Primary Responsibility: The Caseworker II position provides intake and/or ongoing social casework services for a variety of program areas including child abuse and neglect cases, youth-in-conflict cases, and adults unable to protect their own interests.
Supervised by: Child & Adult Protection Program Manager
Supervises: N/A
Salary Range: NE10 - $26.74 – $34.72
Hiring Range: $26.74 – $30.72 per hour DOQ
FSLA Status: Non-Exempt
Main Job Duties:
- Conducts assessments of alleged physical abuse, neglect and parent-conflicts; determines if situation warrants placing children outside the home; supervises placement of children in foster care and coordinates parent child visits; and determines when and if to recommend that children return to the home.
- Develops effective case plans and provides counseling services to families regarding parenting skills, family dynamics, parent-child relationships and conflict with the community. Assesses any new child abuse complaints and provides crisis intervention in these situations.
- Provides intake assessment and evaluation, ongoing counseling services, and case planning to a variety of other cases including adults unable to protect their own interests, family conflicts and youth-in-conflict cases.
- Answer hotline calls for child welfare and adult protection. Receive incoming calls of a possible crisis nature. Gather all information needed utilizing screening questions and document in the state-wide data bases.
- Determines the need for recommending placement of clients into foster care. Locates placement appropriate to client's needs. Monitors client's progress in placement.
- Makes home visits with clients, organizes services such as cleaning, day care, financial assistance, health (physical and mental), legal and provides information on available services.
- Testifies in court on a variety of cases; makes recommendations to the courts on abuse and neglect cases, placement of children, and guardianship of adults.
- Develops and writes reports for appropriate documentation of case plans, recommendations, contacts, assessments, etc. Develops case file information, completes forms and writes correspondence.
Additional Job Duties:
- Performs other appropriate duties as assigned by the Human Services Director and any duties needed to stabilize an emergency situation.
- Cross-trains employees as needed.
Hours:
- Must be available for on-call coverage; including nights and weekends.
Qualifications:
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree. Preference for Bachelor’s Degree in a Human Services Field; or current Volume 7 requirements.
- Must successfully complete the requirements of the Colorado Child Welfare Training Academy as a condition of their continued employment with the County. Must complete annual training to maintain child welfare and adult protection certifications.
Working knowledge of:
- Established theories, principles, and concepts of social casework practice related to the assigned program areas.
- Laws dealing with child abuse, neglect and other dependency conditions.
- Community resources, agency rules, regulations and procedures related to child and adult protection.
- Microsoft and Google Suites
Ability to:
- Learn regulations, laws, and procedures and develops knowledge of casework techniques and methodologies.
- Ability to adapt to and apply changing federal and state rules and regulations.
- Maintain effective working relationships with legal, medical, psychiatric professional, members of the judicial system, clients; community organizations and resources; foster parents and other members for the purpose of developing effective treatment plans for clients and to help clients solve problems and to educate the community about protections of clients and services available.
- Recognize, investigate and analyze a variety of complex problems and to make effective recommendations for solutions.
- Build a positive rapport with clients of all capacities, needs and backgrounds.
- Willingness to work as a generalist caseworker in a small county which includes all child welfare and adult program areas and functions.
- Considerable travel is required in order to make home visits, visit foster parents and clients in placement.
- Must be able to work with clients who may be angry, verbally abusive and hostile.
- Must have a valid Colorado Driver's License without any restriction due to driving record. Must also be able to drive a county vehicle.
- Must pass background check, including traffic and criminal.
Mental/Physical Requirements:
- Some work is performed in a standard office environment. Work also involves a considerable period of time away from a standard office environment, much of which consists of driving to and from home visits, collateral contacts and transporting clients; including children, families and adults.
- Work may occur in situations in which incumbent is threatened with physical harm by hostile, angry clients.
- Physical demands are described as mainly sedentary. Occasionally required to lift and carry infants and small children in the care and custody of the county, as well as the ability to carry large case files.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk or hear, walk and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, stand, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch.
- Lift and carry and install car seats correctly.
- Lift up to 50 pounds; in excess of 50 pounds with assistance.
- May come into contact with human fluids and waste (i.e. blood, sputum, urine).
- Extensive travel by automobile may be necessary.
- Work/drive in inclement weather.
- Work around dust, dirt, and odors.
Experience:
- One year of full-time professional social casework experience, preferably in a County Department of Human Services.
