Family Search and Engagement Specialist-161856

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Family Search and Engagement Specialist-161856

Salary

$59,845.45 - $68,822.26 Annually

Location

Westminster, CO

Job Type

Regular Full-time

Job Number

06707

Department

Human Services

Division

HS Child Welfare

Opening Date

09/05/2024

Closing Date

9/19/2024 11:59 PM Mountain

Our Mission

At Adams County, our team members engage in top-notch opportunities to grow and expand their impact. We cultivate an inclusive and innovative culture where diversity matters! Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) is a core cultural competency at Adams County, and we actively seek and welcome applicants that bring diverse experiences and value inclusion.

Cultural Competencies/EEO

Adams County is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to have a workforce that reflects the community we serve. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status,marital status or any other legally protected characteristic.

Position classification

Hybrid -- Job duties and expectations allow for onsite and remote work scheduled every week. Employees in this classification are regularly scheduled onsite one (1) to four (4) days per week based on the County needs and as determined by Department Director. Hybrid classified roles can be onsite more than the set minimum based on employee preference.

• Description

• Benefits

• Questions

What Success Looks Like In This Job

The ideal applicant will have high energy and enthusiasm for children and youth to be with their kin when families become involved in the child welfare system. The applicant will work in a fast-paced environment utilizing multiple avenues to locate kin and establish/re-establish connections for children and youth needing additional supports. The applicant should enjoy independent work, flexibility, variety in the daily job duties with the ability to be innovative and creative. Extensive computer work is an essential component of this position and is the main avenue for finding extended family and non-biological kin for children to establish and/or rekindle relationships with. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and thrive on working collaboratively with other professionals and will be detailed-oriented in documenting efforts made to locate kin.

Examples of Duties for Success

• Work with families ongoing to engage them in any support they need to be a part of a family, child, or youth’s support network.

• Understand the Circles of Support philosophy and practice.

• Participate in case staffings with the caseworker and kinship workers to make case decisions on who should or should not be supports for the family, children or youth.

• Work directly with any contracted service provider that supports Family Search and Engagement services and provide periodic training when necessary.

• Be able to assist in referrals that a kinship family may need prior to a traumatized children/youth being placed with them to help prepare them.

• Manages a caseload of internal referrals, meeting outreach and closure timeframes.

• Manages a caseload of Program Area 5 cases as secondary caseworker. Team members will follow the life of a case when a child is placed out of home and continue family search and connection efforts.

• Occasionally assist with transportation and facilitating of family visits.

• Occasionally conduct kinship home initial walk throughs.

• Participate in Group Supervisions and be able to follow through with next steps that caseworkers are unable or don’t have the bandwidth to accomplish.

• Stay informed of Family Search and Engagement changes in Volume VII, Statutes or law and edit the FSE policy and operating procedure as necessary to incorporate these changes.

• Initiate and track family finding efforts for children without permanency to ensure finding family/connections.

• Interview youth in hospital or other settings to gather family/kin information on behalf of the assigned caseworker.

• This position will assist and support caseworkers to gather and combine all Family Finding search efforts into the TRAILS database.

• Extensive computer work and record keeping, including documentation of contacts and report writing.

• Telephone and email communication with clients, collateral contacts and accessing community resources.

• Participate in family team meetings, court hearings, and weekly supervision.

• Direct consultation with caseworkers and supervisors.

• Direct client, caseworker, supervisor, extended family, and collateral contact and consultations to find family for children and youth to achieve permanency.

• Possess innovative thinking on how to find children's families of origin or non-blood related kin.

• Possess familiarity with or the ability to quickly learn about genograms and the ability to organize and create genograms.

• Assist caseworkers to search for absent parents, extended family member and kinship using on-line searches as well as exploring other creative avenues in finding families.

• Act as a liaison to employees, collaterals, families, CASAs and court partners regarding Family Search and Engagement efforts.

• Be able to articulate, practice and support the FFPSA philosophies and principles during the course of everyday work.

• Effectively educate peers and foster families about FFPSA philosophies and principles as they relate to keeping children/youth with kin.

• Ability to work independently, overcome barriers and act quickly yet thoroughly to find kin.

• Provide weekly updates/check-ins with supervisor on Family Search and Engagement efforts.

• Participate in RED teams and group supervision.

• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications for Success

• Effective engagement, organizational and time management skills.

• Computer skills including utilizing databases, preparing reports, using Microsoft Office applications, and conducting internet searches for information and resources.

• Ability to type a minimum of 40 words per minute.

• Knowledge of Child Welfare and ACHSD practices and procedures.

• Ability to navigate Trails (the statewide database system), MANGO (the Adams County database system) and other computer-based systems, or the ability to learn these systems quickly.

• Ability to drive and use personal vehicle to attend multiple appointments in the community on a regular basis.

