Central Intake Specialist

State of Montana; Montana; On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Retirement plans

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Holidays

Work/life balance

PSLF program eligibility

Job summary

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has a career opportunity within the Child and Family Services Division. Central Intake (CI) operates a 24/7 hotline to assess allegations of child abuse and neglect and route cases to local offices to ensure safety.

Training requires in-person sessions in Helena. Responsibilities include gathering caller information, prioritizing responses, verifying data from multiple sources, and coordinating with field staff to uphold child

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or related human services field.
• One year of human services experience working with children and families.
• Six-month internship with Child Protective Services can substitute for the one-year requirement.
• Knowledge of social work practices and principles.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, plus customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Problem solving and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to handle sensitive and stressful situations.

Responsibilities

• Gathers information from callers to determine whether statutory criteria for investigation are present.
• Assigns priority response time and routes to applicable reports to local offices.
• Checks and verifies information from multiple data sources to determine additional requirements.
• Identify escalated safety factors and coordinate with field staff to ensure child safety.

Skills

Social work principles

Verbal communication

Written communication

Customer service

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving

Decision making

Handling stress

Education

Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or related human services field

Six-month internship with Child Protective Services (in lieu of 1 year experience)

Job description

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has a career opportunity within the Child and Family Services Division.

Central Intake (CI) is a child abuse and neglect hotline staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure that allegations of child abuse and neglect received are accurately assessed to ensure the safety of children. The hotline serves as the central reporting for all allegations of child abuse or neglect in Montana. Responsibilities of this position include, but not limited to: gathers information from callers to determine whether statutory criteria for investigation are present, assigns priority response time and routes to applicable reports directly to local offices to ensure identified safety threats are responded to in a timely manner to ensure child safety, and checks and verifies information from multiple data sources to determine additional requirements, including escalated safety factors of the alleged victim and field staff.

Why Join DPHHS

Our mission at DPHHS is serving Montanans in their communities to improve health, safety, well-being, and empower independence. By joining our department, you will have the opportunity to perform meaningful work in public service to our state and its residents.

• Healthcare coverage
• Retirement plans
• Paid vacation
• Sick leave
• Holidays
• Work/life balance
• Eligibility to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program

In addition, DPHHS is the largest state agency with a wide range of advancement opportunities whether you are joining the workforce or have several years of experience.

Qualifications for this Career Opportunity

• Knowledge of social work practices and principles.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to handle sensitive and stressful situations.
• Meet minimum qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or related human services field.
• One year of human services experience working with children and families.
• Other combinations of directly related education and experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis; however, a bachelor’s degree is required.
• A six-month completed internship with Child Protective Services will be accepted in lieu of the one year required experience.

Successful applicants will be subject to background checks relevant to the position and must pass reference checks before an offer will be extended. DPHHS is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For a copy of the full job description or if you need a reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process, contact DPHHS Human Resources listed below.

Additional Information

This position is open until filled with frequent screening of applicants.

This position requires in person training for the first month of employment in the Helena office.

The hotline requires continuous 24/7 staffing. Employees are assigned to a day, evening, or overnight shift. Assignment to a day shift is not assured.