Child and Family Services Administrative Reviewer

State of Colorado•Denver, CO

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Administrative Review Division's (ARD) vision is to create a safe and promising future for children and at-risk adults. Our mission is to strengthen the communities, families, and systems that work to make that future possible. As a neutral, third party, we do this by facilitating reviews, gathering and analyzing data, publishing research, and providing training and technical assistance to effect change in practice, policy, and programs that lead to improved outcomes for Colorado's children and at-risk adults. Colorado's Administrative Review Division (ARD) serves as an independent third party review system under the auspices of the Colorado Department of Human Services. The ARD manages quality assurance and quality improvement programs for Colorado’s child welfare and adult protective services systems. Specifically, the ARD is the mechanism responsible for the federally required Case Review System and a portion of the Quality Assurance System for both the Division of Child Welfare and the Division of Youth Services. Additionally, the ARD conducts quality assurance reviews of Adult Protective Services cases. With an ultimate passion of providing permanency and well-being for Colorado's children, and the safety and protection of at-risk adults, the Administrative Review Division works closely with Colorado's counties to train, measure and assess their adherence to State and Federal regulations. Such regulations are in place to help prevent unnecessary moves for children in foster care and to assess (and encourage) that the needs of the families', children, and at-risk adults are being appropriately addressed. This position follows a hybrid work arrangement, combining remote work with regular travel. The employee will maintain a home office located within 20 miles of the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) offices at 1575 Sherman Street, Denver, CO 80203. Provides independent third party review and quality improvement processes for the Division of Child Welfare (CW) and the Division of Youth Services (DYS) service delivery. These reviews and quality assurance processes include: Administrative Reviews, Court-ordered Substituting Administrative Reviews, Quality Assurance Reviews (including reviews of child protection assessments and in-home service cases), Child and Family Services Reviews Ad-hoc reviews, and IV-E eligibility reviews to maximize Title IV-E revenue and ensure that court orders contain federally required language. Qualitative Case Reviews: Responsible for conducting periodic Administrative Reviews for children every six months they are in care, and Administrative Permanency Reviews every 12 months children are in out-of-home (foster) care per CRS 19-2- 906.5 and 19-3-702. This process involves collecting, analyzing, interpreting and summarizing data gathered through the file read and personal interview. Based on the data collected, a determination will be made as to the compliance or non-compliance with Federal and State regulations that govern all children and youth in the custody of the county department of human/social services or Division of Youth Services. Recommends administrative response and/or sanctions for non-compliance. This position will also conduct reviews of child welfare assessments as well as cases involving the provision of in-home services. This position will also participate in the Child and Family Services reviews. Reviews occur in the county departments. Each CI-II staff is assigned to a number of counties and will travel daily to these different counties in order to conduct reviews. Approximately 6-8 over-night stays may be required per month. Training and Technical Assistance: Communicates with and influences a variety of county, region, court, State Program and other state staff in order to address case specific and systemic issues. This involves providing case specific technical assistance as well as larger trainings on systemic issues. Contact Reviewer and other duties as assigned: Specific to assigned counties, this position is in charge of scheduling review staff to cover the assigned counties in their geographic area. This includes determining the necessary number of reviews days required by each county in order to remain in compliance with Federal requirements of timely periodic reviews, securing appropriate resources (county space, computers, etc.), communicating and altering schedules with other review staff, etc.

Requirements

Six (6) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned.
Two (2) years of professional human services investigative experience conducting child and/or youth abuse and neglect investigations, provision of ongoing child protection and/or youth services, or supervision of professional social caseworkers in child protection and/or youth services.
Working knowledge and experience utilizing Volume VII Regulations and the Colorado Children's Code, and Colorado child welfare processes.
Two years of relevant experience including ongoing permanency casework and/or intake and assessment casework.
A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to six (6) years (if not meeting experience-only requirement).
Must possess a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver’s License.
Must maintain a home office, including reliable internet access and, if required, a phone.

Nice To Haves

Minimum of 1 year experience with Colorado Trails or other relevant SACWIS systems.
Ability to read and evaluate multiple volumes of typed and/or hand-written case materials on a daily basis.
Possess intermediate computer skills to enter information into various databases, produce reports, and email information to colleagues and others.
Strong preference for candidates with 3-5 years of experience conducting child and/or youth abuse and neglect investigations, provision of ongoing child protection and/or youth services, or supervision of professional social caseworkers in child protection and/or youth services.
Strong preference for candidates who possess a bachelor’s degree in any of the fields listed in the Minimum Qualifications section.
Certified through the Child Welfare Training Academy.
Experience supervising child welfare caseworkers conducting assessments or on-going service delivery.
Exceptional communication skills, including demonstrated success in developing curriculum and providing training utilizing adult learning theory.
Candidates are preferred to reside in the following counties within the Denver metro region: Denver County, Northern Jefferson County, Western Adams Country and Southern Boulder County.
The ideal home location is north of Interstate 70 (I-70), west of Denver International Airport (DIA) and east of the foothills corridor served by major highways such as Interstate 25 (I-25) and Interstate 76 (I-76) within this metro zone.
Demonstrated working knowledge and understanding of federal and state law and how it applies to the administrative review process.
Knowledge and ability to provide technical expertise and training regarding the Adoption and Safety Families Act (ASFA) and federal mandates to insure that all orders issued by the courts within the district contain the federally required findings in order to maximize Title IV-E funding for children and families served by county departments and regions.
Ability to conduct reviews which may substitute for court reviews, and work directly with the county to develop and operate a combined Administrative Review 6-month periodic review process.
Ability to act as a liaison between the judicial district, county department, region, and state.
Ability to manage scheduling needs of multiple counties and multiple reviewers to ensure reviews are completed timely.
Ability to manage and resolve conflicts, confrontations, and disagreements in a positive and constructive manner to minimize negative personal impact.
Ability to derive logical conclusions from available information, utilizing a combination of judgment and formal guidance, in order to determine if departmental objectives have been met.
Ability to effectively communicate in both written and oral format to prepare and present review findings and provide technical assistance.
Ability to set and prioritize workload, identify short- and long-term goals and develop strategies to achieve them.
Ability to negotiate to find mutually acceptable solutions, and builds consensus through give and take.

Responsibilities

Conducts periodic Administrative Reviews for children every six months they are in care, and Administrative Permanency Reviews every 12 months children are in out-of-home (foster) care.
Collects, analyzes, interprets, and summarizes data gathered through file reads and personal interviews.
Determines compliance or non-compliance with Federal and State regulations governing children and youth in the custody of the county department of human/social services or Division of Youth Services.
Recommends administrative response and/or sanctions for non-compliance.
Conducts reviews of child welfare assessments and cases involving in-home services.
Participates in Child and Family Services reviews.
Travels daily to assigned counties to conduct reviews.
Communicates with and influences county, region, court, State Program, and other state staff to address case-specific and systemic issues.
Provides case-specific technical assistance and larger trainings on systemic issues.
Schedules review staff to cover assigned counties, determining necessary review days and securing resources.
Communicates and alters schedules with other review staff.