About Our Job

Denver Public Safety Youth Programs (DPSYP) is hiring a Bilingual (Spanish) Diversion Officer to perform assessment and case management duties in support of the Diversion Services Unit. DPSYP serves as the youth delinquency prevention and intervention arm of the Denver Department of Public Safety and is responsible for coordinating prevention and intervention strategies to prevent and reduce youth delinquency. Candidates must be available to work regular evening work hours (until 7pm) and some weekend shifts.

Job responsibilities will include:

• Complete needs/risk assessments to identify risk and protective factors that are present with youth and evaluate youths’ resiliency and strengths. This includes basic needs such as housing and food.
• Utilize methods, techniques, and approaches to the delivery of care that are consistent with the age group, developmental skills, and mental health issues of the youth and in conformance with a specific Diversion plan tailored to the unique strengths and needs of each youth.
• Create individualized Diversion plans with youth/family that will increase protective factors and mitigate risk factors. Plans may include attending support/prevention groups, mentoring, tutoring, counseling, or individual projects.
• Connect youth and family to internal and external resources that can help meet the needs of the youth/family.
• Maintain ongoing contact with youth/family to track progress towards completing the Diversion plan tasks and assist with removing any barriers that may be hindering progress.
• Work in partner schools to support alternative response strategies that limit the use of citations to hold youth accountable.
• Prepare court reports detailing youth progress towards meeting Diversion plan tasks.
• Maintain electronic and hard copy files and records consistent with departmental, local, and state policies, and federal rules and regulations.
• Prepare and facilitate in-house groups for youth/family.

About You

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Fluency in Spanish – please make sure to mark your language experience when completing the application.
• Familiarity with commonly used risk/need assessment and treatment assessment tools.
• General understanding of effective interventions and evidence-based practices for working with justice-involved and at-risk youth.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to problem solve in stressful situations.
• Ability to multi-task in stressful situations.
• General understanding and experience applying positive youth development principles when working with youth.
• Ability to work as part of a team and effectively network with a variety of organizations including juvenile justice, child welfare, public education, service providers and community-based/focused agencies.
• Knowledge of the theories and practices of counseling and case management such as Stages of Change and Motivational Interviewing sufficient to be able to perform the duties related to the work assignment.

Below are the minimum requirements used to determine eligibility for this position:

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Sociology, Human Services, Criminal Justice, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: One (1) year of experience in performing case management including completing comprehensive needs assessments and developing and implementing case plans. Or one (1) year of experience in case work and counseling in areas such as Diversion, Probation, alcohol and drug abuse, community based treatment case management, or a closely related area.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.
• License/Certifications: By position, requires eligibility to possess a Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC) certificate or an Alcohol and Drug Evaluation Specialist (ADES) Certification from the State of Colorado at the time of application. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CN2163 Diversion and Criminal Justice Officer

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$25.57 - $38.36

Starting Pay

Based on Experience and Education

Agency

Department of Safety

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.