Foster Support Lead Social Case Worker

City and County of Denver; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 69,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

457B retirement plan

PTO + holidays + wellness day + vol.

Job summary

Denver Human Services seeks a dedicated Lead Social Case Worker to serve on the Placement Services team, certifying foster homes and providing ongoing Foster Care Support. You will mentor staff, lead high-level cases, and support unit goals while performing intensive case work services including counseling, placement, and evaluation.

The role requires a valid driver's license and CDHS social case worker certification, with a hybrid work arrangement and a salary range aligned to the city’s target

Qualifications

• Education requirement: CDHS Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations.
• Experience: 3 years post-graduation professional social case work at the level of Social Case Worker.
• License/Certification: valid Driver’s License and current social case worker certification per CDHS.
• No substitution of experience for education; appropriate substitutions allowed.

Responsibilities

• Assess high-risk level assessments and ongoing cases.
• Coach, train, and mentor staff at various levels of experience.
• Demonstrate critical decision-making with staff and the unit.
• Assist Supervisors and cover supervisory roles when needed.
• Lead by example in social case work, including intake and youth cases.
• Attend voices meetings and court hearings with Social Case Workers when needed.

Skills

Driver's license

Communication with difficult personas

Coaching & mentoring

Positive, proactive attitude

Education

Regulations compliance (CDHS Vol 7/Vol 30)

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 $71,000.00 - $80,000.00/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 and 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

Denver Human Services is seeking a dedicated and experienced Lead Social Case Worker to serve on the Placement Services team. Placement Services certifies foster homes and provides ongoing Foster Care Support. In this role, you will assist the Placement Services Supervisor, mentor staff, and lead the team by taking on high-level and complex cases.

As a Lead Social Case Worker, you will perform permanently assigned lead work over professional social case workers, assist with Social Case Worker Supervisor establish unit goals, plans, and specific unit functions. You will also provide intensive social case work services including case management, counseling, referral, placement, and assessment/evaluation.

Responsibilities

The Lead Social Case Worker will:

• Assess high-risk level assessments and ongoing cases
• Coach, train, and mentor staff at various levels of experience
• Demonstrate critical decision-making skills with their staff and section
• Assist Social Case Worker Supervisors and perform supervisory roles in their absence
• Demonstrate competencies and critical decision-making skills when working with intake assessments, ongoing cases, and youth cases
• Lead by example and set a precedent for Social Case Workers
• Attend voices meetings and court hearings with Social Case Workers when needed

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.

Our ideal candidate has:

• Knowledge and experience working with foster/kinship providers
• The ability to engage and communicate with difficult personalities
• The capability to coach, train, and mentor others
• A positive, professional, and proactive attitude

Minimum Qualifications

• Education Requirement: Requirements as set forth in Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations.
• Experience Requirement: Requirements as set forth in Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations; Three (3) years of post-graduation professional social case work experience at the type and level of Social Case Worker.Education and Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements.
• License/Certification Requirement: By position, requires a valid Driver’s License at the time of application.
• Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.
• Requires certification as a social case worker in Child Welfare or Adult Protective Services in accordance with CDHS regulations.

NOTE: Denver Human Services works to ensure that all employees are paid equitably. Please ensure your resume is complete and accurate and that it includes all of your relevant work experience and education including job titles, description of assigned duties and all dates of employment periods that you would want to be considered when determining an offer amount.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CS2694 Social Case Worker Lead

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$68,773.00 - $113,476.00

Target Pay

$71,000.00 - $80,000.00/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.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, 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.

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.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.