Erie Co-Responder

September 17, 2024

Boulder County, CO

FULL TIME

Description

Boulder County's Community Services department is seeking to hire an Erie Co-Responder. The purpose of Co-Responder position is to support law enforcement on mental health calls for service in Erie. When possible, Co-Responders divert individuals with behavioral health disorders or symptoms from involvement in the criminal justice system and instead engage them in treatment. Co-Responders manage crisis intervention, de-escalation, and referral to treatment at the scene of police contact. They provide resources and follow-up when not on scene. Co-Responders manage follow-up with community members to connect them with resources and behavioral health treatment after crisis has concluded.

This is a full-time, benefited, grant-funded position, that will work, Tuesday - Friday 12:00pm - 10:00pm, and on weekend rotation every 7 weeks. This position will work out of Erie Police Department located at 1000 Telleen Ave Erie, Colorado. Under Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines, this position is exempt.

Boulder County requires its employees to reside in the state of Colorado as of the first day of work.

Hiring Salary Range: $63,840.00 - $77,892.00 Annually

Tentative Hiring Timeline:

Phone Screening: week of September 30th

First Round Interviews: week of October 4th

Reference Check: week of October 4th

New employees receive an 80-hour bank (Download PDF reader) of vacation at the time of hire, in addition to 8 hours of both vacation and medical leave accruals each month.

Boulder County offers bountiful benefits, including pension contributions. Boulder County employees may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Visit studentaid.gov for more information.

Examples of Duties

Provides mobile response to a variety of community settings upon law enforcement request, including homes, street corners, offices, assisted living facilities, and shelters
Conducts mental status exam, suicide, and risk assessment to determine if people in distress meet criteria for involuntary treatment
Ensures that adequate time is spent with each community member to ensure accuracy of assessments
Makes appropriate level of care decisions on scene and communicates and collaborates with and creates relationships with multiple collateral agencies, including schools, hospitals, family members and significant others to facilitate referrals for needed community-based services and treatment
Conducts telephone follow ups and interventions with community members as needed
Documents all phone and face-to-face contacts and supplies documentation consistent with clinical and administrative policies and procedures and research related to the provision of services
Attends monthly team meetings and clinical supervision
Accept referrals from law enforcement for case management and broker service delivery to community members
Performs related work, as required
May be reassigned in emergency situations

Required Qualifications

PLEASE NOTE: When completing your application describe all relevant education and experience, as applications are assessed based on the required qualifications listed. Resumes and other attachments are not accepted in lieu of completed applications and will not be reviewed in the initial screening process. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your attachments will then be shared with the hiring team.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
Boulder County is looking for well qualified candidates to fill our positions. Any combination of relevant education and experience is encouraged. In this position, we are looking for a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a human behavioral science and two years experience in motivational Interviewing, crisis counseling, verbal-de-escalation, working with diverse and at-risk populations, community networking and resource delivery.

Additional related education may count towards required experience.

DRIVER'S LICENSE:

Applicants must have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record

For more information regarding a clean driving record, please click here.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK:

A job offer is contingent on passing a criminal background investigations

COVER LETTER:

All applicants are required to attach a cover letter for this position

Supplemental Information

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Proficiency in Microsoft Office (i.e. Word, Power Point, and Outlook)
Related behavioral health experience in non-traditional modalities
Experience working and collaboration with law enforcement officials
Licensed or License-eligible LPC, LMFT, LCSW or Psychologist
Certified Addiction Counselor I, II, III or LAC preferred
Bilingual in Spanish and English

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

Be culturally responsive with the ability to work with various identities in an inclusive and nonjudgmental fashion
Ability to effectively develop and sustain cooperative and collaborative working relationships, demonstrating sound judgment, diplomacy, and tact
Demonstrated skill in fostering effective and strategic relationships with diverse stakeholders including mental health professionals, law enforcement, medical first responders and community partners
Demonstrated skill in motivational interviewing, crisis management and verbal de-escalation
Significant skill in facilitating discussions in high-risk/high-conflict environment while working with law enforcement
Ability to coach others to foster positive relationships, negotiate effectively, resolve conflicts, and otherwise manage difficult situations
Demonstrated skills in working with individuals in crisis, experiencing mental health related symptoms and substance abuse addiction
Excellent organization, analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to be a valuable team player who has excellent follow-through
Thorough knowledge of best practices, methods for high quality case management and an understanding of the co-responding model
Excellent oral and written communication skills

Boulder County is a workplace dedicated to supporting individuals and families of all types and to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

As well as offering competitive pay and a caring work environment, Boulder County offers employees an array of benefits. For all FTE and Term employees, we provide:

Outstanding options of comprehensive health plans that include vision and dental coverage. Information can be found HERE. (Download PDF reader)
Additional Benefits can be found HERE. (Download PDF reader)
- Including:
  - Family-forming benefits- infertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy reimbursements
  - 12 weeks Paid Caregiver leave
  - Breast feeding friendly-work environment
  - Sick child care, an infants-at-work policy
  - Access to Life Mart discount hub, including discounts on childcare centers, event tickets, travel and more!
  - Access to a nationally-recognized wellness program
  - Employee Assistance Program
  - PERA 401k
  - Social Security retirement plans
  - Additional Life and Disability Insurance
  - Critical Illness and Accidental Insurance
  - County-paid tuition assistance
  - Eligible for PSLF- Public Service Loan Forgiveness
  - Free Eco Pass
  - Hospital Indemnity
  - ID Theft Protection
  - Pet Insurance
  - 8 Hours of Paid Public Service Leave
Generous paid time off
- Holidays
  - New Year's Day January 1
  - Martin Luther King's Birthday January
  - Presidents' Day February
  - Memorial Day May
  - Juneteenth June 19
  - Independence Day July 4
  - Labor Day September
  - Indigenous People's Day
  - General Election Day November (first Tuesday after the first Monday, even years)
  - Veterans' Day November 11
  - Thanksgiving Day November
  - Friday after Thanksgiving*
  - Christmas Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)
  - Christmas Day December 25
  - New Year’s Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)
- Vacation**
  - 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire
  - Eight hours of vacation per month for the first year of continuous service, then accrue twelve hours of vacation per month after the first year of continuous service.
- Medical**
  - Eight hours of medical leave for each month employed.
PERA- The County and all employees pay into both Social Security and PERA
- Employer contribution to Social Security: 7.65% of salary
- Employer contribution to PERA (Local Government Division- most county employees: 14.76%

The District Attorney’s Office observe Francis Xavier Cabrini Day on the first Monday in October and omit the Friday after Thanksgiving

**Vacation and Medical leave are based off of full time FTE accruals. Part-time FTE/term employees accrue leave based on the percentage of time they work.

More in depth information regarding our benefits can be found HERE