Department Information

The position is located in the Division of Child Welfare, Provider Services Unit, Provider Performance Unit. The Division is responsible for the ongoing implementation of child welfare services in Colorado and supervises county departments of human/social services in the administration of Child Welfare programs, as well as privately operated 24-hour care facilities. The Provider Services Unit exists to license, manage, supervise and provide statewide oversight for privately operated 24-hour childcare facilities and agencies, to include residential child care facilities (RCCF), respite child care centers (RCCC), qualified residential treatment programs (QRTP), secure residential treatment centers (SRTC), psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF), homeless youth shelters (HYS), specialized group homes and centers (SGF), child placement agencies (CPA), adoption agencies, and day treatment facilities (DT) across the State of Colorado. The goals of the unit are to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the youth served in those facilities. The work unit is responsible for comprehensive integrated (Interagency) licensing and monitoring of the 24-hour childcare facilities and to audit and investigate reports/allegations involving licensing violations, determine facility or agency culpability, and to ensure the safety of children placed or receiving services with providers.

Description of Job

Oversees 24-hour facilities and agencies licensed under the Division of Child Welfare; more specifically, this position serves as an Investigative Monitoring Specialist and is responsible to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of children and youth placed in 24-hour care facilities and educational settings, more specifically, residential child care facilities, respite child care centers, day treatment facilities, homeless youth shelters, secure residential treatment centers, qualified child placement agencies, and specialized group facilities and foster home certifications. Ensures ongoing compliance in comparison to related regulations and statutes, with the regulations specific to the license type, through investigations; completes and issues Reports of Inspections to the licensed providers and determines compliance through corrective responses, as well as continued observations and reviews; creates and enforces corrective actions, as deemed appropriate and based on investigations completed. Provides technical assistance and program improvement recommendations to agencies/facilities and works in collaboration with related stakeholders. This position is designated as remote and is 100% home based. This position is recognized as a staff authority and subject matter expert specific to the Investigative Monitoring Team with a focus on facility schools and day treatment facilities as it pertains specifically to agencies and facilities licensed by the Provider Services Unit within the Division of Child Welfare.

Investigates Compliance of Agencies & Facilities and Provides Technical Assistance. This position is responsible for having a strong knowledge base and understanding with the application of Volume 7 regulations (12 CCR 2509-8), Title 24, Title 26. This position investigates and ensures ongoing compliance, in accordance with regulations and statutes, as they relate to licensed agencies and facilities providing out-of-home care and/or educational services. This position is ultimately tasked with determining agency/ facility culpability as it relates to incidents that have occurred within the agency, facility, or foster home. Using their knowledge base, this position will specifically assess content received through various means, such as critical incident reporting, policies and procedures created by the provider, staff files, children/ youth files, foster parent files, hotline referrals, referral assessments, and all other related documentation that is accessible to the Department- to determine if there are compliance issues related to the information being reported and observed. Other means used during investigations include, but are not limited to, interviewing foster parents, agency/ facility staff, placing authorities, county personnel, guardians ad litem, legal guardians, parents, youth, children, and others that may be related to the case and/or incident. This position is responsible to investigate, interview, and evaluate programs on topics, such as (but not limited to): policies and procedures, board notes, restraints/ seclusions, behavior management and discipline, client rights, medication administration, educational activities, community activities, recreational activities, treatment, and services to be/ being provided, and site compliance. Additionally, this position is responsible to ensure compliance by determining if staff and care providers are supervised and trained according to their individual needs and the needs of the youth, assessing treatment planning, observing the milieu, assessing the quality of home study evaluations, assessing behavioral interventions utilized by facilities, and examining financial documentation to ensure the stability of agencies and facilities and that the basic needs of the youth are being met. This position is relied upon to be the regulatory authority with interpreting Volume 7 regulations while monitoring and investigating their assigned providers. This position may be asked to assist other Licensing and or/ Investigative Monitoring Specialists on scheduled licensing or monitoring visits. This position is responsible to collaborate with and partner with the assigned Licensing Specialist when there is an opportunity to work together with the agency/ facility.

This position is responsible to provide or research options for and coordinate technical assistance to licensed facilities and agencies in order to increase their compliance when in violation of State regulations and related statutes, with a particular focus on child protection, safety, and children’s rights. This position will oversee and direct providers to improve programming to ensure the safety, care, and well-being of all children/youth in out-of-home placement or receiving educational services. This position is assigned a caseload of licensed providers for which they are responsible to monitor and oversee compliance.
This position is recognized as a staff authority and subject matter expert specific to the Investigative Monitoring Team with a focus on facility schools and day treatment facilities as it pertains specifically to agencies and facilities licensed by the Provider Services Unit within the Division of Child Welfare.

Completes Reports of Inspection for Investigations . This position is responsible to regularly conduct Stage II Investigations, Complaint Investigations, Critical Incident Report Investigations, and other relevant investigations to determine agency/ facility culpability and compliance with Volume 7 regulations and related statutes for providers assigned on their caseload. Once the investigation is complete, this position is responsible to complete a timely Report of Inspection (ROI). The ROI’s contains information related to the allegations, a narrative of the visit, the technical assistance that was provided to ensure compliance, and whether the allegations were confirmed/ unconfirmed (for Complaints) or founded/ unfounded (for Stage II’s). This position is responsible to ensure that the ROI addresses if there are identified agency/ facility culpability (violations) and if not, the Specialist is responsible to explain how they came to their conclusion that there were no identified violations. This position must provide information about the specific technical assistance that was provided throughout the visit and afterward if follow-up is required. This position is also responsible for documenting that the violations were communicated and reviewed with the agency/ facility staff, so they have an understanding of how they need to come into compliance with the related regulations and/or statute violations. This position is responsible for also completing ROI’s for all visits, in person, while out at the facility, to include the technical assistance being provided. This position is responsible for reviewing responses to ensure the agency/ facility has come into compliance with the violations identified. If this position determines the response is unacceptable to the Department’s standards, this position is responsible for reissuing the ROI and providing additional technical assistance until the agency/ facility comes into compliance with the identified violation(s).

