Adult Protective Services Program Specialist; Social Services Specialist III

Overview

Department Information

Please note that this recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies. The Division of Aging and Adult Protective Services (AAPS) is one of three Divisions within the Office of Children, Aging, and Community Services. The Division provides state leadership and supervision for services to older adults and at-risk adults, including oversight of 64 county social/human services departments for APS programs and 16 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) for Older Americans Act programs.

This includes oversight of the State Funding for Senior Services (SFSS).

The Division comprises management units that report to the Division Director, including:

• State Unit on Aging (SUA)
• Adult Protective Services, including the CAPS Check Unit (CCU) and APS Policy Unit
• Data, Fiscal and Program Accountability functions within both units

This is a hybrid position; the selected candidate will be required to work in the office two days a week.

This Social Services Specialist position is a program specialist for the APS program.

Responsibilities include:

coordination, development, and provision of training and written materials to county APS staff, other professional agencies, and community groups; providing technical assistance and consultation to county staff; monitoring program requirement compliance; recommending and drafting legislative, rule, policy, and other changes with analysis; and participating on external task forces, committees, or work groups.

As a Social Services Specialist III, you can expect to:

• Respond to questions and requests from county staff and community professionals related to program processes; provide technical assistance on complex issues in adult protection; establish standards for prompt replies and develop tools to measure effectiveness; analyze questions to support training curricula and issue referral; develop county-specific technical assistance strategies.
• Monitor county program compliance with APS statutory and regulatory requirements; assist county APS staff to improve casework; conduct on-site or off-site program assessments and recommend corrective actions as needed.
• Determine statewide needs for APS caseworker training; develop and deliver curriculum for county APS staff and other professional groups; train in various modalities (classroom, meetings, webinar, online, manuals, fact sheets, etc.); assist with contract coordination and speaker selection; implement training events and contribute to curriculum improvements. Training may require intra-state travel.
• Participate on external task forces, committees, or work groups; develop inter-program protocols; promote public awareness and outreach for at-risk adults; prepare written reports and presentations; collaborate with professional groups to ensure protections for vulnerable adults; provide training and technical assistance in maintaining statutorily required APS multidisciplinary teams.

Requires at least two years of experience working with at-risk adults as a case manager or APS caseworker, and at least two years of experience with a complex data system.

Experience Only

Six (6) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work of this position.

OR

Education And Experience

A combination of related education and/or relevant experience equal to six (6) years.

• Experience in the Colorado APS program, other Adult Protective Services programs, or similar government-regulated work.
• Experience in curriculum development and multi-modal delivery.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Zoom, and Salesforce or other electronic case management systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong time management and attention to detail.
• Experience interpreting regulations, statutes, and policies.
• Excellent customer service and stakeholder engagement skills.

• All CDHS employees undergo background checks and verification (CBI name check, ICON Colorado court database, Medicare fraud database, reference checks, professional license…