Youth Outreach Specialist

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

At the Office of Social Equity and Innovation (OSEI), we are dedicated to the vision of a city where race and other social identities no longer predict life outcomes and where all have equitable opportunities to thrive. Driven by a commitment to anti-racist principles, we strive to create a more equitable Denver through the shaping of policies, practices, and budget priorities that create targeted solutions for historically marginalized communities. Our work revolves around advocating for systemic changes, inclusive policy strategies through transformative training, research, and impactful initiatives to promote racial and social equity for the City and County of Denver.

The Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) is seeking a Youth Outreach Specialist to support the Runaway Outreach Notification and Intervention (RONI) Project and the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance Multidisciplinary Team (DATA MDT).

Youth Outreach Specialist(s) provide services and support to high-risk youth identified through either runaway or high-risk behaviors that are precursors to human trafficking. Engagement with the youth consists of safety planning, harm reduction, and trauma informed care. RONI matches strength-based individualized assessments and evidence-based programing by working collaboratively with youth/family, and/or professionals identified as active with the youth.

The purpose of the DATA MDT is to identify the presence of, or risk for exploitation/human trafficking among all youth referred to the MDT and apply a victim-centered and trauma informed response. Youth Outreach Specialists are assigned cases from the DATA MDT, which requires regular engagement with the youth in the community with the overall goal of intervention and prevention of human trafficking and exploitation.

This position includes case management, direct client contact and outreach, data entry, community partnerships, problem solving, crisis response, and ability to work independently. We are looking for candidates who have previous experience working with youth, performing coordinated case management services for youth that included outreach to youth/families, mentoring, screening and assessment, case planning, crisis response, ongoing case coordination to support youth/family engagement, and prior work experience in the anti-trafficking field. Flexibility with work schedule is needed, as overtime, and on-call during weekends is an expectation.

Duties Include but are not limited to:

• Conducting outreach in the community to youth through the RONI Project and DATA MDT, completing an assessment interview, using various assessment tools to appraise and interpret a runaway and high-risk client’s risk factors and needs.
• Developing an individual program plan/contract with a runaway/high-risk client including attending support/prevention groups and/or cognitive/behavioral classes, counseling, employment preparation, participating in community service activities.
• Regularly engaging with the youth in the community as a mentor, providing safety planning and harm-reduction.
• Serves on committees to discuss issues and recommend changes to improve services/facilities for runaway/high-risk youth/clients and coordinates and attends meetings with community-based partners/groups, city personnel, and other governmental agencies for the purpose of youth/client prevention efforts.
• Maintain client files and records consistent with departmental, local, and state policies, and federal rules and regulations.
• Utilizes 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 care plan tailored to the unique issues/needs of each youth.
• Accurately identify, collect, document, and maintain all data related to RONI Project and DATA MDT.
• Transporting Clients to meetings, groups, appointments, etc. when transportation is a barrier.
• Serving as a crisis response unit with the RONI Project, which would entail a rotational shift adjustment, and weekend on-calls.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior work experience with combating Human Trafficking
• Prior experience engaging/mentoring high-risk youth
• Bilingual (Spanish)
• Familiarity with commonly used risk/need assessment and treatment assessment tools.
• Understanding of effective interventions and evidence-based practices for working with youth.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

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

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, Psychology, Human Services, Child Development, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: One (1) year of experience implementing behavioral and/or educational programs for youth and assisting in developing and implementing treatment plans.
• 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.