as determined by Department Director. Hybrid classified roles can be onsite more than the set minimum based on employee preference.
Adams County Children and Family Services Guiding Principles

1. We believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect, valuing their input, and striving to do no harm.
2. Honoring all people's unique expertise and perspectives includes collaboration, shared decision making, and providing a safe environment.
3. The best interest of children, families, and our community will always inform our approach, perspectives, and decisions.
4. Children and youth belong in families and have a right to sibling, family, and community connections.
5. Families have the inherent capacity to safely care for their children.
6. We hold ourselves and our system accountable to each other, our families, and our community.

Hiring Range = $64,277.61 - $72,930.36/Full Range = $61,805.390-89617.820
Social caseworkers may encounter reports or evidence of situations such as domestic violence, negligence, physical abuse, and sexual abuse through the course of their work. They may also work with a variety of age groups, including infants, toddlers, elementary-aged children, pre-adolescents, adolescents, and young adults. Assessments and cases can involve individuals anywhere from birth through age 21.

Our social caseworkers manage a varied workload, and their caseload may at times include a higher or lower number of cases in specific discipline areas based on the needs of our community.
Examples of Duties for Success

This position can do a combination of both Assessment and Permanency duties depending on the need of the agency.

Assessment:

• Responds to allegations of reports of abuse and neglect of children/youth.
• Assesses reports of abuse and neglect of children. Interviews and observes victims, offenders, witnesses, caregivers, and collateral agencies to ensure the safety of the child and determine the validity of the allegations. Recognizes and identifies risk factors and dynamics of child abuse, child neglect, and family functioning (includes specialized caseload).
• Provides crisis intervention while evaluating and assessing a family's needs. Complete assessments within 60 days and determine whether long term support and services are necessary in order to achieve child/youth safety and well-being.
• Prepares court reports, attends court hearings, testifies in court hearings and proceedings, consults with attorneys, judges, and guardians-ad-litem.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as required.

Permanency:

• Provides case-specific documentation including development of family service plans, court documentation, TRAILS entries of ROC notes and other documentation, assessment completion, placement paperwork, service referrals, family time assessments, and other related tasks. Reviews reports from service providers to ensure effectiveness of services.
• Provides face-to-face contact with clients as required by regulatory standards and agency policy (may sometimes include in-state and/or out-of-state travel).
• Engage family/youth in finding permanent connections and participates in Family Engagement Meetings and Permanency Roundtables.
• Prepares court reports, attends court hearings, testifies in court hearings and proceedings, consults with attorneys regarding legal aspects of cases.
• Supervises parenting time for children and families on caseload. May also facilitate goodbye sessions between parents and children when termination of parental rights is necessary.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as required.

Qualifications for Success

• Child welfare knowledge including healthy child development, understanding of the dynamics and effects of abuse and neglect and interface of culture and family systems, as well as experience working with children and youth ages 0-18.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and a strength-based trauma informed approach with families involved in the child welfare system.
• Assessing safety of a child/youth and making decisions based on information available and the ability to utilize critical thinking skills to work difficult or complicated cases.
• Ability to build, maintain, collaborate, and foster positive and harmonious working professional relationships with varied backgrounds and disciplines.
• Ability to prioritize, manage time effectively, show initiative, and ability to organize oneself.
• Ability to effectively partner with others to solve problems and concerns, including conflict resolution with upset clients and manage crises in a calm manner.
• Ability to type, utilize computers, and computer programs required to ensure effective entry of information into statewide client information system (TRAILS), as well as to complete referrals through agency platforms and other computer-based systems.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, ability to effectively review documents and synthesize into accurate, professionally written documents.
• Ability and willingness to accommodate clients' schedules by meeting outside of normal business hours at times.
• Ability to engage in scheduled supervision, team meetings, section meetings, and division meetings.
• Ability to meet all required state and agency trainings requirements on an annual (or as required) basis.
• Participates in red teams, group supervision and staffing's.
• Ability to demonstrate professionalism during court proceedings.
• Ability to meet state and federal mandates and time frames.

More Qualifications for Success

Experience: Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services-related agency.


Education and Training:

• Bachelor's Degree in one of the human behavioral science fields.
• An educational waiver is available for those individuals who do not meet the education requirements to be a social caseworker and are currently enrolled in a bachelor's program from a higher education institute. A bachelor's degree must be obtained within one (1) year from hire date with related coursework to job duties as outlined in 7.603.1 (click here for more info). If a degree is not obtained within one (1) year from hire date, employment with the agency may be impacted including, and up to termination. Employee will be responsible for updating the hiring manager every six (6) months of their education progress.
• Proof of education, (degree or transcripts), and license (if candidate has received one) are required.

License or Certificate:

• Colorado Child Welfare Caseworker certification required and must be completed within three (3) months of employment, through the Colorado Training Academy (State Child Welfare). Certification through another State will require proof of completion and may substitute for all or part of the training required by Colorado.
• Possession of a valid driver's License and proof of automotive insurance.

