Social Work IV at Jail Based Restoration/Forensic Services Department.

This position is open to current Colorado residents only.

About the role

Located within the Colorado Department of Human Services, Civil and Forensic Mental Health (CFMH) is responsible for policy development, service provision and coordination, program monitoring and evaluation, and administrative oversight for the public behavioral health system. CFMH funds, supports, and monitors numerous mental health and substance abuse community programs and providers. CFMH also operates the Colorado Mental Health Hospitals at Fort Logan and Pueblo, the Mental Health Transitional Living Homes, and the Forensic Services Division.

CFMH executes the State’s federal responsibilities as the State Mental Health Authority and the State Substance Abuse Authority to administer federal block grant funds for mental health and substance abuse. The Forensic Services Division is responsible for six departments, including Forensic Community-Based Services (FCBS), Jail-Based Evaluation and Restoration (JBR), Outpatient Restoration (OPR), the Forensic Support Team (FST), the Court Services Department, and the Operations Department.

Our teams work within various settings, including community agencies, jails, courts, and hospitals. The locations can include locked units and secure facilities, and our clients may at times be unpredictable due to their mental health needs. Our team is required to make critical decisions in dynamic, fast-paced environments to ensure a high level of accountability in patient care. Staff must maintain updated skills, knowledge, abilities, and competencies through continuing education, clinical supervision, literature review, and discipline and team development. This position may require traveling throughout Colorado to meet the needs of the department.

The JBR Program is the only program providing jail-based competency restoration services for individuals found incompetent to proceed by the courts and ordered to undergo restoration treatment in the State of Colorado. In addition, the JBR department provides oversight to contracted private hospital programs and treatment to individuals ordered by the courts to undergo initial competency and mental condition/sanity evaluations. The JBR Program serves as the State expert on restoration and competency in a jail-based setting and collaborates with numerous other entities and governmental agencies to ensure best practices in admissions, competency restoration treatment, and continuity of care.

The JBR program oversees all contracts associated with these programs, coordinates admissions, conducts program audits, establishes best practices, and engages in site visits.

Schedule

Weekly hybrid working arrangements: minimum 3 days in the office and maximum 2 days of remote work. Work arrangements are subject to change at any time.

Responsibilities

• Direct oversight and monitoring of the 110-bed program at Peak View Behavioral Health, the 78-bed restoration program at the Arapahoe County Detention Facility, and the 18-bed restoration program in Denver County.
• Conduct regular program site visits to ensure adequate care and treatment, provide coaching and guidance, and identify, create, and facilitate program training.
• Establish processes designed to meet expectations, guidelines, and treatment standards, incorporating person-specific and programmatic-level interventions based on evidence-based guidelines.
• Engage in program auditing, identify deficiencies, provide recommendations, and determine action plan needs to ensure fidelity to contractual agreements and best practices.
• Provide direct clinical treatment oversight and consultation as needed or requested.
• Assess, identify, and report patient transfer needs due to increased stabilization or psychiatric decompensation to ensure adequate level of care.
• Participate in the department’s on-call rotation to provide after-hours support to programs.
• Assist with coordination of programmatic functions across various entities, track data, and engage in daily communications with agencies and departments.
• Assist in the creation of departmental policy and procedures and gather data to report on program performance and compliance.
• Serve as the contract monitor for program performance using program and individual client data, site visits, and audits to assess contractor performance at jail-based and hospital-purchased bed locations.
• Take a primary role in audits of jail-based and private hospital partnerships and provide clinical oversight and support for these partnerships.
• Promote operational and administrative compliance with CDHS policies and procedures.
• Serve as a liaison between contractors, CDHS court services, CMHHIP, CMHHIFL, jail-based and private hospital partnerships, CDHS outpatient restoration, and the Director of Jail-Based Restoration.
• Use established criteria to make decisions about transfers to and from jail-based restoration and hospital-purchased beds in a timely and efficient manner.
• Meet with patients as needed, analyze patient records, and use clinical judgment to make decisions regarding placement needs.
• Assess referrals for transfer to and from State hospitals and determine appropriateness and urgency of transfers.
• Provide coaching and consultation to treatment staff to optimize interventions tailored to individuals' needs.
• Identify, create, and facilitate training needs for programs, including clinical, disposition, legal, and competency-related training.
• Establish clear guidelines for contractors to ensure fidelity to evidence-based modalities and create training to foster growth.
• Assist with data tracking, collection, and reporting to CDHS and CFMH.
• Contribute to and participate in presentations regarding jail-based restoration services and private-hospital restoration.
• Provide information on relevant competency evaluation and restoration trends and research to contractors and serve as a consultant and liaison to treatment providers.
• Support jail-based and private hospital programs with education and resources regarding patient transitions back into the community.
• Assist in gathering referrals from various sources, including the referral table, Admissions Program Director at CMHHIP, CMHHIFL, Court Services, county jails, and databases.
• Use established criteria to determine admissions and discharges to and from jail-based restoration programs and hospital-purchased beds.
• Analyze information, including records and psychological assessments, and use clinical judgment to make decisions regarding placement needs.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to meet operational needs of the agency and CFMH department.

Requirements

• Current, valid Colorado licensure as a Licensed Social Worker (LSW), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
• Two (2) years of licensed experience based on the work assigned to the position.
• Applicants for supervisory positions must hold licensure that meets the legal requirements for performing supervisory responsibilities.
• Due to the juvenile population served at the MHI facilities, incumbents must be at least 21 years of age.
• On-call status: participation in on-call rotation, crisis management, and after-hours engagement with stakeholders.
• Vaccinations as required by the State of Colorado.
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose this information on the application, explain why it should not disqualify them, and provide their prior employee number.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with the severe and persistent mentally ill (SPMI) population.
• Experience in competency restoration or evaluation.
• Experience working in a jail or psychiatric hospital setting.
• Experience conducting clinical programming audits.
• Strong knowledge of CDPHE regulations and Joint Commission Standards for psychiatric facilities.
• Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, or Psychology.