Child Protection Worker

Are you passionate about helping children and families thrive?  If so, this fulfilling and rewarding career opportunity is for you!  Iowa Health and Human Services (HHS), Family Well-Being and Protection Division, is seeking Child Protection Workers (Social Worker 3) to conduct assessments of allegations of abuse or neglect of vulnerable children in the Western Service Area in Dickinson County.  These vital frontline positions require multi-tasking and the ability to gather physical and documentary evidence and analyze information with accuracy and efficiency to assist in protecting the most vulnerable Iowans.  

Summary

These positions are full-time opportunities in Dickinson County, covering 2 -3 surrounding counties, working Monday – Friday with typical hours being from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM with paid overtime as needed including after-hours and weekend on call rotation.  All paid overtime must be pre-approved by leadership.  These positions require an in-office presence at the Spirit Lake office, with a probationary period of six months.  Upon successful completion of probation, you will be eligible for a pay increase and again 12 months later.  Some telework is an option if requested by the employee and approved by leadership.  

There will be travel on a regular basis to conduct assessments of allegations.  Mileage is paid at $0.50/mile travelled according to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) State Accounting Enterprise Procedures.  A valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle is required; however, you may request to reserve a state vehicle if available.  

Primary Job Duties Include:

• Assess the ongoing risk to children, develop safety plans, assess the strengths, and needs of the child and family, and make recommendations to various county attorneys and courts.
• Frequent interaction with law enforcement, medical/mental health community partners, schools, etc.
• Apply Iowa Code, agency policy, and sound professional judgment to highly complex situations involving crises and or chronic abuse or neglect. 
• Home visits, detailed interviews, and thorough narrative documentation. 
• Troubleshoot problematic situations to find innovative solutions to present to administration and the supervisor.
• Confront crisis situations and high stress situations in a calm and orderly manner maintaining confidential information as required by the agency and assuring safety is a top priority for all in the office.
• Obtain information from a wide variety of sources, including written materials, telephone conversations and through computer databases and to be able to read and interpret the data. 
• Identify rules, principles, or relationships that explain reasonable facts, data, or other information that analyzes information and correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.
• Interact in a team environment to manage group processes, facilitate, and encourage cooperation pride, trust, and group identity, foster commitment and team spirit; work with others to achieve goals.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong observational and analytical skills, as well the ability to respectfully engage families as partners in planning for safety and establish a working relationship with families. 
• Excellent judgment and communication skills and the ability to provide good written documentation in a timely manner.
• Critical thinking skills, prioritize work, and work under pressure.
• Independent judgement to make sound decisions, demonstrate integrity and confidentiality and a strong work ethic.
• The ability to speak more than one language.  Please list any additional languages you speak in your application.

Pending graduates are welcome to apply

How to Apply

For help creating a profile or entering your information, please go to the online Employment Application Guide. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Pending graduates are welcome to apply!

We have a great total compensation package for all our full-time employees, including:

• Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) (Employee contributes 6.29%/State of Iowa contributes 9.44%)
• Retirement Investors Club (RIC) (Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan) (State of Iowa matches up to $75/month)
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance (See below for more details
• Vacation Leave (96 hours/year)
• Sick Leave (144 hours/year)
• Paid Holidays (9 days/year)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance ($20,000 paid for by the State of Iowa)
• Long-Term Disability Insurance

For additional information on benefits click here.  Our Benefits at a Glance outlines the great benefits for this position.  

The State of Iowa is an EEO/AA Employer

HHS values those with “lived experience” and encourages foster youth, foster parents, and/or parents who were in the DHS (HHS) system to apply. Minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities are also encouraged to apply (Hearing and Speech Impaired – Relay Iowa 1-800-735-2942 TDD).  

Our agency uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree and the equivalent of three years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency;

graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in social work and the equivalent of two years of full-time experience in a social work capacity in a public or private agency;

a Master’s degree in social work from an accredited college or university;

an equivalent combination of graduate education in the social or behavioral sciences from an accredited college or university and qualifying experience up to a maximum of thirty semester hours for one year of the required experience;

employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes the equivalent of one year of full-time experience as a Social Worker 2 shall be considered as qualified.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.

For designated positions in case management, the appointing authority may request those applicants possessing a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major or at least 30 semester hours or its equivalent in the behavioral sciences, education, health care, human services administration, or social sciences and the equivalent of 12 months of full-time experience in the delivery of human services in the combination of: chronic mental illness, developmental disabilities, and intellectual disabilities as a Targeted (Medicaid) Case Manager;

an Iowa license to practice as a registered nurse and the equivalent of three years of full-time nursing or human services experience with the above population groups.

Applicants wishing to be considered for such designated positions must list applicable course work, experience, certificate, license, or endorsement on the application.

At the time of interview, applicants referred to Glenwood and Woodward State Hospital-Schools will be assessed to determine if they meet federal government employment requirements as published in the Federal Register, Section 20-CFR-405.1101.