Forensic Interviewer-Bilingual

City of Arvada; United States; On-site; USD 68,000 - 93,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Arvada is seeking a bilingual Forensic Interviewer to join Ralston House. You will conduct trauma-informed interviews with child victims, coordinate with investigators and social services, and help ensure compassionate, coordinated care for families affected by abuse.

Candidates must be bilingual (English/Spanish), possess a related degree, and have relevant experience in child advocacy or human services; CJIS certification is required and a thorough background check will be

Qualifications

• Requires bilingual English and Spanish with the ability to conduct sensitive interviews with child victims.
• Experience in forensic interviewing and child advocacy or human services.
• Must obtain CJIS Certification; background check is extensive.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate interview schedules with child victims, families, and investigators.
• Conduct trauma-informed forensic interviews and maintain interview rooms.
• Operate and manage interview recording equipment and data documentation.
• Testify as needed and respond to subpoenas; maintain case statistics.
• Support MDT meetings and community outreach related to child advocacy.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Forensic interviewing

Child advocacy experience

Trauma-informed interviewing

Documentation and reporting

Education

Bachelor's Degree (BA/BS/BBA)

Master's Degree in psychology or related field

Job description

Internal Candidates must apply through Jobs Hub in Workday. All positions close Friday morning at 12:01am. The City of Arvada promotes Equal Pay for Equal Work. Starting salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity. The range listed reflects the entire range and typical placement is entry to mid range. Pay Range: $67,897.70-$92,839.69 Annual Ralston House is seeking a Bilingual Forensic Interviewer to join our dedicated team committed to providing hope, healing, and justice for children and families impacted by abuse. In this role, you'll conduct trauma-informed forensic interviews, collaborate with multidisciplinary partners, and help ensure children receive compassionate, coordinated care. We're looking for someone who is bilingual in English and Spanish, experienced in child advocacy or human services, and passionate about making a difference.

Essential Job Functions

• Coordinates interview schedules with the child victim and family, investigating officer, and social services agencies.
• Obtains necessary information from relatives/caregivers of the child prior to the interview.
• Operates interview recording equipment, and copies recorded interviews, as needed.
• Ensures interview rooms and observation rooms are maintained in an appropriate manner.
• Conducts interviews of children where an allegation of sexual abuse, serious physical abuse, related allegation is made or where a child has witnessed a crime, using forensic interviewing techniques using accepted forensic interviewing practices.
• Facilitates pre / post interview multidisciplinary team meeting.
• Ensures the psychosocial well-being of the child during the interview.
• Responds to subpoenas and testify when requested.
• Assists in maintaining client and Ralston House statistics.
• Participates in professional development and ongoing training that further the mission of Ralston House.
• Assists with fundraising activities.
• Contributes to the development of Ralston House; recognizes, initiates, and leads improvement activities including assisting with the accreditation process and maintaining accreditation standards.
• Designs and creates forms, flyers, and brochures as needed.
• Contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of Ralston House.
• Recognizes initiates and leads improvement activities for Ralston House.
• Engages in collaborative meetings/discussions between relevant community agencies.
• Presents training on child abuse, trauma, and/or forensic interviewing topics to community members and professionals.
• Maintains healthy relationships between all agencies that utilize or receive referrals from Ralston House, including mental health therapists on the Ralston House referral list.
• Attends meetings in community as assigned by executive director or supervisor.
• Serves as liaison with public and outside agencies for Ralston House including making presentations to the public.
• Facilitates or participates in Ralston House lead meetings i.e. MDT Case Review, Therapist Round Table, etc.
• Assists in fundraisers to support Ralston House.
• Travels to and attends team and organizational meetings, training, events and activities and appropriately and professionally represents the department.

Other Job Functions

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• In-depth knowledge of Forensic Interviewing protocols.
• Knowledge of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, and their impact on children.
• Knowledge of child development stages, and a demonstrated ability to utilize this knowledge to communicate with children.
• Experience in communicating with a wide range of children from different cultural backgrounds.
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system, police departments, child protection services, and the courts.
• Ability to read, write and speak English and Spanish proficiently.
• Basic knowledge of databases.
• Experience in exercising discretion and maintaining a high level of confidentiality, tact, integrity, and ethics in dealing with sensitive matters.
• Experience in effectively researching, writing, editing, and preparing documents and reports.
• Clinical experience working with children and adults.
• Clinical interviewing and assessment skills.
• Strong organizational and customer service skills.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to balance responsibilities and quality of service.
• Ability to effectively communicate information, both verbally and in writing, to support organizational objectives and interact with all levels of personnel within the city in a positive and cooperative manner.

License & Certification

• Must successfully complete all annual and as-needed in-service training and certification requirements.

Education

• Degree Bachelors Degree (BA, BS, BBA)
• Education Required An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Work Experience

• Related Five (5) years’ experience in law enforcement or human services related field.
• Or, master’s degree in psychology, counseling, or related field and two (2) years’ experience in law enforcement or human services.

Other Qualifications

• Position is subject to an extensive background check, which may include fingerprinting, a polygraph examination, verification of employment and education, a review of criminal and driving records, reference checks, and other relevant factors as required.
• Must obtain and maintain a Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Certification.

Physical Demands

• Minimal physical effort typically found in clerical work.
• Primarily sedentary, may occasionally lift and carry light objects.
• Walking and/or standing as needed and minimal.
• Hazards Minimal exposure to hazards are typically found in general office environment where there is rarely to no exposure to injury or accident.
• Work Environment Exposure to routine office noise and equipment.

Vision

We Dream Big and Deliver

Mission

We are dedicated to delivering superior services to enhance the lives of everyone in our community.

Values

Innovation: We excel in creativity, flexibility and the use of best practices while valuing diverse backgrounds, ideas and perspectives. Passion: We are a high performing, inclusive team inspiring each other to pursue excellence. Opportunity: We value our diversity, embrace possibilities, face challenges, persevere and take action to deliver quality results.

The City’s Core values are in every employee’s individual Performance Plan which helps us to reinforce our expectations for living and working by our Core Values. Every City employee is expected to perform his/her job to the highest professional standards. This includes upholding the City’s values with integrity and accountability, acting in a manner that is respectful and inclusive towards others, and adhering to the City’s policy on employee conduct as detailed in the personnel rules sec. 70-143.

The City is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

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We have consistently received Top Workplace awards since 2012. Most recently, we received USA Today's Top Workplaces Award.