Child Welfare Social Case Worker

Mesa County Department of Human Services is a forward thinking agency that has over 300 employees serving the needs of nearly 40,000 residents. From the Colorado National Monument to the thriving agricultural lands and city centers, Mesa County contains a diverse, natural landscape that provides many outdoor activities and adventures. As individuals and an organization, we value and respect humanity, honesty, balance, inclusion and teamwork.

We provide a level of flexibility for staff to be able to accommodate their lives outside of the office environment. We value family and the relationships that make our lives rewarding.

Are you seeking more than a paycheck in your career? Mesa County wants to bring your attention to a position currently available in the Child Welfare Division. This position provides you the opportunity to work for a county that thrives on working collaboratively with families and community partners for successful outcomes. Our culture promotes professional development in an innovative and strength-based system.

If you're a committed professional with proven experience and seeking a career in an honorable profession, we invite you to apply.

For the first 12 months of employment, the social caseworker is a professional training level position with intensive supervision and/or coaching by the county department in which assignments are limited to fifty percent (50%) of the county's average workload or ten (10) assessments and/or cases at any given time, whichever is less, and are planned and devised to develop and teach professional social casework techniques, basic foundations, and concepts appropriate to the assigned areas.

Duties may include completing a family, safety and risk assessment, facilitating the process of gathering assessment information and jointly developing treatment plans with families and service providers. Ensuring shared decision-making, family involvement and movement of case toward resolution.

• Provide case management services in accordance with agency, state, and federal guidelines and laws. The caseload size will be no more than 10 cases.
• Conduct various family, safety, and risk assessments.
• Work collaboratively to establish and monitor treatment plans with families and service providers.
• Utilize solution focused practice to mitigate risk, enhance safety, and expedite case resolution.
• Complete comprehensive reports and extensive case documentation.
• Conduct home visits, attend community meetings, and participate in court hearings.
• Provide court testimony, as needed.
• Authorize and coordinate supportive services.
• Provide referrals to services within the community and collaborate with partner agencies.
• Work with, and advocate for, families in crisis situations and/or those impacted by trauma, substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, multi-generational poverty, child abuse, child neglect, sexual abuse, etc.
• Demonstrate proficient writing skills.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• Answer the Child Protection Hotline and take thorough and complete referrals through enhanced screening techniques.
• Complete fatality, near fatality, egregious and institutional abuse assessments.
• Provide training to various audiences on how to identify and report child abuse and neglect.
• Act as a representative of Child Welfare at community interdisciplinary meetings.

• Conduct initial assessments regarding assigned abuse and neglect referrals.
• Engage with families to maintain children safely in the home.
• Facilitate removing children from the home when safety cannot be maintained.

• Collaborate with families, service providers, community, and courts to establish permanency for children through reunification, allocation, guardianship, or adoption.
• Monitor progress of treatment plans and identify barriers.

• Collaborate with families, service providers, and the community in non-court involved cases to mitigate risks, maintain safety of children and youth with their family and support well-being.
• Identify and address barriers to progress through intensive in-home engagement.

• Manage cases primarily overseen by the juvenile delinquency (JD) court system.
• Oversee youth placed in Residential Treatment facilities.

• Complete the training "engaging youth in a coach-like way" and implement these skills in all cases.
• Support youth with voluntary cases to locate housing.
• Assist youth in developing independent living skills.

• Assist youth in developing independent living skills.
• Promote youth and agency participation in the Chafee program.

• Utilize…