Caseworker II

Primary Responsibility: The Caseworker II position provides intake and/or ongoing social casework services for a variety of program areas including child abuse and neglect cases, youth-in-conflict cases, and adults unable to protect their own interests.

Supervised by: Child & Adult Protection Program Manager

Supervises: N/A 

Salary Range: NE7 - $21.15 – $29.61

Hiring Range: $21.15 – $25.38 per hour DOQ

FSLA Status: Non-Exempt

Main Job Duties:

• Conducts assessments of alleged physical abuse, neglect and parent-conflicts; determines if situation warrants placing children outside the home; supervises placement of children in foster care and coordinates parent child visits; and determines when and if to recommend that children return to the home.
• Develops effective case plans and provides counseling services to families regarding parenting skills, family dynamics, parent-child relationships and conflict with the community. Assesses any new child abuse complaints and provides crisis intervention in these situations. 
• Provides intake assessment and evaluation, ongoing counseling services, and case planning to a variety of other cases including adults unable to protect their own interests, family conflicts and youth-in-conflict cases. 
• Answer hotline calls for child welfare and adult protection. Receive incoming calls of a possible crisis nature. Gather all information needed utilizing screening questions and document in the state-wide data bases. 
• Determines the need for recommending placement of clients into foster Locates placement appropriate to client's needs. Monitors client's progress in placement. 
• Makes home visits with clients, organizes services such as cleaning, day care, financial assistance, health (physical and mental), legal and provides information on available services. 
• Testifies in court on a variety of cases; makes recommendations to the courts on abuse and neglect cases, placement of children, and guardianship of adults. 
• Develops and writes reports for appropriate documentation of case plans, recommendations, contacts, assessments, develops case file information, completes forms and writes correspondence.

Additional Job Duties:

•  Performs other appropriate duties as assigned by the Human Services Director and any duties needed to stabilize an emergency

 Hours:

•  Must be available for on-call coverage; including nights and weekends.

Qualifications:

Education: 

• 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; 

AND

• Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency.
• Must successfully complete the requirements of the Colorado Child Welfare Training Academy as a condition of their continued employment with the County. Must complete annual training to maintain child welfare and adult protection certifications.

 Working knowledge of: 

• Established theories, principles, and concepts of social casework practice related to the assigned program areas. 
• Battered child syndrome, and the laws dealing with child abuse, neglect and other dependency conditions.
• Community resources, agency rules, regulations and procedures related to child and adult protection.

 Ability to:

•  Learn regulations, laws, and procedures and develops knowledge of casework techniques and methodologies.
• Maintain effective working relationships with legal, medical, psychiatric professional, members of the judicial system, clients; community organizations and resources; foster parents and other members for the purpose of developing effective treatment plans for clients and to help clients solve problems and to educate the community about protections of clients and services available. 
• Recognize, investigate and analyze a variety of complex problems and to make effective recommendations for solutions. 
• Willingness to work as a generalist caseworker in a small county which includes all child welfare and adult program areas and recommendations for solutions. 
• Considerable travel is required in order to make home visits, visit foster parents and clients in placement.
• Must be able to work with clients who may be angry, verbally abusive and hostile. 
• Must have a valid Colorado Driver's License without any restriction due to driving Must also be able to drive a county vehicle.

 Mental/Physical Requirements: 

• Some work is performed in a standard office Work also involves a considerable period of time away from a standard office environment, much of which consists of driving to and from home visits, collateral contacts and transporting clients; including children, families and adults. 
• Work may occur in situations in which incumbent is threatened with physical harm by hostile, angry clients. 
• Physical demands are described as mainly Occasionally required to lift and carry infants and small children in the care and custody of the county, as well as the ability to carry large case files. 
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk or hear, walk and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, or The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, stand, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch.

 Experience:

•  One year of full-time professional social casework experience, preferably in a County Department of Human  Services

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of requirements, duties and responsibilities. Gilpin County provides reasonable job-related accommodations for disabled persons. Must pass drug screen and pre-employment screening.  

*Part-time and Temporary staff are ineligible for the following benefits: medical, dental, vision, 401A, Life Insurance, Short-term & Long-term Disability plans in additional to Long-term care. See the benefit details at the end of the job posting for part-time options.

Benefits for Full Time Employees:

Paid Holidays: Gilpin County provides 13 paid holidays per calendar year. An employee will be paid ten (10) hours per holiday.

Vacation: The first year of employment, (based on the anniversary of the hire date) full-time employees are given 40 hours of vacation and earn 3 hours of paid vacation leave bi-weekly. After that time, leave shall accrue as follows:

 

Lump Sum on Date of Hire (Hours)

Hourly Accrual Rate

(bi-weekly)

Zero – 12 months

40

3

13 – 60 months

-

5

61 – 120 months

-

7

121+ months

-

8

Full-Time employees are encouraged to take their earned vacation leave each year. Vacation time accrual shall cap at the maximum amount and shall not exceed the maximum accrual amount, based on total months of service. 

Months of Service

Maximum Vacation Accrual

Zero – 60

248

61 – 131

268

132 – 192

288

193 – 239

308

240+

328

Sick Leave: Full-Time employees shall accrue four (4) hours of sick leave each bi-weekly pay period. The maximum sick leave that may be accumulated by such an employee is 600 hours.

