Animal Shelter Social Worker – Denver Animal Protection

About Our Job This posting will accept applications until Sunday, May 14, 2023. Denver's Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) is dedicated to advancing Denver's environmental and public health goals. DDPHE works collaboratively with city, state and community partners to conduct education, community engagement, and enforcement to promote healthy people, healthy pets, and a sustainable environment. DDPHE oversees a number of services related to public health and the environment and is comprised of six divisions: Division of Shared Services and Business Operations; Community & Behavioral Health; Public Health Investigations; Denver Animal Protection; the Office of Medical Examiner; and Environmental Quality. For more information on DDPHE’s programs and services, visit the DDPHE website at: Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. We foster an inclusive culture by respecting the values, customs, and authenticity of everyone and by implementing equitable public health strategies so Denver communities can thrive. Denver Animal Protection (DAP) protects the safety and welfare of Denver’s animals and residents by fostering the human animal bond. DAP emphasizes public and animal safety and health, encourages responsible pet ownership through education and enforcing compliance with animal-related municipal code requirements, and cares for animals at the Denver Animal Shelter (DAS). More information can be found at: DDPHE: Denver Animal Protection. The Denver Animal Protection team has an opening for an Animal Shelter Social Worker. This position will provide many facets of resources, support services, emotional support, consultation, and short-term interventions for Denver Animal Protection’s clients, employees, and volunteers. Job duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following: Community Engagement Proactively engages with community agencies working on issues that impact pet owners, such as housing, food insecurity and veterinary care Stays current on pet-related issues, human/social service issues, and available pet resources in the community and help establish and maintain written resources, protocols, and procedures. Seeks to improve processes and advance the program. Identifies and develops partnerships for effective and expanded service and resource delivery to pet owners Remains informed and up to date with relevant industry trends and practices to keep DAP at the leading edge of safety net programs for pets and animal welfare Serves as a liaison and promote DAP’s mission and objectives to the community and other organizations Client Care Provide support and counseling to clients in emotionally charged situations, either in person, via email, online video communications, or on the telephone in an empathetic and compassionate manner as per need or by request from all Denver Animal Protection (DAP) staff Has awareness of, compassion for, and experience with clients that are in distress and/or facing challenging circumstances Provide pet loss counseling to clients, by phone, online video communications, and in person, ongoing follow ups as per need Establish and maintain consistent and comprehensive documentation of client/staff intervention which maintains confidentiality of clients Facilitate (organize, implement, maintain, facilitate, and promote) pet loss and owner surrender support Assist staff with facilitating pet end of life and owner surrender decision making with clients and communicate with staff Identify and develop partnerships for effective and expanded service and resource delivery for pet owners Refers clients to other community resources and agencies (pet and non-pet related) Working with agency liaison, develop all marketing and communications materials, brochures and resources for clients about pet loss and the grief process, euthanasia, memorialization of pets, owner surrender, veterinary social work services, and the human-animal bond Develop pet loss group as needed for accessibility for all clients Staff and Volunteer Care Provide informal debriefing individually or in groups Provide other short-term interventions such as mediation of conflict, assessment and referral for outside/EAP counseling Consult with Human Resources/Management regarding wellness of staff to enhance Shelter functioning and staff and volunteer retention Develop and present on topics of expertise such as compassion fatigue, stress management, work/life balance, communication skills, grief and pet loss Additional Duties Develop and manage an internship program through the University of Denver for Masters-level Social Work Students and supervise and mentor the students Work in collaboration with the Development and Communications teams to support fundraising efforts, grant requests and reports, and other campaigns, providing appropriate impactful stories and data as requested Monitors and evaluates different program effectiveness across the Division, including statistical analysis, report creation, and presentation. Implement improvements using data focused analytics and KPI metrics to ensure efficient and effective use of resources and effective operations. Assess success in effectively supporting our priority communities Along with all department staff, this position will actively participate on an emergency preparedness and response team to support DDPHE’s responsibilities outlined in the City’s Emergency Operations Plan. This may require being ‘on-call’ from time to time to help respond to emergencies. Additional training commensurate with assigned duties will be provided. Other duties as assigned. About You Research shows women and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups tend to apply only when they check every box in the posting. If you are reading this and hesitating to click “apply” for that reason, we encourage you to apply. Our ideal candidate will have: Master’s degree in Social Work or related Veterinary Social Work Certification Bilingual fluency in both English and Spanish Knowledge of animal welfare issues Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Experience working with diverse and under-resourced communities Excellent interpersonal communication skills, including effective writing skills. Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills We realize your time is valuable so please do not apply if you do not have at least the following required minimum qualifications: Education Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Mental Health, or a related field. Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of experience working with and counseling patients and individuals with special needs such as mental health issues, substance abuse, homelessness, and marginalized individuals within the criminal justice system. Education and Experience Equivalency: Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements. License/Certification Requirement: Requires a valid Driver’s License at the time of application. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment. To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab): Cover letter addressing your interest in this role and how your experience and skillset makes you a good candidate for this position. Resume About Everything Else Job Profile CA3419 Behavioral Health Specialist To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here. Position Type Unlimited Position Salary Range $59,075.00 - $97,474.00 Starting Pay $59,075 - $85,000 per year Agency Dept of Public Health & Environment 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. For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish. Denver is the nation's top place to live, work, and play, and we need the best people working for the residents of Denver. People who want to make a difference; people who want to give back; people who want to be at the heart of this city and have a hand in creating our future. Equity, diversity and inclusion are cornerstones of our values at the City and County of Denver. We celebrate uniqueness and strive to be a world-class city where everyone matters. Join us! Be a part of the city that you love. #WhereDenverWorks For more information about our hiring process including ADA resources, assessments and testing, pre-employment, and onboarding, click here. For information about employee benefits, click here.

Salary : $59,075 - $97,474