Assessment Specialist Trainer (Social Work/Counselor IV) - Division of Youth Services, Denver

State of Colorado•Denver, CO

4d•Onsite

About The Position

This position ensures the quality, consistency, and integrity of clinical assessments within behavioral health services. This role supports a multidisciplinary team responsible for conducting comprehensive clinical assessments, ensuring evaluations are accurate, timely, and aligned with evidence-based and regulatory standards. This position will provide supervision to assessment staff, offering coaching, feedback, and support to strengthen clinical judgment, documentation, and decision-making. By enhancing staff competency and consistency, the role directly supports client care by ensuring that assessment findings accurately inform service recommendations and treatment planning. Additionally, this position will provide direct client/youth assessment services as needed to maintain continuity, respond to high-demand periods, and model best practices. Through a combination of supervision, training, and quality oversight, this role promotes reliable assessment outcomes and strengthens overall service delivery.

Requirements

Current, valid Colorado or State participating in the Social Work Licensure Compact licensure as a: Licensed Social Worker (LSW) OR Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) OR Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) OR Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC)
Two (2) years of experience with current, valid licensure from a state participating in the Social Work Licensure Compact based on the work assigned to the position.
Applicants for supervisory positions must have licensure that meets the legal requirements to perform supervisory responsibilities.
Be a minimum of 21 years of age, with no felony convictions or history of domestic violence
Full background check and reference check required
This position requires State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position.
Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Check
Must possess a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver’s License
Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion of the DYS Pre-service Training Academy, Field Training Program (FTO) and mandatory annual training in all subject areas.

Nice To Haves

Relatable experience as a current or previous State of Colorado employee.

Responsibilities

Develop, coordinate, and deliver assessment training, as well as the clinical oversight of assessment practices within the Division of Youth Services.
Design curriculum, facilitate training, and provide ongoing coaching and supervision to Assessment Specialists, interns, and other staff to ensure competency in clinical practices, documentation standards, program expectations, and policy.
Provide expertise and quality assurance related to the evaluation of juveniles, ensuring the effectiveness, appropriateness, and consistent application of assessment tools, including the Youth Assessment and Screening Inventory (YASI).
Ensure Assessment practices are outlined in a manual annually to ensure consistency and adherence to Assessment requirements and best practices.
Support training and supervision while promoting professional development through structured learning opportunities.
Research, develop, and coordinate training initiatives focused on assessment practices such as strengths-based evaluation, report writing, identification of mental health and criminogenic needs, application of psychological theory, and motivational interviewing.
Ensure consistent communication of policy updates, procedural changes, and clinical expectations to promote standardization across regions and maintain ongoing collaboration with Assessment Specialists, client managers, behavioral health staff, Clinical Directors, psychologists, and Assessment leadership to ensure continuity of care.
Participate in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities, program development, and committee work to evaluate and enhance assessment services and statewide practices.
Monitor staffing rosters to ensure timely scheduling and compliance with required documentation timelines, including the 35-day completion standard, and collaborates with Social Work IVs and the Coordinator of Assessment to ensure training requirements are met.
Represent DYS Assessment Services in professional forums and provide recommendations to leadership regarding program effectiveness, system gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
Conduct clinical interviews, criminogenic risk assessments, drug and alcohol screening and assessments, mental health evaluations, trauma assessment, and neuropsychological screenings on juvenile offenders who are committed to the Department of Human Services, Division of Youth Services.
Administration and interpretation of the Youth Assessment and Screening Inventory (YASI), Juvenile Automated Substance Abuse Evaluation (JASAE), and University of California Los Angeles Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – Reaction Index (UCLA PTSD-RI) to assess specified areas of functioning including, but not limited to: current and past delinquent behaviors, mental health presentation, criminogenic need areas, family issues, peer relationships, self-perceptions, use of free time, level of maturity, problem solving skills, breadth of decision-making, drug and alcohol involvement, personal goals, risk factors associated with neuropsychological deficits, and identified skills/competencies.
Conduct family interviews to ascertain individualized family strengths, needs, perspective, and expressed goals for treatment and DYS stay.
Review relevant collateral data, previous evaluation findings, legal documents, and any other information received at time of commitment, and incorporate the information into the finalized assessment report.
Contact DYS Quality Assurance designee and/or courts to obtain any necessary legal interpretation or clarification and request amendment to mittimi when warranted.
Complete all commitment paperwork and calculate the security level designation.
Contact collateral agencies to verify or request additional information on newly committed juveniles.
Review all information available in the judicial database to ensure accuracy of mittimi, additional/pending charges, sentencing requirements, court orders and/or restitution ordered, and note any discovered discrepancies in the Assessment Report.
Outline the assessment process to youth and families, including expectations, responding to questions, and requesting signed authorization for release of information and disclosure statements.
Communicate individualized assessment findings and treatment recommendations with interdisciplinary team members to arrive at collaborative decisions regarding Service Plan goals, optional placement types, and recommended treatment.
Participate in the initial DYS Multidisciplinary team meeting to discuss all relevant assessment findings in order to arrive at consensus related to prescribed placement type, service plan recommendations, and transition goals based upon individualized youth and family needs.
Incorporate all assessment findings into a comprehensive, individualized, and strengths-based written Assessment Report.
Enter all pertinent information into the Colorado Trails database and the Electronic Health Record (EHR).
Perform a quality review of all Assessment Reports prior to dissemination to ensure information contained in the report is accurate, conveys data necessary for Treatment Plan development, and represents correct grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.
Other duties as assigned

Benefits

Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans
Medical and dental health plans
Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
Paid life insurance
Short- and long-term disability coverage
11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center
Employee Wellness program
Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
Remote work arrangements for eligible positions
Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program