12 Colo. Code Regs. § 2509-7.603

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 11, June 10, 2024

Section 12 CCR 2509-7.603 - CHILD WELFARE STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING

7.603.1Child Welfare Qualification and Certification Requirements [Eff. 9/1/22]

The county department and/or the Hotline County Connection Center shall ensure that all staff who perform the following duties meet the required minimum qualifications and fulfill all certification and re-certification requirements prior to assuming, or continuing to perform, the duties described in this section on an independent basis as prescribed by the state department (Section 26.5.109, C.R.S.):

A. Hotline Worker Certification

1. Job duties that require hotline worker certification

a. Engages callers in the phone interview process;

b. Responds to inquiries; and/or,

c. Executes all components of the information gathering process as outlined in the Code of Colorado Regulations.

2. Minimum Educational Requirements

a. A high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED)

3. Initial Certification Requirements

a. To be certified as a hotline worker and perform the duties as outlined in 7.603.1, A, 1, a-c, the staff person shall:

1. Complete the pre-service hotline training for workers;

2. Complete all required Transfer of Learning exercises with the assistance of a supervisor, or supervisor's designee; and,

3. Demonstrate competence through pre-and post-tests, trainer observation, and verification by the county department as outlined in the request for certification.

4. Re-certification Requirements

a. To be re-certified as a hotline worker, the staff person must participate in ten (10) hours of in-service training each state fiscal year. Qualifying in-service training exercises include:

1. Quality assurance exercises by the supervisor;

2. Observation and/or participation in RED Teams; and/or,

3. Training focused in the area of the hotline worker's primary job responsibilities.

B. Hotline Staff Supervisor Certification

1. Job duties that require hotline staff supervisor certification

a. Oversees the work of hotline workers, ensuring that all calls received by the county, or hotline county connection center, have information gathered and documented in the state automated case management system, and may participate in the RED team process;

b. Determines jurisdiction of referrals and child welfare inquiries, coordinates their transfer to the appropriate county departments, ensures delivery of referrals to law enforcement and/or judicial partners as needed;

c. Monitors the workload of hotline workers and data associated with the operations of the county departments, or county connection centers, hotline staff, determines resource needs to achieve the goals of the hotline staff, and makes recommendations to higher level management;

d. Meets with hotline workers individually and in groups to counsel staff regarding rules, policies, procedures, data trends, and laws; reviews specific calls, actions taken and problems encountered;

e. Establishes individual training needs of hotline workers and ensures that an effective training plan is in place; and,

f. Establishes individual performance plans, reviews the performance of hotline workers on a periodic basis, including review and evaluation of hotline workers' call recordings, and completes an annual performance evaluation.

2. Minimum Educational Requirements

a. A high school diploma or GED; and,

b. Three (3) years of professional child welfare experience in a public or private human services agency.

3. Initial Certification Requirements

a. To be certified as a hotline staff supervisor and perform the duties as outlined in 7.603.1, B, 1, a-f, the staff person shall:

1. Complete the pre-service hotline training for supervisors;

2. Complete all required Transfer of Learning exercises with the assistance of a supervisor, or supervisor's designee; and,

3. Demonstrate competence through pre- and post-tests, trainer observation, and verification by the county department as outlined in the request for certification.

4. Re-certification Requirements

a. To be re-certified as a hotline staff supervisor, the staff person must participate in ten (10) hours of in-service training each year. Qualifying in-service training exercises include:

1. Quality assurance exercises by the supervisor;

2. Observation and/or participation in RED Teams; and/or,

3. Training focused in the area of the hotline staff supervisor's primary job responsibilities.

C. Social Caseworker Trainee Certification

The social caseworker trainee is a professional training level position with intensive supervision and/or coaching by the county department in which assignments are limited to fifty percent (50%) of the county's average workload or ten (10) assessments and/or cases at any given time, whichever is less, and are planned and devised to develop and teach professional social casework techniques, basic foundations, and concepts appropriate to the assigned areas.