Medical Plans: Gilpin County offers two medical plans with Kaiser and United Health Care. Gilpin County offers a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) for all employees to cover co-pays, deductibles, and other medical expenses. Employees are eligible for benefits the first of the month following 30 days of service. This HRA card will have $3,000.00 on it for an individual or $6,000.00 for a family. Both plans have a max out of pocket for $1,000 individual or $2,000 per family after the use of the HRA card for in network expenses.

United Health Care Monthly Employee Cost:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$80.85/$167.72/$149.40/$234.30

Kaiser Permanente Monthly Employee Cost:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$72.60/$152.62/$134.47/$210.90

Dental Plan: Gilpin County offers dental coverage through Delta Dental with PPO and Premiere network coverages. Individual deductible at $50 and family deductible at $150. In network coverage for preventative and diagnostic services are covered 100%, basic services covered at 80%, major services at 50%, and ortho covered at 50% with a $2,000 max. The plan offers a “Right Start 4 Kids” plan that covers most children basic services up to their 13th birthday at 100% with no deductible (some exclusions apply). Annual max this plan pays for covered dental services is $2,000 per individual covered on the plan.

Delta Dental Monthly Employee Costs:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$0.00/$28.71/$54.00/$72.50

Vision Plan: Gilpin County offers vision coverage through VSP. In network coverage includes copays at $10 copays with an allowance of $175 per pair of either one prescription eyeglasses or contacts yearly on a 12-month calendar basis and discounts on Lasik.

VSP Vision Monthly Employee Costs:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$0.00/$3.20/$3.40/$5.60

Retirement: Two retirement savings plans are available through the Colorado Retirement Association: 401(a) and 457 Deferred Compensation Plans

·        The 401(a) has a 5% required full match with a 4-year vesting period.

·        The 457 Plan is optional and has Pre-tax and Roth Options available. After four years of service, this plan could also include a County match as described below.

Social Security, as required by law: 6.2% required full match.

Effective July 8, 2025, for all new employees hired on or after this date, the graduated vesting schedule for the 5% match on employees’ 401(a) plan is as follows:

Years of Service

Vesting Amount

0 to less than 1 year

0%

1 year to less than 2 years

25%

2 years to less than 3 years

50%

3 years to less than 4 years

75%

4 years or more

100%

Starting January 1, 2026, two new voluntary retirement plan matches will be initiated, with one plan for POST (law enforcement officers) and a second for all other employees, based on years of service. The employee would need to make voluntary contributions into a 457 account at the minimum level in order to be eligible for the County match into the employee’s 401(a).

POST 401(a) eligible positions, 1:1 match

Years of Service

POST Employee Contribution to 457

County Match to 401(a)

4 to 8 years

1%

1%

9 to 12 years

2%

2%

13 or more years

3%

3%

All other 401(a) eligible positions, 1:2 match

Years of Service

Employee Contribution to 457

County Match to 401(a)

4 to 8 years

1%

0.5%

9 to 12 years

2%

1%

13 or more years

4%

2%

Short-Term Disability: Short-term disability pays 60% of your earnings with a max of $1,000 per week for up to 11 weeks. Benefits begin on day 15 and your first two weeks you will have to cover with sick, personal, or vacation time. Gilpin County covers 100% of the premium cost of this plan for the employee. 
Long-Term Disability: Long-term disability kicks in after 90 consecutive calendar days of a qualified disability. The plan will pay 60% of your earnings with a max of $5,000 monthly. Gilpin County covers 100% of the premium cost of this plan for the employee. 

 

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): EAP is provided through Triad All one Health for employees and members of your household. Services are confidential and available 24/7. A wide variety of services including but not limited to: Emotion well-being support with up to 6 Counseling sessions per issue each year. Daily life assistance guidance on a variety of topics. Online resources with articles, assessments, search tools, webinars. Free 30-minute consultations on legal services and financial services. A discount center to find deals on products, services, travel and more!

Gilpin County Parks & Recreation:  Employees receive free memberships, as well as 20% discounts on most services such as childcare, leagues, rentals, in house classes but does not include contract classes.

Benefits for Part Time and Temporary Employees:

Sick Leave: Leave accrues at the rate of 1 hours of sick leave per 30 hours worked to a maximum of 45 hours per year.
Retirement: As a part time or temporary employee, you may participate in the optional 457b or 457 Roth plan. These plans may be started, stopped, and changed anytime during your employment.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): EAP is provided through Triad All One Health for employees and members of your household. Services are confidential and available 24/7. A wide variety of services including but not limited to: Emotion well-being support with up to 6 Counseling sessions per issue each year. Daily life assistance guidance on a variety of topics. Online resources with articles, assessments, search tools, webinars. Free 30-minute consultations on legal services and financial services. A discount center to find deals on products, services, travel and more!

Retirement: Gilpin County offers optional 457b or 457 Roth plans. The optional 457b plans may be started, stopped, and changed anytime during your employment

Gilpin County Parks & Recreation:  Employees receive free membership, as well as 20% discounts on most services such as childcare, leagues, rentals, in house classes but does not include contract classes.