Stakeholder Involvement . This position is responsible for participating in the development and implementation of integrated and consistent monitoring protocols within the Division of Child Welfare. This position will often interact with internal and external stakeholders including, but not limited to, the County Departments of Human Services, the Administrative Review Division, the Behavioral Health Administration, the Division of Youth Services, and the Division of Early Learning and Licensing and Administration. Additionally, this position will consult, as necessary, with other government agencies as they relate to licensed providers, such as the Department of Public Health and Environment, the Department of Education, the Colorado Department of Public Safety, the Department of Regulatory Agencies, Health Care Policy and Finance, and the Office of Management Improvement. This position is responsible to represent the Department in accordance with its mission and values, while also upholding strong ethical values.
This position will make recommendations to management with regard to the development, testing, and refining of the review/ investigation process. This position will make recommendations to Volume 7 rule revisions to reflect current practice and statute changes as they relate to the responsibilities of an Investigative Monitoring Specialist. This position is relied on to be the expert opinion on how Volume 7 regulations are interpreted and implemented while working directly with their assigned providers. This position, in accordance with their staff authority responsibilities, may also work with other stakeholders involved with licensed agencies/facilities to make recommendations to improve provider performance and to assure children’s health, safety, and well-being.

Corrective Action. This position will compile and interpret data on patterns of provider deficiencies or gross incidents of non-compliance with Volume 7 regulations and related statutes, based on prior investigations and subsequent reports of inspection, in order to recommend when adverse licensing actions are warranted. This position will advise management on the action steps necessary to rectify ongoing concerns and violations at the agency/ facility. This position will provide documentation and testimony in related court hearings. This position will partner with the assigned Licensing Specialist to collaborate, provide follow-up to the provider, and increase on-site monthly monitoring visits (and sometimes more frequent) until the provider deficiencies are resolved and abuse/neglect or other safety concerns are alleviated.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Minimum qualifications:

Seven years of professional experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position.

Substitutions:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a field of study related to the work assignment.

And

Three years of professional experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position.

*Employment history is calculated on a full-time basis (40/hrs per week). Part-time employment is calculated on a pro-rated basis to determine qualifications. Be sure your application specifically addresses your qualifications, experience, work products, and accomplishments as they relate to the position and minimum requirements.*

Preferred Qualifications:

• 
  Preferred candidate will have at least five years of public or private sector experience related to Child Welfare with a focus on investigations, counseling, evaluating programs, and interviewing children and adolescents.
• Graduate degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Psychology, Social Work, Childhood Development, Sociology, or a closely related field of study.
• Experience providing direct care and/ or providing counseling to youth in a child welfare setting, such as residential, educational, casework, and/or child placement agency entity.
• Demonstrates knowledge of Volume 7 licensing regulations and statutes.
• Demonstrates ability to establish collaborative partnerships and effective working relationships with a variety of internal and external customers and diverse public and private stakeholders.
• Demonstrates skills in completing an investigation.
• Demonstrates skills in interviewing children and adolescents, to include those with complex-traumatic backgrounds.
• Demonstrated skills with interpreting and enforcing regulations.
• Outstanding skills and abilities in verbal and written communication, and report writing.

Conditions of Employment

• Full Background. CDHS employees (all Direct contact with vulnerable persons):
  CBI name check and fingerprint check, ICON Colorado court database, Medicare fraud database, Reference Checks, Professional License verification (licensure requirements), Drug Screen, PREA (Division of Youth Services), Trails check (direct contact with children), CAPS (direct contact with adults – Mental Health Institutes, Regional Centers, Veterans Community Living Centers).
• Colorado Driver’s License
• Travel - This position currently works 100% percent remotely from home address and will be required to use a personal vehicle for frequent travel to the CDHS office, assigned agencies/facilities, and other identified locations for the purpose of related primary job duties as assigned. This position may be required to complete overnight travel and infrequent extended travel within the State of Colorado. Auto insurance is also required.
• This position is designated as remote; employees must maintain a home office, internet, and possibly phone.
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose the information on the application and provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify the applicant from the current position. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.

Supplemental Information

For additional recruiting questions, please contact araceli.diaz @state.co.us

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan www.copera.org plus 401(k) and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• BenefitHub state employee discount program
• Employee Wellness program MotivateMe
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more

• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions

• 
  Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more

We believe in a people-first approach: To serve the people of Colorado, we develop a culture and work environment that creates an energized, inspired, and healthy team capable of giving their best to Coloradans.

Balance creates quality of life: We want our team to be resilient through a supportive workplace that values flexibility, health and wellness, and employee engagement.

We hold ourselves accountable: We take responsibility through our actions, programs, and results for the state of health and human services in Colorado.

Transparency matters: We are open and honest with employees, our partners, the Coloradans we serve, and the public.

We are ethical: We abide by what is best for those we serve by doing what is right, not what is easy.

Collaboration helps us rise together: We work together with all partners, employees, and clients to achieve the best outcomes for Coloradans.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

ADAA Accommodations: CDHS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAA Coordinator, Nancy Schmelzer, at cdhs_ada@state.co.us or call 1-800-929-0791.

~THE STATE OF COLORADO IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER~