Department Information

Description of Job

Summary of the position:
This position serves as the state’s authority for the Family First Prevention Services Act and provides support and recommendations to the Division leadership, as well as those in the Division that provide expert assistance and monitoring for the 64 county departments of human/social services. The knowledge and expertise of this position are leveraged when those in management are making decisions regarding the Family First Prevention Services Act.

The Family First Prevention Services Act has widespread implications for child welfare practice and Colorado’s statewide child welfare system. DCW and county departments of human services need state leadership to plan and implement reforms in a purposeful, coordinated manner. This position engages with DCW staff as well as external stakeholders.

This position improves the quantity and quality of the Division’s efforts to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act in partnership with county departments of human/social services and other stakeholders. Duties include engaging with stakeholders to determine the compliance with the Act, policy development to all aspects of the Act, and project management within DCW to ensure all program areas are working in a consistent, coordinated manner to theintent of the Act in their respective areas.

Duties:

Project Management. This position serves as the state staff authority for the Family First Prevention Services Act and provides support and recommendations to the Division leadership, as well as those in the Division that provide expert assistance and monitoring for the 64 county departments of human/social services. The knowledge and expertise of this position are leveraged when those in management are making decisions regarding the Family First Prevention Services Act.

• Works with the Child Welfare Leadership Team to strategize the approach for managing these changes within DCW.
• Works with others in DCW as well as the Department of Early Childhood, the Office of Economic Security, the Behavioral Health Administration, and Health Care Policy and Financing to determine whether and how practices and policies need to change and be in alignment to be in compliance with the Act.
• Develops, manages, and implements work plans related to making any necessary changes.
• Participates in FFPSA committees/subcommittees, filter groups, stakeholder meetings, etc. to ensure scope, timelines, deliverables, budgets, and quality are meeting and exceeding expectations.
• Interacts with confidence with members of CDHS’s executive leadership team, stakeholders, county and community partners, various state agency staff, members of the general assembly, and Governor’s office staff.
• Facilitates meetings to gather information, document current processes and update FFPSA project tracking as appropriate.
• Develops and applies a structured change management approach and methodology for the “people side” of change and develop a change management strategy for all improvement, policy-related and strategy projects.
• Work closely with the OCYF Communication Manager to figure out the best way to communicate changes via effective communications mechanisms utilizing change management best practices.
• Manager and oversee the time limited FFPSA Transition fund allocation.

Project Management .
Planning:

• Provides project management, coordination, facilitation and overall support to Colorado’s effort to develop and/or finalize and monitoring of the plan for the Federal Family First Prevention Act and ensuring the structures and processes put in place effectively support the Family First Prevention Services Act work.
• Establishes scope, refines the objectives, defines the course of action; engages stakeholders; articulates project needs/constraints.
• Develops and tracks work plans and deadlines for the compliance of the Family First Prevention Services Act.
• Formulates project schedules, priorities, and work plans. Track the progress of projects, and identify problems/challenges and works to identify possible solutions.
• Apply basic project management methodology and skills such as: identify the project scope, identify and resolve issues in a structured way, identify stakeholders/resources, and assign tasks as directed.

Executing:

• Work plan implementation, monitoring, reporting
• Facilitating communication within and across FFPSA teams and structures
• Participation and contribution at project meetings
• Defining and developing deliverables (see below)
• This position decides the form for compliance and communicating policy and practice changes.

Closing:

• Finalize all activities and close-out/end project

Information review and gathering.

• Review and understand documents and reports to deepen knowledge and understanding of CO’s state/county plans, priorities and programs
• Gather/summarize/analyze/communicate federal, state, or local resources related to the Family First Prevention Services Act itself or specific areas of focus within the Act
• Literature search or review of specific areas upon request to include other approved plans from other jurisdictions.