Background Check:

• Must pass a criminal background check.
• INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY: Employees who are currently in a case manager/case-carrying position in Children and Family Services (CFS) may have a 120-day delayed transfer/promotion period prior to moving into any new position in Human Services.

Other:

• Bilingual applicants are preferred and may receive a Language Pay incentive based on usage.
• Ability to work in a standard office environment.
• Ability to utilize personal vehicle or other mode of transportation to make visits to client homes, travel to court, and other public facilities in all types of weather.
• Ability to carry large case files.
• Ability to conduct home visits in unknown and uncontrolled settings which may include animals, feces, airborne contaminants, gang members, weapons, and other environmental hazards.

Ability to obtain, maintain, and ensure continued access to State and County systems in strict compliance with all applicable county and state regulations, policies, and user agreements.


Adams County and the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office complies with Colorado's Job Application Fairness Act ("JAFA"). JAFA prohibits employers from asking individuals to disclose their age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation on an initial employment application. However, additional application materials such as certifications and transcripts containing this information may be required for certain positions; if such additional materials are requested, applicants may redact information that identifies the applicant's age, date of birth, or dates or attendance or graduation.
Adams County provides a comprehensive benefits package to employees that goes above and beyond what is offered at most organizations.

Benefits You Expect:

• AFLAC Supplemental Medical Insurance
• Basic Term Life & Optional Term Life Insurance
• Deferred Compensation Plan
• Dental/Vision/Medical Plans
• Generous Vacation/Sick leave
• Long-Term Disability
• Retirement Plan
• Short-Term Disability

Plus some you might not expect:

• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Fitness Center
• Employee Health Clinics
• Flexible Work Schedules
• Recreation Center Discounts
• Training & Tuition Reimbursement Programs
• Wellness programs
• Lactation friendly certified workplace

01


Please be aware that your cover letter and resume will not be accessed in the initial screening process, so you must complete your application and supplemental questions with as much detail as possible. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your cover letter and resume will then be accessible to the hiring team. Information provided on the application is used to determine if a candidate meets minimum qualifications. Only information provided at the time of the application being completed will be considered and additional information that is not listed on the application will not be considered when deciding if a candidate meets or does not meet the qualifications. Applicants are STRONGLY encouraged to include all information and details on their application. I understand and agree that only information provided at the time of my application will be used to determine if I meet the minimum requirements for this position.

• Yes, I understand and agree
• Yes, I understand but disagree.

02


Please select how you meet the minimum qualifications:

• Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency AND at least a bachelor's degree from a higher education institution with course work 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.
• Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency AND I am requesting consideration for this position through the educational waiver process. I am currently enrolled in a bachelor's program from a higher education institute and agree that I will obtain my bachelor's degree within one (1) year from hire date with related coursework to job duties as outlined in 7.603.1. If a degree is not obtained within one (1) year from hire date, my employment with the agency may be impacted including up to termination. I will be responsible for updating the hiring manager every six (6) months of my education progress.
• None of the above.

03


Are you currently certified or able to complete Colorado Child Welfare Caseworker certification within three (3) months of employment through the Colorado Training Academy (State Child Welfare)?

• Yes
• No

04


Do you possess a valid Driver's License and proof of automotive insurance?NOTE: Out of state applicants please be advised a current Colorado driver's license must be obtained within thirty (30) calendar days of hire, and must be obtained before driving any vehicle for County business.

• Yes
• No

05


Essential duties require the following physical abilities and work environment:Ability to work in a standard office environment. Job requires an estimate of 50% community work and 50% paperwork.Ability to utilize personal vehicle or other modes of transportation to make visits to clients' homes, travel to court, and other public facilities in all types of weather, and at night as needed, throughout the State of Colorado.Ability to lift and carry (1-50 lbs.) infants and small children in the care and custody of the County.Ability to install car seats and transport children.Ability to utilize the full scope of visual capacity to perform job tasksAbility to conduct home visits in unknown and uncontrolled settings, which may include stairs, rough ground terrain, vicious animals, feces, airborne contaminants (illegal substances), gang members, weapons, and other environmental hazards (bed bugs/lice).Are you able to meet these physical and environmental demands as described?

• Yes
• No

06


Child welfare involves working with families from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Share an example of how you identified and addressed your own biases or those of others to ensure equitable treatment and effective support for a family.
07


In child welfare, building trust and rapport with families, colleagues, and stakeholders is essential. What principles guide your interactions, and how do you ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect, even in difficult or high-conflict situations?
08


Describe a time when you implemented or adapted to a significant change in a program, policy, or procedure. How did you ensure a smooth transition while maintaining the quality of your work and supporting those impacted by the change?
09


Give an example of how you've stayed up to date with changes in laws, policies, or cultural practices relevant to your field. How do you ensure your work reflects current standards or expectations?
Required Question