1. Job duties that require Social Caseworker Trainee certification

a. Provides prevention, assessment, and/or ongoing casework services for Program Areas 4, 5, and/or 6;

b. Provides intensive family services as an alternative to out-of-home placement;

c. Recruits and/or supervises certified foster family care homes, certified and non-certified kinship family care homes, and adoptive family homes;

d. Conducts home studies, grants certifications, and monitors the quality of care provided in foster family care homes, certified and non-certified kinship care homes, and adoptive family homes;

e. Provides individual and/or family counseling on an ongoing or crisis basis to children and/or youth and their parents, families and/or caregivers;

f. Provides training to local community partners regarding the referral, assessment, and service provision process.

2. Minimum Educational Requirements

a. 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.

3. Initial Certification Requirements

a. To be certified as a social caseworker trainee and perform the duties as outlined in 7.603.1, C, 1, a-f, the staff person shall:

1. Complete the pre-service training for new social caseworkers; and,

2. Demonstrate an emerging level of competence through pre- and post-tests, trainer observation, and verification by the county department as outlined in the request for trainee certification.

4. Re-certification Requirements

a. The social caseworker trainee certification is valid for up to one (1) year from initial certification date. Prior to the end of the certification year, the county department must request social caseworker certification to allow the staff person to continue to perform the duties described in 7.603.1, C, 1, a-f, or 7.603.1, D, 1, a-f.

D. Social Caseworker Certification

1. Job duties that require social caseworker certification

a. Provides prevention, assessment, and/or ongoing casework services for Program Areas 4, 5, and/or 6;

b. Provides intensive family services as an alternative to out-of-home placement;

c. Recruits and/or supervises certified foster family care homes, certified and non-certified kinship family care homes, and adoptive family homes;

d. Conducts home studies, grants certifications, and monitors the quality of care provided in foster family care homes, certified and non-certified kinship care homes, and adoptive family homes;

e. Provides individual and/or family counseling on an ongoing or crisis basis to children and/or youth and their parents, families and/or caregivers;

f. Provides training to local community partners regarding the referral, assessment, and service provision process.

2. Minimum Educational Requirements

a. 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,

b. Professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency.

3. Initial Certification Requirements

a. To be certified as a social caseworker and perform the duties as outlined in 7.603.1, D, 1, a-f, the staff person shall:

1. Complete the pre-service training for new social caseworkers;

2. Complete all required Transfer of Learning exercises with the assistance of a supervisor, or supervisor's designee; and,

3. Demonstrate competence through pre- and post-tests, trainer observation, and verification by the county department as outlined in the request for certification.

b. Upon initial certification as a social caseworker, the staff person receives dual certification as a hotline worker.

c. If a newly hired social caseworker has been certified as a social caseworker in the state of Colorado within the previous four (4) years, pre-service training for new social caseworkers is not required.

4. Re-certification Requirements

a. To be re-certified as a social caseworker, the staff person must participate in forty (40) hours of in-service training each state fiscal year, with a minimum of sixteen (16) of those hours focused in the area of the social caseworker's primary job responsibilities. Qualifying in-service training includes, but is not limited to:

1. Safety;

2. Risk;

3. Permanency;

4. Well-being;

5. Assessment;

6. Interviewing;

7. Family engagement;

8. Legal issues;

9. Indian Child Welfare Act;

10. Foster care, kinship care and adoption;

11. Effects of child abuse/neglect on development;

12. Principles of strengths-based, family-focused, child-centered and culturally responsive case planning and case management;

13. Sexual abuse issues;

14. Behavioral health issues;

15. Domestic violence issues;

16. Cultural disparity; and/or

17. Other innovative, emerging, promising, and/or best practices.

E. Social Casework Supervisor certification

1. Job duties that require social casework supervisor certification

a. Provides direct supervision to social casework staff and para-professionals;

b. Oversees the work of the unit, may make screening decisions regarding referrals, and assigns caseloads to workers based on the knowledge and skills of the social caseworkers in that unit;

c. Monitors the workload of the unit, determines resource needs to achieve the goal of the unit, and makes recommendations to higher level management;

d. Meets with social caseworkers individually and in groups, and counsels regarding rules, policies, procedures, data and laws; reviews specific cases, actions taken, and problems encountered; and creates an environment that allows for professional growth;

e. Establishes individual training needs of social caseworkers, and ensures that an effective training plan is in place;

f. Establishes individual performance plans, reviews the performance of social caseworkers on a periodic basis, and completes an annual performance evaluation.

