Family Court-Deputy Juvenile Officer - Child Protective Services

Full Job Description

Family Court of St. Louis County is hiring for a Deputy Juvenile Officer in the Child Protective Services Department.

Range 10 $48,048 - $72,092. This position is eligible for the 10% addition to pay effective January 12, 2020.

This is a non-merit position. Recruitment for this position will be handled by the Family Court of St. Louis County. Position is eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As an employer, St. Louis County cares about the health and well-being of our employees. In an effort to provide for the best possible work-life balance, the County offers a generous benefits package that includes affordable health insurance, dental and vision coverage, 4 weeks of Paid Time Off the first year, 11 paid holidays, deferred benefit retirement plan, paid life insurance as well as short- and long-term disability. A full listing of benefits is available under the benefit tab at the top of this page.

Requirements

An employee in this job class and position is responsible for performing work of marked difficulty requiring sound professional judgment.

This position functions as a Deputy Juvenile Officer in the Court’s Child Protective Services Department and acts as an officer of the Court.

Work involves functioning as a Deputy Juvenile Officer for abuse/neglect cases and handles status, misdemeanor and felony referrals for CPS involved youth.

As a Deputy Juvenile Officer, the position completes an in-depth assessment with families, including gathering additional information from Children’s Division staff and the police, to determine the appropriate amount of Court intervention necessary to safeguard children from further abuse/neglect.

Work is performed under the general supervision of a Child Protective Services Manager. Work is reviewed through regular supervisory conferences, reports submitted, and the achievement of stated goals.

Responds to written referrals from Children’s Division, Law Enforcement, medical personnel, schools, and other professionals, alleging that a child has been abused/neglected.

Gathers further information as needed and determines the level of intervention necessary to keep the child(ren) in question, safe.

Reviews the referral to determine if emergency placement is warranted by either taking judicial custody of the child(ren) or issuing a capias warrant to have law enforcement take custody of the child(ren).

If emergency placement is not needed, contacts assigned Children’s Division worker within established time frames to determine what action, if any, is needed by the Juvenile Office to ensure the safety of the child(ren).

Interviews and consults with hotline investigator, police officer, physician, child (if appropriate), parents, referral source, Juvenile Office attorneys, manager and other professionals.

Completes in-depth social investigation of the child and family by means of interviewing parents, child (if appropriate) and relatives/ kinship persons interested in becoming a placement resource for the child(ren).

Enters into an Informal Adjustment Contract with parents and child(ren) (if appropriate) within the timeframes established by the Juvenile Officer Performance Standards and monitors the situation for a period of time for progress and to determine if further action is necessary.

Requests and reviews adult arrest records, completes diligent searches for names and addresses of unknown parents and updates the legal file, petition and state Justice Information System by filing Motions to Modify as needed; informs parties of their rights and responsibilities regarding children placed out of the home.

Prepares Judicial Custody Authorization for emergency placements for child(ren) who are removed from their home by police, a physician or Deputy Juvenile Officer because they are deemed in imminent danger if left in the home.

Informs parties of the protective custody hearing, and their right to be represented by an attorney of their choosing or a Court appointed attorney, if qualified, initiates petitions being filed in consultation with our legal department.

Conducts visits in the community to include home visits (if appropriate), school and other community-based visits for the purpose of gathering further assessment information.

Makes recommendations to the Court regarding the child’s removal from the home, including continued removal; placement in foster care, relative/kinship home or residential setting, returning home with Court ordered conditions or releasing the child(ren) home without continued Court involvement.

Prepares verbal and written summary/recommendations for hearings by independently gathering information from Children’s Division, service providers, child’s attorney (Guardian ad litem), and Juvenile Officer’s attorney, regarding final disposition, including recommendations regarding custody, visitation, professional services needed to rectify the issue cited in the referral as well as the need for continued Court involvement.

Attends Court hearings, testifying in hearings and providing evidence for adjudication and justifying recommendations.

Provides referrals to community-based resources to include mental health, parenting education, drug and alcohol programs or other necessary resources needed to support the child and their family.

Attends staffing's regarding children assigned to him/her such as: Team Decision Making Meetings (TDMs), Family Support team meetings (FSTM), Best Interest Determination (BID) meetings, Individualized Education Program (IEP), Suspension or Expulsion meetings and Adoption staffing's.

Attends Family Treatment Court - SAFETI Program staffing's regarding parents involved in treatment court and provides updates to the Court.

Monitors a myriad of ongoing services and provides ongoing assistance to parents or other parties to ensure compliance of the Court Order and informs the Court of non-compliance as needed.

Responds to inquiries from the public regarding abuse/neglect issues via “walk-ins” and phone inquiries.

Completes computer entries into Show Me Courts for case processing.

Required to work unusual hours from time to time to meet the needs of the children and their families.

Responds to referrals for CPS youth who have been referred for the Juvenile Office for status, misdemeanor and felony offenses; conducts interviews and completes thorough assessment of the youth; completes Missouri Risk and Needs Assessment to assist in identifying appropriate services; determine appropriate level of intervention which could include informal or formal services; refers youth to community-based services; visits youth detention in the Juvenile Detention Center; provides transportation assistance to necessary appointments as well as transportation by Division of Youth Services if the youth is committed to their custody; prepares summaries for Court and monitors progress of services and obtains progress reports for court ordered services, restitution or community.

Qualifications

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work or a related social/behavioral science is required (an MSW is preferred), plus at least one year of professional social work experience working with juveniles and families; or any equivalent combination of training and experience.

Additional Information

All applicants conditionally offered a permanent part-time, full-time, term or on-call position will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Screening will be performed by a reputable clinical laboratory. The cost of screening will be paid by the County. Applicants will also be required to submit to an extensive background and criminal record check.

EOE. Please contact the Human Resources Department at Relay MO 771 or 800 735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process, or if you would like this posting in an alternative format.