Social Caseworker III - Ongoing - 161853 and 161958

Overall Job Objective

What Success Looks Like In This Job

View our Social Caseworker video!

Provide child protection services, case management, ongoing safety management, treatment planning, court intervention, and community collaboration with intact families (with children ages 0-18) and those in which children are in out-of-home placement. A primary focus for this position is family assessment, intervention, and coordination of services to promote increased parental protective capacities and safety for children and youth, to maintain the family unit when possible. The caseworker will diligently work to ensure permanency for children/youth within 12 months of case open, and will diligently complete face-to-face contacts with children and families to ensure effective assessment and decision-making related to case disposition.

Examples of Duties for Success

• 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, visitation 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); communicates with collaterals; and attends case-specific staffings. Actively participates in Foster Care Reviews, audits as required, and ensures that client charts are up-to-date and accurate.
• Participates in case-specific court hearings, consults with county legal staff as needed, and may provide coverage as needed for teammates at court hearings.
• Supervises visits for clients on caseload, when no other resources are available and/or when appropriate. May also facilitate goodbye sessions between parents and children when termination of parental rights is necessary.
• Participates in scheduled supervision, team meetings, section meetings, and division meetings.
• Provides customer service through timely response to phone calls, e-mails, letters, and other communication. Provides direct problem-solving with clients and collaterals in a professional and courteous manner.
• Provides crisis management for case-specific emergencies, including placements and removals of children, as needed, to ensure safety. Provides ongoing safety monitoring and assessment and develops/updates safety plans as required to ensure safety for children on caseload.
• Participates in all required state and agency trainings on an annual (or as required) basis.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as required.

Qualifications for Success

• Knowledge of human behavior, family systems, and effective client engagement and change skills. Practice focus that is child-centered, family-focused and community based.
• Child welfare knowledge including healthy child development, understanding of the dynamics and effects of abuse and neglect, as well as experience working with children and youth ages 0-18.
• Knowledge of court proceedings preferred, including experience testifying in a court setting. Requires knowledge of the Colorado Children's Code.
• Ability to effectively review documents and synthesize into accurate, professionally written documents. Must also be able to read and effectively interpret/analyze information from reports from other professionals to ensure accurate reporting of information for court, foster care review, placements, staffings, and other relevant contexts.
• Skill to effectively collaborate with a variety of clients, collaterals, and internal/external personnel from varied backgrounds and disciplines.
• Ability to effectively partner with others to solve problems and concerns, including conflict resolution with upset clients.
• 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 Records Management and other computer based systems.
• Knowledge of Case Management/Care Coordination experience required.
• Ability to identify key areas that need to be addressed to effect change, based on issues presented at the time of case open, and to utilize this information to develop strength-based, realistic, measurable client treatment plans.
• Ability to perform Motivational Interviewing or other client-focused interviewing skills (or willingness to learn) required.
• Ability to work independently, multitask, and manage crises in a calm manner.
• Understanding of the important interface of culture and family systems, and ability to work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds is key.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

More Qualifications for Success

• Experience: Two (2) years of full time professional social casework experience, acquired after the degree in a public or private social services agency, in an area appropriate to the position.
• Education & Training:
  • Bachelor's Degree in one of the human behavioral science fields.
  • An MSW may substitute for all of the required experience.
  • 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 Colorado Driver's License and proof of automotive insurance.
• Background Check: Must pass a criminal background check.
• Other:
  • Must utilize a personal vehicle to get to many appointments in the local community and surrounding areas within Colorado.