Case Worker- Child Welfare

About Our Job

NOTE: Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. A bilingual stipend may be available to eligible candidates once hired. 

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The full salary range for this position is $58,656 - $96,782 with a budgeted hiring range of $62,000 - $70,000. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 132 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

The City and County of Denver has announced furlough days, or unpaid days off, for most employees to meet a budget shortfall in 2025. There are two fixed furlough days for all limited (temporary positions with an end date) and unlimited (permanent) employees on August 29th, the Friday before Labor Day, and November 28th, the day after Thanksgiving. If you receive an offer for this position, your annual pay will determine whether you are required to take additional furlough days. Details will be discussed during the offer process for selected candidate(s). 

Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

What You’ll Do

At Denver Human Services (DHS), we envision a healthy community where people are connected, supported, safe, and well. One in three people in Denver turn to DHS for support at all stages of life. Our employees help children, at-risk adults, families, and individuals navigate social and economic pressures by connecting them to services and experts who support their overall well-being.

About Protection & Prevention

Denver Human Services works to protect Denver's children, youth, and at-risk adults by providing services and advocacy while promoting family stability, respecting diversity, and working to create and strengthen connections to community resources. We work to prevent abuse by providing education, resources, and support to parents, families, and community organizations.

Denver Human Services is seeking committed, passionate Social Case Workers to serve our Child Welfare Services clients. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of either intake or permanency child protection work and will be open to performing duties in both disciplines. These positions include roles of Intake and Permanency Social Case Work. These roles may include working in a hybrid environment- work from home, in the field, and at the office as required.

Intake:

The Intake section primarily is responsible for investigating new allegations of abuse/neglect of children ages 0-18 in a fast-paced and demanding environment.  You will also be expected to contact families and conduct interviews on behalf of the child, as well as maintain professional contacts with community leaders and regularly communicate with law enforcement representatives. This role is an opportunity to impact a variety of populations throughout the Denver Metro Area.

Permanency Child Protection/Youth Services:

The Permanency Child Welfare is grouped in two sections. Permanency Child Protection is specific for children 11 and under. Permanency Youth Services is for people 12-21. It is important that the Social Case Worker has a clear understanding of child/youth development, the impact of child abuse and neglect on both children/youth and their families, and how to support transition-age youth in securing permanency. You should also understand delinquency court processes and appropriate services to maintain youth safely in their family setting.

Generally, the Social Case Worker:

• Performs case management activities involving complex problems/cases, assesses individual and family needs, develops appropriate service and/or treatment plan, and provides counseling, referral, and placement services
• Evaluates client's needs, interest, motivation, and pattern of responsibility, reviews case records for client and family profiles, socio-economic history, previous treatment and services experience, and/or special problems and needs, and reviews and discusses case, problems, prognosis, behavior patterns, and needed services with a supervisor or other senior level staff
• Develops and implements established, maintains, and supports treatment plan that provides a variety of social services and referrals to meet social, behavioral, medical, and/or psychological needs, recommends and refers clients to appropriate support agencies and programs, and provides continuous counseling and crisis intervention to achieve objectives
• Represents the department in accordance with Volume 7 and city rules and regulations
• Prepares case records, reports, and documents and compiles with state and federal standards in providing case notes, treatment plans, and evaluations
• Testifies in court as needed by providing expert testimony and preparing comprehensive reports that allow the court to make finding and recommendations that affect court-ordered treatment plans
• Performs other related duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Strong self-starter and organizational skills
• Superior critical thinking and time management skills
• Solid interpersonal and communication skills
• The ability to represent the organization in several different settings
• A positive, professional, and proactive attitude

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Requirements as set forth in Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations. A bachelor’s degree from a higher education institution with at least fifteen (15) college level credit hours 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, counseling, psychology, or therapeutic techniques
• Experience Requirement: Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency, as required by Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations
• Education/Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements
• Licensure: Requires a valid Driver’s License at the time of application. Requires post-hire completion of certification requirements to be a social case worker in Child Welfare or Adult Protective Services in accordance with CDHS regulations. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment

Additional Document

Please attach your official or unofficial transcripts of your completed undergraduate and/or graduate degree and list of professional references to your application in the required attachment section.

Denver Human Services works to ensure that all employees are paid equitably.  Please ensure your resume is complete and accurate and that it includes all of your relevant work experience and education including job titles, description of assigned duties and all dates of employment periods that you would want to be considered when determining an offer amount.

Application Deadline

Applications for this position are accepted on a rolling basis. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure consideration.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

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Agency

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.