DCS INTAKE ASSOCIATE* - 02052025 - 65082

Job Information

State of Tennessee Job Information

LOCATION OF (25) POSITION(S) TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES, CHILD AND FAMILY MANAGEMENT DIVISION, STATEWIDE

Training Requirements:
New hire training is 8:00am CST to 4:30pm CST, Monday through Friday. Training is paid. Hotel is provided if travel is required (do not live locally to Nashville or surrounding area). Training is conducted both in person (Nashville, TN) and virtual (MS Teams). Duration of total training is typically up to 12 weeks, depends on related work experience, learning speed, successfully meeting training milestones, etc. In Person training occurs in Week 1 (3 days), Week 2 (2 days), Week 3 (2 days), Week 6 (2 days), and Week 7 (2 days). In Person days are typically on Monday and Tuesday (also Wednesday during first week). There could be other times designated for In Person at the Hotline in Nashville, but that is typically based on training progress/needs/concerns.

Typing Requirements:
A typing test is required, and you must be able to type at least 40 WPM

After successfully completing 12 weeks of Pre-Service Training; employee may be able to work from home. You must reside in TN, be able to provide your own internet service (not Wi-Fi) and have a private and confidential space to conduct live phone calls regarding child abuse and neglect. The computer equipment will be provided.
If you are unable to successfully work remotely, you will have to work office at the Child Abuse Hotline located in Nashville, TN.

2nd Shift positions receive Shift Differential Pay increase of 5% & 3rd Shift positions receive Shift Differential Pay increase of 4.5%.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, or related field of study.

NSQs: Applicants for this class must:

• Successfully complete a Fingerprint Background Check.
• Ability to work nights, evenings, weekends and/or holidays as needed.
• Ability to work remotely or physical office location. To work remotely, must have access to a private and confidential workspace and access to hardwired internet services.
• Ability to manually type 40 wpm or higher.

Overview

The DCS Intake Associate is the training, entry-level classification in the Child Abuse Hotline series. A person in this classification is assigned to work in a crisis-oriented call center and develops skills to conduct an investigatory intake of alleged child abuse and neglect and to appropriately assess the situation to determine next steps to immediately address child safety and risk concerns. This class differs from the DCS Intake Specialist in that the latter functions at the working level. A person in this classification reports to a DCS Intake Supervisor or DCS Intake Team Leader.

• An applicant appointed to this flexibly staffed class will be reclassified to the next higher class in the series after successful completion of a mandatory one-year training period; inadequate or marginal performance during the training period will result in automatic demotion or termination.

Responsibilities

• Develop skills to receive referrals of alleged child abuse and neglect from a variety of callers including but not limited to the general public and various community partners such as law enforcement, medical personnel, and school officials. Accepts other types of phone calls that could include general information inquiries, child/family interview requests from other states, and afterhours emergency requests for investigative field staff.
• Develop quality interviewing skills to conduct phone interviews regarding child abuse and neglect. Develop the ability to assess child safety and risk (i.e. child vulnerabilities, caregiver protectiveness, immediate concern of safety and welfare, etc.) by utilizing various follow up and clarifying questions. Based on information obtained from the interview, write an initial child abuse and neglect intake report (680).
• Develop active listening skills and communicate in a customer focused manner with callers in what may be a sensitive and/or highly stressful situation. Demonstrate the ability to be patient and flexible with the callers while staying focused on each interview task. Develop the ability to assess safety and risk (i.e. child vulnerabilities, caregiver protectiveness, immediate concern of safety and welfare, etc.) to child utilizing different forms of questioning.
• Develop quality documentation skills to ensure all information is accurately captured in the DCS electronic intake database and accurately documents and conveys reported concerns of child abuse and neglect.
• Develop multitasking skills to manage phone interview referrals and process non-phone call referrals received from online, fax, mail, or email.
• Develop skills to understand the child abuse and neglect reporting and case assignment process within DCS.
• Develop historical research skills using the DCS electronic intake database to conduct a detailed search for prior DCS involvement with the child and family. Ensure due diligence to determine if there is any prior investigations, duplicate information related to same child and/or family, current cases in the system, etc.
• Develop policy and procedure interpretation skills to review DCS screening tools to assess child safety and risk of harm for each intake. Demonstrate the ability to review policy and procedure to understand how to complete intakes and how to make the preliminary screening decision.
• Successfully complete and pass the Child Abuse Hotline Pre-Service Training program, as well as any additional mandatory annual training courses for DCS and/or Child Abuse Hotline. Maintain up-to-date knowledge base related to policy and procedure changes as well as other state mandates and statutes. Attend any designated mandatory meetings.
• Accurately enter leave and attendance in Edison. Complete travel claims as needed
• Participate in designated mandatory overtime shifts that include monthly weekend shifts, holiday shifts, and on call shifts to ensure appropriate staff coverage for the 24/7/365 Child Abuse Hotline.

Competencies (KSA's)

• Ability to work in a high stress situation and still be customer focused, flexible, demonstrate empathy and be culturally sensitive.
• Skilled in time troubleshooting, problem solving, and written/verbal communications.
• Knowledge of law and government, English language, and computer programs.
• Ability to demonstrate active learning and listening, critical thinking, and reading comprehension skills.
• Competency in time management, decision quality, and conflict management.

Tools & Equipment

• Laptops/Computer Accessories (keyboard, mouse, monitor)
• Headsets (for phone calls)
• General office equipment