Abuse Intake Worker

State of Iowa; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, and Vision

Paid Time Off

IPERS retirement

Flexible Spending Accounts

Life insurance & long-term disability

Employee Assistance Program

Employee discounts

Job summary

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking an Abuse Intake Worker for the Centralized Service Intake Unit. The role involves handling protective referrals for children and adults, with training conducted both in Des Moines and virtually.

The position supports a 24/7 operation and may be domiciled at a nearby DHS office with potential for remote work. The ideal candidate will have strong communication, judgment, and documentation skills, with a preference for multilingual

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 3 years of social work experience or equivalent.
• Bachelor's degree in social work with 2 years of experience.
• Master's degree in social work accepted.
• Equivalent combination of graduate education and 12 months of experience.
• Current continuous state experience as Social Worker 2 qualifies.

Responsibilities

• Performs intake duties for protective referrals involving children and adults.
• Responds to allegations of protection needs in a timely manner.
• Uses hotline interviewing techniques to gather information.
• Determines if immediate protection is needed and routes info to the Intake Supervisor.
• Documents background checks for all household members and subjects.

Skills

Exceptional customer service

Excellent judgment

Strong written communication

Prioritization under pressure

Integrity and work ethic

Independent judgment

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work

Master's degree in social work

Equivalent graduate education with experience

Job description

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Division of Family Well-Being & Protection (FWB&P), Child Protective Services Operations Unit is seeking an Abuse Intake Worker to join our team!

The Centralized Service Intake Unit (CSIU) is a 24 hours per day, 7 days per week operation. This position will be “domiciled” for travel purposes at the nearest Iowa DHS Full Time Office; however it may work from home. Initial training may be Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, until ready to take on assigned duties. Training will consist of a combination of in-person training in Des Moines and virtual training.

The scheduled hours for this position will be Monday-Friday 9:30AM-6:00PM. All paid overtime must be pre-approved by leadership.

This vital frontline position requires the skill to be able to multi-task and the ability to gather as well as analyze information and concerns in a fast-paced environment with accuracy and efficiency. This is an essential social work position that is gateway to assist in the protection of the most vulnerable Iowans.

Core Essential Functions

Performs Intake duties for protective referrals concerning children and dependent adults made to the Department of Human Services (DHS); Responds to allegation of children or dependent adults in need of protection in a timely manner and ensures that critical information is accurate and complete about the subjects and the alleged incident; Engages the Reporter (caller) using hotline interviewing techniques including open and closed ended questions, reflective listening, refocusing, and suppressing, probing, affirming, and summarizing to gather necessary information; Determines if the alleged victim needs immediate protection and passes all appropriate information to the Intake Supervisor; The Intake worker enters information onto the appropriate form; Identifies the nature of the report and determines which general category of alleged abuse (physical, sexual or neglect); Documents all safety concerns for the referred victim(s) and others in the home or entering the home and effectively communicate the information within applicable time frames to the Intake Supervisor; Communicates with Reporter(s) of abuse within 24 hours if the intake will be accepted or rejected for assessment; discusses next steps and/or alternatives that may assist the children/family; and Completes and documents background checks for all household members and subjects.

The Ideal Candidate Will

Demonstrate exceptional customer services skills and the ability to establish relationships; Demonstrate excellent judgment and communication skills; Demonstrate good written documentation in a timely manner; Demonstrate the ability to prioritize and work under pressure; Demonstrate integrity and a strong work ethic; and Demonstrate independent judgement to make sound decisions.

To ensure the Service Area is providing the best service to the residents of Iowa, applicants should demonstrate exceptional customer service skills, integrity, and a strong work ethic.

Preference will be given to the ability to speak more than one language. Please list any additional languages you speak in your application.

Prefernce will be given for education or experience which correlates directly with the requirements and duties of the position.

Benefits

• Health, Dental, and Vision Coverage: Health and dental insurance packages to keep you and your family healthy at a low cost with outstanding coverage!
• Paid Time Off: Take time to recharge with paid time off, including vacation (96 hours/year to begin, increasing with years of service), sick leave (144 hours/year), and paid holidays (9 days/year).
• Retirement Plans: Participate in retirement plans such as IPERS (employees contribute 6.29% and the State of Iowa contributes 9.44%) as well as our Retirement Investors Club (RIC), Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan (the State of Iowa matches dollar for dollar up to $75/month).
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Take advantage of flexible spending accounts for medical and dependent care expenses.
• Insurance Coverage: Benefit from life insurance and free long-term disability insurance for added peace of mind.
• Employee Assistance Program: Access resources and support through our Employee Assistance Program for personal and professional challenges.
• Employee Discount Programs: Enjoy discounts on a variety of goods and services through our employee discount programs.

For additional information on benefits.

Background Checks

Applicants will be required to complete a background check to be considered for this position.

The State of Iowa is an EEO/AA Employer

HHS values those with “lived experience” and encourages adults who were fostered as youth, foster parents, and/or parents who were in the DHS system to apply. Minorities, women, persons with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply (Hearing and Speech Impaired – Relay Iowa 1-800-735-2942 TDD).

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

All work performed on behalf of Iowa Health and Human Services must occur in the State of Iowa.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree and the equivalent of three years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency;
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in social work and the equivalent of two years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency;
• A Master's degree in social work from an accredited college or university;
• An equivalent combination of graduate education in the social or behavioral sciences from an accredited college or university and qualifying experience up to a maximum of thirty semester hours for one year of the required experience;
• Employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes the equivalent of one year of full-time experience as a Social Worker 2 shall be considered as qualified.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description. For designated positions in case management, the appointing authority may request those applicants possessing a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major or at least 30 semester hours or its equivalent in the behavioral sciences, education, health care, human services administration, or social sciences and the equivalent of 12 months of full-time experience in the delivery of human services in the combination of: chronic mental illness, developmental disabilities, and intellectual disabilities as a Targeted (Medicaid) Case Manager; or an Iowa license to practice as a registered nurse and the equivalent of three years of full-time nursing or human services experience with the above population groups.

Applicants wishing to be considered for such designated positions must list applicable course work, experience, certificate, license, or endorsement on the application.