• Familiarity with or ability to quickly learn about various family finding search engines on the internet and decipher and organize large amounts of information.

• Effective communication, conflict resolution, internet searching and social media skills.

• Knowledge of children's developmental, emotional, and physical needs, especially as it relates to sibling connections and their family of origin.

• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

• Demonstrate the ability to utilize previous caseworker experiences to inform conversations with other caseworkers as well as families about children in paid out of home placements

• Possess strong writing and documentation skills.

• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

• Ability to work with people of differing cultural backgrounds.

• Knowledge of and adherence to the Adams County Mission, Vision, Norms and Values.

More Qualifications for Success

• Experience:Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency

• Education and Training:

• A bachelor’s degree from a higher education institution with course work related to the job responsibilities of child welfare social caseworker. Course work examples can include and are not limited to, the development of human behavior, child development, family intervention techniques, diagnostic measures, or therapeutic techniques.

• An educational waiver is available for those individuals who do not meet the education requirements to be a social caseworker and are currently enrolled in a bachelor’s program from a higher education institute. A bachelor’s degree must be obtained within one (1) year from hire date with related coursework to job duties as outlined in 7.603.1 (click here for more info (https://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/GenerateRulePdf.do?ruleVersionId=7351&fileName=12%20CCR%202509-7) ). If a degree is not obtained within one (1) year from hire date, employment with the agency may be impacted including, and up to termination. Employee will be responsible for updating the hiring manager every six (6) months of their education progress.

• Proof of education, (degree or transcripts), and license (if candidate has received one) are required.

• License or Certificate:

• Colorado Child Welfare Caseworker certification required and must be completed within three (3) months of employment, through the Colorado Child Welfare Training System (CWTS).”

• Possession of a valid driver's License and proof of automotive insurance.

• Background Check: Must pass a criminal background check.

Adams County complies with Colorado’s Job Application Fairness Act (“JAFA”). JAFA prohibits employers from asking individuals to disclose their age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation on an initial employment application. However, additional application materials such as certifications and transcripts containing this information may be required for certain positions; if such additional materials are requested, applicants may redact information that identifies the applicant’s age, date of birth, or dates or attendance or graduation.

Adams County provides a comprehensive benefits package to employees that goes above and beyond what is offered at most organizations.

Clickhere (https://youtu.be/ILAvllPaGb4) to watch our video about why Adams County is an Employer of Choice!

Benefits You Expect:

• AFLAC Supplemental Medical Insurance

• Basic Term Life & Optional Term Life Insurance

• Deferred Compensation Plan

• Dental/Vision/Medical Plans

• Generous Vacation/Sick leave

• Long-Term Disability

• Retirement Plan

• Short-Term Disability

Plus some you might not expect:

• Employee Assistance Program

• Employee Fitness Center

• Employee Health Clinics

• Flexible Work Schedules

• Recreation Center Discounts

• Training & Tuition Reimbursement Programs

• Wellness programs

• Lactation friendly certified workplace

  01

  Please be aware that your cover letter and resume will not be accessed in the initial screening process, so you must complete your application and supplemental questions with as much detail as possible. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your cover letter and resume will then be accessible to the hiring team. Information provided on the application is used to determine if a candidate meets minimum qualifications. Only information provided at the time of the application being completed will be considered and additional information that is not listed on the application will not be considered when deciding if a candidate meets or does not meet the qualifications. Applicants are STRONGLY encouraged to include all information and details on their application. I understand and agree that only information provided at the time of my application will be used to determine if I meet the minimum requirements for this position.

• Yes, I understand and agree

• Yes, I understand but disagree.

  02

  Do you possess professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency?

• Yes

• No

  03

  Do you possess a bachelor's degree from a higher education institution with course work related to the job responsibilities of child welfare social caseworker? Course work examples can include and are not limited to, the development of human behavior, child development, family intervention techniques, diagnostic measures, or therapeutic techniques.

• Yes

• No

  04

  If you do not currently possess a bachelor's degree with- course work related to the job responsibilities of child welfare social caseworker, are you currently enrolled in a bachelor's program from a higher education institute? A bachelor's degree must be obtained within one (1) year from hire date with related coursework to job duties to be eligible for an educational waiver.

• Yes

• No

  05

  A requirement of this position is that you possess a valid driver's license and proof of vehicle insurance. Do you meet this requirement?

• Yes

• No

  06

  What interests you in joining the Family Search and Engagement team?

  07

  What is your understanding of the current legal requirements regarding Family Search and Engagement within child welfare?

  08

  What is your understanding of unconscious bias and how it plays a role in child welfare?

  Required Question

Agency

Adams County

Address

4430 S. Adams County Parkway, Suite C4000BBrighton, Colorado, 80601-8213

Website

http://www.adcogov.org/current-career-opportunities

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