Child Welfare Social Case Worker

City and County of Denver; United States; Hybrid; USD 62,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life-long pension

457B Retirement Plan

PTO 140 hours + 13 holidays

Personal holiday

Wellness Day

Volunteer day

Medical/dental/vision plans

Job summary

City and County of Denver is seeking committed Social Case Workers for Denver Human Services to support Child Welfare Services. The role covers Intake and Permanency work in a hybrid environment—home, field, and office as required.

Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in a related field and professional or internship experience in human services. The department offers generous benefits and a targeted salary range of $62,000.00 to $66,000.00 per year.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a field related to child welfare or human services.
• Experience in human services or related internship/volunteer work preferred.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-discipline setting.

Responsibilities

• Performs case management for complex problems, develops service plans.
• Evaluates needs, reviews records, and discusses cases with a supervisor.
• Implements treatment plans and coordinates referrals to services.
• Represents the department per regulations and prepares documentation.
• Testifies in court and provides comprehensive reports when needed.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Self-starter

Critical thinking

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Professional attitude

Human Services experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Job description

About Our Job Who We Are With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills, and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver. At Denver Human Services (DHS), we envision a healthy community where people are connected, supported, safe, and well. One in three people in Denver turn to DHS for support at all stages of life. Our employees help children, at-risk adults, families, and individuals navigate social and economic pressures by connecting them to services and experts who support their overall well-being.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The targeted salary range for this position is $62,000.00 - $66,000.00/year, based on education and experience. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which includes but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 13 paid holidays
• 1 personal holiday
• 1 Wellness Day
• 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

What You’ll Do

At Denver Human Services (DHS), we envision a healthy community where people are connected, supported, safe, and well. One in three people in Denver turn to DHS for support at all stages of life. Our employees help children, at-risk adults, families, and individuals navigate social and economic pressures by connecting them to services and experts who support their overall well-being. Denver Human Services is seeking committed, passionate Social Case Workers to serve our Child Welfare Services clients. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of either intake or permanency child protection work and will be open to performing duties in both disciplines. These positions include roles of Intake and Permanency Social Case Work. These roles may include working in a hybrid environment- work from home, in the field, and at the office as required.

Intake

The Intake section primarily is responsible for investigating new allegations of abuse/neglect of children ages 0-18 in a fast-paced and demanding environment. You will also be expected to contact families and conduct interviews on behalf of the child, as well as maintain professional contacts with community leaders and regularly communicate with law enforcement representatives. This role is an opportunity to impact a variety of populations throughout the Denver Metro Area.

Permanency Child Protection/Youth Services

The Permanency Child Welfare is grouped in two sections. Permanency Child Protection is specific for children 11 and under. Permanency Youth Services is for people 12-21. It is important that the Social Case Worker has a clear understanding of child/youth development, the impact of child abuse and neglect on both children/youth and their families, and how to support transition-age youth in securing permanency. You should also understand delinquency court processes and appropriate services to maintain youth safely in their family setting.

Responsibilities

• Performs case management activities involving complex problems/cases, assesses individual and family needs, develops appropriate service and/or treatment plan, and provides counseling, referral, and placement services
• Evaluates client's needs, interest, motivation, and pattern of responsibility, reviews case records for client and family profiles, socio-economic history, previous treatment and services experience, and/or special problems and needs, and reviews and discusses case, problems, prognosis, behavior patterns, and needed services with a supervisor or other senior level staff
• Develops and implements established, maintains, and supports treatment plan that provides a variety of social services and referrals to meet social, behavioral, medical, and/or psychological needs, recommends and refers clients to appropriate support agencies and programs, and provides continuous counseling and crisis intervention to achieve objectives
• Represents the department in accordance with Volume 7 and city rules and regulations
• Prepares case records, reports, and documents and compiles with state and federal standards in providing case notes, treatment plans, and evaluations
• Testifies in court as needed by providing expert testimony and preparing comprehensive reports that allow the court to make finding and recommendations that affect court-ordered treatment plans
• Performs other related duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

• Strong self-starter and organizational skills
• Superior critical thinking and time management skills
• Solid interpersonal and communication skills
• The ability to represent the organization in several different settings
• A positive, professional, and proactive attitude
• Human Services experience preferred

Minimum Qualifications

Education requirement: Requirements as set forth in Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations. A bachelor’s degree from a higher education institution with at least fifteen (15) college level credit hours 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, counseling, psychology, or therapeutic techniques

Experience Requirement: Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency, as required by Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations.

Education/Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements. Licensure: Requires a valid Driver’s License at the time of application. Requires post-hire completion of certification requirements to be a social case worker in Child Welfare or Adult Protective Services in accordance with CDHS regulations. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Required Application Documents

Please attach your official or unofficial transcripts of your completed undergraduate and/or graduate degree and list of 3-5 professional references to your application in the required attachment section.

Application Deadline

Applications for this position are accepted on a rolling basis. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure consideration.

About Everything Else

Job Profile CS2686 Social Case Worker to view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here. Position Type Unlimited Position Salary Range $60,064.00 - $99,105.00 Target Pay $62,000.00 - $66,000.00/year, based on education and experience Agency Denver Human Services

Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies

City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [e-mail] with three business days’ notice.