2. Minimum Educational Requirements

a. A bachelor's degree from a higher education institution with course work related to the job responsibilities of child welfare social casework supervisor. 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,

b. Three (3) years of professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency; or,

c. A master's degree or higher in a social work or human behavioral sciences field; and,

d. Two (2) years of professional, internship, or volunteer work experience in a human services related agency.

3. Initial Certification Requirements

a. To be certified as a social casework supervisor, and perform the duties outlined in 7.603.1, D, 1, a-f, the staff person shall:

1. Complete the pre-service training for new social caseworkers if not previously certified within the previous four (4) years in the State of Colorado;

2. Complete the pre-service training for new social caseworker supervisors;

3. Complete all required transfer of learning exercises with the assistance of a supervisor, or supervisor's designee; and,

4. Demonstrate competence through pre- and post-tests, trainer observation, and verification by the county department as outlined in the request for certification.

b. Upon certification as a social casework supervisor, the staff person receives dual certification as a hotline staff supervisor.

4. Re-certification Requirements

a. To be re-certified as a social casework supervisor, the staff person must participate in forty (40) hours of in-service training each state fiscal year, with a minimum of sixteen (16) of those hours focused in the area of the social casework supervisor's primary job responsibilities. Qualifying in-service training includes, but is not limited to:

1. Leadership and management;

2. Data informed practice;

3. Worker safety;

4. Assessment;

5. Interviewing;

6. Family engagement;

7. Legal issues;

8. Indian Child Welfare Act;

9. Foster care, kinship care, and adoption;

10. Effects of child abuse/neglect on development;

11. Principles of strengths-based, family-focused, child-centered, and culturally responsive case planning and case management;

12. Sexual abuse issues;

13. Behavioral health issues;

14. Domestic violence issues;

15. Cultural disparity; and/or

16. Other innovative, emerging, promising, and/or best practices.

F. Case Aide/Life Skills worker

1. Minimum educational requirements

a. This position has obtained a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED); and,

b. Has six (6) months of full-time public contact in human services or a related field.

2. Substitution for public contact shall include successful completion of a certificate program and/or college course equivalent to public contact in Human services or a related field.

G. Temporary Educational Waiver Process

If proven recruitment difficulty exists, county departments may request a temporary waiver of the educational requirements by submitting a request to the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare, which includes the following information:

1. For Initial Hiring:

a. Documentation of the recruiting efforts and the identified difficulties;

b. Description of the specific services to be provided by the position, the title of the position, and the name of the candidate;

c. Justification as to how the candidate meets all other qualifications for the position; and,

d. A plan on how and when the candidate will meet the requirements contained in these rules.

A temporary educational waiver may be granted for up to two (2) years, with an option for the county department to request one (1) additional year. The progress on the plan outlined by the temporary waiver will be assessed every six (6) months by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare, and can be revoked or withdrawn at any time if the requirements are unable to be fulfilled within the identified timeframe.

2. For County Directors:

County directors who also provide direct supervision of child welfare services and who do not meet the minimum qualifications for the casework supervisor position must apply, and qualify, for a temporary educational waiver to provide these services.

H. Training Substitutions

If a newly hired person has previous experience and has successfully completed comparable child welfare training to the pre-service training for hotline workers, hotline worker supervisors, social caseworkers, or social casework supervisors, the county department may request a training substitution from the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare Training unit. The following information must be submitted:

1. Documentation of previous child welfare training including a description of the training and documentation of training completion;

2. Documentation of previous child welfare experience;

3. Completion of state automated case management system navigation training if applicable

4. Completion of the Colorado Family Safety and Risk Assessment training, if applicable; and,

5. Completion of county-specific Transfer of Learning exercises designed to prepare the worker to perform required job functions

Certification will be awarded after requirements of Section 7.603.1, H, 1-5, have been satisfied.

12 CCR 2509-7.603

38 CR 19, October 10, 2015, effective 11/1/2015

38 CR 23, December 10, 2015, effective 1/1/2016

40 CR 11, June 10, 2017, effective 7/1/2017

40 CR 21, November 10, 2017, effective 12/1/2017

45 CR 07, April 10, 2022, effective 4/30/2022

45 CR 15, August 10, 2022, effective 9/1/2022

46 CR 09, May 10, 2023, effective 6/1/2023