Child Welfare Caseworker

Jefferson County CO•Golden, CO

About The Position

A child welfare caseworker is responsible for assessing and ensuring the safety and well-being of children at risk of abuse or neglect. They assess reports of maltreatment, provide support services to families, and coordinate with legal, medical, and community resources to protect children and promote family stability and permanency . The role often involves making difficult decisions regarding out of home placement for children and youth and ongoing case management. More detailed information provided below. As an employer of choice, we hope you will feel welcome here. The inclusive environment and culture of dignity and respect are what make this organization unique. The vision of the Division of Children, Youth, Families and Adult Protection (CYFAP) is Workers Thrive in JeffCo ; Children Thrive in Families and Adults Thrive in Communities ; and Everyone Thrives Through Equity and Inclusion. The Division is a consensus-based organization. Join our team to celebrate families’ successes and help people build better, safer lives. Watch our job preview VIDEO here .

Requirements

Any bachelor’s degree from a college or university with some course work such as development of human behavior, child development, family intervention techniques, diagnostic measures, or therapeutic techniques , AND:
Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human - services related agency.
Examples of relevant experience could include: clinical experience, residential childcare experience, milieu experience, domestic violence case manager, victim's advocate, paralegal or legal clerk, probation officer, law enforcement, corrections work, shelter experience, arbitration, forensic interviewing, para-professional work, educational work, and/or other case management experience .
Offer of employment contingent on criminal history and child welfare background check , motor vehicle record s checks and education verification.
Must not have one of the following convictions: c hild abuse, crime of violence or unlawful sexual behavior .
Must not have a felony conviction for domestic violence.
Must not have a felony conviction involving physical assault, battery, or drug-related offense within the past five years.
Must not have a pattern of misdemeanor convictions within the past 10 years.
Must have valid driver's license without any major violations , including driving under the influence ( DUI ) , driving while intoxicated ( DWI ) and/or driving while ability impaired ( DWAI ) conviction(s) in the past three years .
If you are from out of state, you must obtain a valid Colorado driver's license within 30 days of hire date .

Responsibilities

Extensive case documentation , which includes preparing court reports , social histories and more within specific state-mandated timeframes
Utilize family engagement skills to mitigate risk and enhance safety while working in the office, client homes, and in the community.
Assessing safety of a child/youth and making decisions based on available information , includ ing removing a child from their home.
Advocating for families and children, testifying in court, and de-escalating potentially volatile situations.
Potential for late evening hours to address crisis situations and participation in emergency coverage schedule.
Daily travel around the Denver Metro area and periodic travel throughout Colorado. A caseworker may travel occasionally outside of Colorado.
Discuss in detail and work with families experienc ing substance use disorder , mental health concerns , domestic violence, multi-generational poverty, child abuse, child neglect and sexual abuse.
Collaboration with outside agencies to assess and maintain safety of children including but not limited to law enforcement, courts, schools, treatment providers and medical professional s .
Participation in committee work related to practice and work culture recommendations after one year of employment.
Assessing allegations of abuse/neglect through announced and unannounced home visits and referring clients to appropriate services.
Determining if safety of the chil d/youth can be main tained through an assessment or if a court case needs to be opened.
Coordinating resources for child protection, family and adolescent crisis response, delinquency and parent/child conflict, emancipation planning, and facilitating adoptions.
At a minimum, monthly face-to-face contact with children, youth, parents, kin providers and out-of-home providers . These contacts may be announced or unannounced .
Through collective decision making , ensuring permanency for children and youth with parents, kin or adoptive parents.
Participate in court hearings at minimum a couple times a month.
Working with parents with substance-use disorder who are high risk and high needs
Working under the FIT Court model with weekly court hearings
Managing cases in which sex abuse by either a parent, sibling or relative is a primary issue.
Working under the Sex Offense Management Board guidelines