Abuse Intake Worker

State of Iowa•State of Iowa - See Job Description, IA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Division of Family Well-Being & Protection (FWB&P), Child Protective Services Operations Unit is seeking an Abuse Intake Worker to join our team! The Centralized Service Intake Unit (CSIU) is a 24 hours per day, 7 days per week operation. This position will be “domiciled” for travel purposes at the nearest Iowa DHS Full Time Office; however it may work from home. Initial training may be Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, until ready to take on assigned duties. Training will consist of a combination of in-person training in Des Moines and virtual training. The scheduled hours for this position will be Monday-Friday, 2:00-10:30PM. This position will be paid a shift differential of $0.90/hour for 2nd Shift. All paid overtime must be pre-approved by leadership. This vital frontline position requires the skill to be able to multi-task and the ability to gather as well as analyze information and concerns in a fast-paced environment with accuracy and efficiency. This is an essential social work position that is gateway to assist in the protection of the most vulnerable Iowans.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree and the equivalent of three years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency; OR graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in social work and the equivalent of two years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency; OR a Master's degree in social work from an accredited college or university; OR an equivalent combination of graduate education in the social or behavioral sciences from an accredited college or university and qualifying experience up to a maximum of thirty semester hours for one year of the required experience; OR employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes the equivalent of one year of full-time experience as a Social Worker 2 shall be considered as qualified.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrate exceptional customer services skills and the ability to establish relationships;
Demonstrate excellent judgment and communication skills;
Demonstrate good written documentation in a timely manner;
Demonstrate the ability to prioritize and work under pressure;
Demonstrate integrity and a strong work ethic;
Demonstrate independent judgement to make sound decisions.
Exceptional customer service skills, integrity, and a strong work ethic.
Ability to speak more than one language.
Education or experience which correlates directly with the requirements and duties of the position.

Responsibilities

Performs Intake duties for protective referrals concerning children and dependent adults made to the Department of Human Services (DHS);
Responds to allegation of children or dependent adults in need of protection in a timely manner and ensures that critical information is accurate and complete about the subjects and the alleged incident;
Engages the Reporter (caller) using hotline interviewing techniques including open and closed ended questions, reflective listening, refocusing, and suppressing, probing, affirming, and summarizing to gather necessary information;
Determines if the alleged victim needs immediate protection and passes all appropriate information to the Intake Supervisor;
The Intake worker enters information onto the appropriate form;
Identifies the nature of the report and determines which general category of alleged abuse (physical, sexual or neglect);
Documents all safety concerns for the referred victim(s) and others in the home or entering the home and effectively communicate the information within applicable time frames to the Intake Supervisor;
Communicates with Reporter(s) of abuse within 24 hours if the intake will be accepted or rejected for assessment; discusses next steps and/or alternatives that may assist the children/family;
Completes and documents background checks for all household members and subjects.