Deliverables:

• Write, review and update Colorado’s Title IV-E Prevention Plan as amendments are required
• Co-create crosswalk of integrated and aligned Family First Prevention Services Act responsibilities, activities, and decisions inclusive of Child Welfare Prevention Task Force, Families First Assessment Work Group, and other key organizations.
• Manage the communication plan, including ongoing posting of Family First Prevention Services Act resources to webpage
• Provide continued support to CDHS and/or community or county partners to assure structure and process support the work.
• Monitor federal guidance and mobilize appropriate CO Family First Prevention Services Act response.
• Coordinate and/or respond to requests for Family First Prevention Services Act information from stakeholders
• Ensure institutionalization of these functions into agency/organization structures and staffing
• Ensure the FFPSA transition funds are allocated and spent on effective programs to move FFPSA forward across Colorado

Stakeholder Engagement. This position is the Division’s subject matter expert on the Family First Prevention Services Act and is the Division’s representative on various Family First Prevention Services Act committees/subcommittees. This position attends all committee/subcommittee meetings. This position represents the Division’s priorities and positions. This position acts as a liaison between the committees/subcommittees and the rest of the Division, bringing back information to the Division and vice versa.

This position identifies issues or information from the committees/subcommittees that are important to share with the Child Welfare Leadership Team and/or individuals in the Division, ensuring that the Division’s priorities are represented and that Division staff are informed. This position takes a collaborative approach within the Division and with external stakeholders.

Meeting Participation, Planning and Facilitation.

• Family First Multi-Agency Alignment Team
• Work with co-chairs to establish meeting agendas
• Facilitate monthly meetings
• Communication and follow-up, including creating a cadence of accountability
• Workgroups
• Identification of new members
• Co-lead communication
• Cross-workgroup coordination
• Delivery of Child Welfare Services Task Force
• Attend monthly meetings as requested
• Support group leads in preparing for Task Force participation

Constituent and Stakeholder Engagement

• Support implementation of multiple strategies for stakeholder engagement:
• Workgroup membership
• Subject-matter expertise sharing/input
• Specialized meetings or gatherings for information sharing, soliciting feedback/input, highlighting actions/planning/decisions or outcomes

Assigned as a Subject Matter Expert (i.e. Intermediary) to County Partners. Provides ongoing communication, direction and technical assistance to assigned counties through monthly contact using face to face contacts, email, telephone and other emerging technologies. Monitors assigned county performance, provides coaching and works with assigned counties. Available for case consultations to provide policy and practice guidance. Representative of CDHS and the Division of Child Welfare to county partners. Staff authority with technical expertise to monitor and analyze county work and to facilitate and apply theories of continuous quality improvement processes to align with standard child protection practices.

Other Duties as Assigned

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Minimum Qualifications:

Education / Experience:

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

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

Substitutions:

Additional appropriate experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year
basis.

Conditions of Employment

• Standard Background – Name check, TRAILS, CMS and JBITS
• Must possess a valid, Colorado driver's license
• Travel – The work requires occasional travel to oversee the unit's auditing and monitoring functions or liaison with community partners and facilities; travel may occur any day of the week
• 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.
• As a condition of employment, effective September 20, 2021, employees will be required to attest to and verify whether or not they are fully vaccinated for COVID19. Employees who have not been fully vaccinated may be required to test at regular intervals if there is a State of Colorado employee mandate to serial testing in the future.
• Upon hire, new employees will have three (3) business days to provide attestation to their status. Vaccinated employees must provide proof of vaccination. The offer is, therefore, contingent upon you attesting to your vaccination status with proof of vaccination within three (3) business days of the first day of work. Be advised that “fully vaccinated” means two (2) weeks after a second dose in a two-dose series of the COVID-19 vaccine, such as the Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax vaccine, or two (2) weeks after the single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
  Religious and medical exemptions and reasonable accommodation shall be addressed as required by law pursuant to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s vaccination guidance. If you would like to request a medical or religious exemption, please contact CDHS_HumanResources@state.co.us.
  
  
  
  

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.
For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at (303) 866-3300; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.

Supplemental Information

• 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 ADAAA Coordinator, Nancy Schmelzer, at cdhs_ada@state.co.us or call 1-800-929-0791.

~THE STATE OF COLORADO IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER~