Social Caseworker III

Adams County; Westminster (CO); Hybrid; USD 64,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

Adams County Children Services seeks a Social Caseworker to assess safety and coordinate services for children and families. You will work with diverse stakeholders, prepare court reports, and participate in permanency planning, employing trauma-informed approaches and strong communication.

The role offers hybrid work with onsite and remote days after training, and requires a Bachelor’s in a behavioral science field plus Colorado child welfare certification (or pursuit within 3 months).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human behavioral sciences or related field.
• Colorado Child Welfare Caseworker certification required within 3 months.
• Empathy and trauma-informed approach when working with families.
• Ability to assess safety and communicate clearly with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience in human services settings preferred.

Responsibilities

• Respond to child welfare reports and assess safety and risk factors.
• Develop family service plans and coordinate court-related documents.
• Engage families to find permanent, safe solutions and facilitate meetings.
• Maintain documentation and liaise with attorneys, judges, and guardians ad litem.
• Travel as required to client homes and court hearings.

Skills

Empathy

Trauma-informed

Communication

Collaboration

Time management

Conflict resolution

Crises management

Education

Bachelors in human behavioral sciences

Colorado Child Welfare Caseworker cert (within 3 months)

Experience in human services (professional, internship, or volunteer)

Tools

TRAILS

General computer skills

Job description

Our Mission

At Adams County, our team members engage in top-notch opportunities to grow and expand their impact.

Position Classification

At Adams County, we value workplace flexibility. This role offers both hybrid-remote working arrangements as well as flexible scheduling options after initial training period of 90 days.

Hybrid -- Job duties and expectations allow for onsite and remote work scheduled every week. Employees in this classification are regularly scheduled onsite one (1) to four (4) days per week based on the County needs and as determined by Department Director. Hybrid classified roles can be onsite more than the set minimum based on employee preference.

Adams County Children and Family Services Guiding Principles

1. We believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect, valuing their input, and striving to do no harm.
2. Honoring all people’s unique expertise and perspectives includes collaboration, shared decision making, and providing a safe environment.
3. The best interest of children, families, and our community will always inform our approach, perspectives, and decisions.
4. Children and youth belong in families and have a right to sibling, family, and community connections.
5. Families have the inherent capacity to safely care for their children.
6. We hold ourselves and our system accountable to each other, our families, and our community.

Social Caseworker Summary

Social caseworkers may encounter reports or evidence of situations such as domestic violence, negligence, physical abuse, and sexual abuse through the course of their work. They may also work with a variety of age groups, including infants, toddlers, elementary-aged children, pre-adolescents, adolescents, and young adults. Assessments and cases can involve individuals anywhere from birth through age 21.

Our social caseworkers manage a varied workload, and their caseload may at times include a higher or lower number of cases in specific discipline areas based on the needs of our community.

Hiring Range = $64,277.61 - $72,930.36 / Full Range = $61,805.390 - $89,617.820

This position can do a combination of both Assessment and Permanency duties depending on the need of the agency.

Assessment

• Responds to allegations of reports of abuse and neglect of children/youth.
• Assesses reports of abuse and neglect of children. Interviews and observes victims, offenders, witnesses, caregivers, and collateral agencies?to ensure the safety of the child and determine the validity of the allegations. Recognizes and identifies risk factors and dynamics of child abuse, child neglect, and family functioning (includes specialized caseload).
• Provides crisis intervention while evaluating and assessing a family’s needs. Complete assessments within 60 days and determine whether long term support and services are necessary in order to achieve child/youth safety and well-being.
• Prepares court reports, attends court hearings, testifies in court hearings and proceedings, consults with attorneys, judges, and guardians-ad-litem.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as required.

Permanency

• Provides case-specific documentation including development of family service plans, court documentation, TRAILS entries of ROC notes and other documentation, assessment completion, placement paperwork, service referrals, family time assessments, and other related tasks. Reviews reports from service providers to ensure effectiveness of services.
• Provides face-to-face contact with clients as required by regulatory standards and agency policy (may sometimes include in-state and/or out-of-state travel).
• Engage family/youth in finding permanent connections and participates in Family Engagement Meetings and Permanency Roundtables.
• Prepares court reports, attends court hearings, testifies in court hearings and proceedings, consults with attorneys regarding legal aspects of cases.
• Supervises parenting time for children and families on caseload. May also facilitate goodbye sessions between parents and children when termination of parental rights is necessary.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as required.

Requirements

• Child welfare knowledge including healthy child development, understanding of the dynamics and effects of abuse and neglect and interface of culture and family systems, as well as experience working with children and youth ages 0-18.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and a strength-based trauma informed approach with families involved in the child welfare system.
• Assessing safety of a child/youth and making decisions based on information available and the ability to utilize critical thinking skills to work difficult or complicated cases.
• Ability to build, maintain, collaborate, and foster positive and harmonious working professional relationships with varied backgrounds and disciplines.
• Ability to prioritize, manage time effectively, show initiative, and ability to organize oneself.
• Ability to effectively partner with others to solve problems and concerns, including conflict resolution with upset clients and manage crises in a calm manner.
• Ability to type, utilize computers, and computer programs required to ensure effective entry of information into statewide client information system (TRAILS), as well as to complete referrals through agency platforms and other computer-based systems.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, ability to effectively review documents and synthesize into accurate, professionally written documents.
• Ability and willingness to accommodate clients' schedules by meeting outside of normal business hours at times.
• Ability to engage in scheduled supervision, team meetings, section meetings, and division meetings.
• Ability to meet all required state and agency trainings requirements on an annual (or as required) basis.
• Participates in red teams, group supervision and staffing’s.
• Ability to demonstrate professionalism during court proceedings.
• Ability to meet state and federal mandates and time frames.

Experience

Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services-related agency.

Education and Training

• Bachelor's Degree in one of the human behavioral science fields.
• An educational waiver is available for those individuals who do not meet the education requirements to be a social caseworker and are currently enrolled in a bachelor’s program from a higher education institute. A bachelor’s degree must be obtained within one (1) year from hire date with related coursework to job duties as outlined in 7.603.1 (click here for more info). If a degree is not obtained within one (1) year from hire date, employment with the agency may be impacted including, and up to termination. Employee will be responsible for updating the hiring manager every six (6) months of their education progress.
• Proof of education, (degree or transcripts), and license (if candidate has received one) are required.

License or Certificate

• Colorado Child Welfare Caseworker certification required and must be completed within three (3) months of employment, through the Colorado Training Academy (State Child Welfare). Certification through another State will require proof of completion and may substitute for all or part of the training required by Colorado.
• Possession of a valid driver's License and proof of automotive insurance.

Background Check

• Must pass a criminal background check.
• INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY: Employees who are currently in a case manager/case-carrying position in Children and Family Services (CFS) may have a 120-day delayed transfer/promotion period prior to moving into any new position in Human Services.

Other

• Bilingual applicants are preferred and may receive a Language Pay incentive based on usage.
• Ability to work in a standard office environment.
• Ability to utilize personal vehicle or other mode of transportation to make visits to client homes, travel to court, and other public facilities in all types of weather.
• Ability to carry large case files.
• Ability to conduct home visits in unknown and uncontrolled settings which may include animals, feces, airborne contaminants, gang members, weapons, and other environmental hazards.

Additional Access

Ability to obtain, maintain, and ensure continued access to State and County systems in strict compliance with all applicable county and state regulations, policies, and user agreements.