Think Beyond The Label Jobs

Description Our Mission: Arapahoe County Department of Human Services (ACDHS) builds strong communities by promoting the safety, independence and stability of individuals and families.

Our Vision: To end the cycle of poverty and prevent abuse and neglect of children and vulnerable adults (using an integrated Two-Generation approach)

ACDHS uses an integrated Two-Generation (2Gen) approach to address all of the basic human services needs of the entire family unit. The 2Gen approach begins with a mindset focused on family-centered program design, continues with the alignment of services and resources within the department as well as across multiple organizations, resulting in coordinated services to children and adults together (family) in order to create long term stability and sustainability.

The 2Gen approach builds well-being for families by focusing equally and intentionally on high-quality services in five areas of focus: early childhood education, adult education and employment pathways, economic security, health and well-being and social capital. This approach will help us achieve our core mission of breaking the generational cycle of poverty, preventing neglect and abuse and building strong communities.

This position includes Foster Care Placement Coordinator duties for the Collaborative Foster Care Program of Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.

As a member of the Collaborative Foster Care Program, the Foster Care Placement Desk Coordinator position is primarily responsible for effectively and strategically matching children and youth in need of emergency and planned temporary care with certified foster families. This position acts as a liaison between Child Placement Agencies (CPAs), CFCP foster families, casework staff, and other professionals. Duties

Collaborating with the assigned caseworker of the child(ren) to effectively identify and secure foster care homes for children needing temporary care. Effective collaboration includes, but is not limited to: Attending and providing consultation at facilitated family meetings. Attending emergency and planned meetings to determine foster care placement options for a child or youth. Attending and providing consultation at staffings of an existing placement with the goal of returning the child home, reducing the level of care, and/or identifying a more stable/appropriate home for the child(ren). Attending and providing consultation at facilitated professional meetings. Embedment at the main offices of Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties to provide in-person accessibility to caseworkers. Efficiently managing emergency and planned Placement Desk Referrals through the use of the Integrated Case Management (ICM) System. This includes consulting with caseworkers to collect pertinent and accurate information regarding the child(ren). This includes thorough documentation of placement search efforts. Provide clear documentation of all placement search efforts. Rotates primary responsibility for emergency placement requests. Working directly with CFCP foster homes and Child Placement Agencies to identify placement options for children needing foster care, establishing strong partnerships with both. Organizing and facilitating Pending Placement Review (PPR) Meetings and Semi-annual Child Placement Agency Meetings. Generating placement contracts for initial and existing foster care placements. Review Institutional Abuse Referrals reported to the Department to determine the appropriateness of a provider hold.? This includes referrals that were screened out and referrals accepted for assessment.? Manage provider holds which temporarily or permanently suspend the placement of children into identified foster homes through the Collaborative Foster Care Program and it's partnering agencies. Continually evaluating program placement search processes in order to identify the most effective approach to identif ing and securing foster care placement for child(ren). Generating referrals for childcare assistance.

All members of the team are cross-trained and may be responsible for certification casework responsibilities, ensuring requirements are met to achieve/maintain certification, providing support to families to ensure their ability to care for children in foster care, yearly completion of home study updates intended to provide continual assessment of the family's ability to care for foster children while maintaining compliance with Volume 7 requirements. Requirements

Skills, Abilities and Competencies: Knowledge of theories, principles, and concepts of social casework practice related to child protection. Knowledge of casework principles and methods of human needs and behavior pertaining to child development, parenting, attachment, and separation. Knowledge of social group work principles and methods. Knowledge of the laws dealing with child abuse, neglect, and other dependency conditions. Knowledge and skill in interviewing techniques, crisis intervention methods and relevant treatment modalities. Knowledge of community resources, of agency rules, regulations and procedures related to child protection issues. Ability to independently analyze complex situations, formulate plans and make quick decisions as needed. Ability to establish and maintain harmonious professional relationships with other employers, outside agencies, and the public. Use of the Trails database system, the Caseworker Application Timesaver (CAT) and the Integrated Case Management System (ICM) SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) training is required or must