Family Assistance Liaison

Family Assistance Liaison – Arapahoe County

The Arapahoe County government serves its communities in ways both obvious and obscure. As the beating heart of local and regional government, we're here for our neighbors on their best days---and their worst. We share our residents' goals of preserving our quality of life and strive to be the place we're proud to call home.

The Coroner's Family Assistance Liaison supports the Coroner's Office during the investigation of sudden deaths and provides advocacy and support to the family.

• Functions as a direct point of contact and liaison to the bereaved: answers questions, explains office policies, discusses autopsy results, and makes referrals in a timely manner.
• Provides crisis intervention and advocacy for families; identifies resources and makes referrals to appropriate community agencies, crisis intervention services, victim assistance, grief counseling services, or other resources, as appropriate.
• Educates families on the coroner process and procedures.
• Acts as a liaison to update families on case status and deliver proactive communication to family members.
• Participates in the Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System working to prevent injury and violence related deaths among infants, children, and youth.
• Participates in public health programs and aids in data collection and distribution, and ensures the Office complies with death reporting requirements (to include the Colorado Violent Death Reporting System, State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, and Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System).
• Builds partnerships with community organizations focused on mental health, prevention, and related issues.
• Liaisons with public administrator and human services for disposition of remains when body is unclaimed or family is unable to coordinate disposition.
• Monitors unclaimed or unidentified decedents, updates NAMUS or other relevant databases, and ensures correct legal next of kin has been notified.
• Evaluates program impact, identifies community needs, and recommends service improvements, including development of materials for family support and outreach.
• Tracks feedback from family members to propose and assess changes to policies, procedures, and workflows for greater effectiveness.
• Coordinates the release of deceased individuals and their personal belongings.

• Communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing, with empathy and compassion. Effective public speaking to groups of varied interests and backgrounds.
• Skilled in addressing complex or sensitive issues with professionalism and empathy.

• Accountability
• Accessibility
• Inclusivity
• Integrity

Education And Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Family Studies, Psychology, Criminal Justice or another closely related behavioral or social science field.
• 3+ years of victim advocacy, social work, crisis intervention and/or another closely related field which includes case management experience.
• Any equivalent combination of education and work experience that satisfy the requirements of the job will be considered.

Preferred Education And Experience

• Master's degree in social work, clinical psychology, or related field
• Coroner's Office, Funeral, or Bereavement Experience
• Bi-Lingual (Spanish)

Additional Pre-Employment Requirements

• Must successfully pass pre-employment testing which includes an acceptable motor vehicle record (MVR) and background check.

Post-Employment Requirements

• Will require fingerprinting and a Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) background check
• Successful completion of bi-annual Colorado Justice Information System (CJIS) training.
• Incumbents must be available for emergency events and available to work on-call as needed including evenings, holidays and weekends.
• Recognizes the diversity of individuals and populations including cultural, environmental, historical, social, and structural frameworks affecting the needs of a family.
• Maintains effective working relationships with peers, customers, and leadership.
• Knowledgeable in legal/medical terminology, coroner…