Class Description and Minimum Qualifications for A1A - Corrections Case Manager

Class Description

Valid as of: July 1, 2018

This class series uses three levels in the Enforcement and Protective Services occupational group and describes case management work in monitoring and guiding offenders' progress while confined in a state facility. Case managers provide individual counseling, guidance, and progress assessment; submit community referrals; determine custody levels; assist in pre-release preparations; initiate parole plans; complete parole board risk assessments; determine earned time grants; resolve disagreements between offenders and correctional or judicial entities; perform public relations work with external agencies and the general public; or, supervise such positions. Some positions provide population management services to the agency which involves oversight/direction on offender classification, case management, movement, and disciplinary systems. Although two of the three classes are primarily oriented to counseling and evaluation of offenders, the work includes ongoing responsibility for the security, restraint, and confinement of offenders. Those positions have authority as peace officers to enforce criminal and civil laws and to physically detain or restrain others. Basic peace officer level definitions are found in C.R.S. 16-2.5-135, with specific authorities found in agency supporting statutes or appointing authorities' delegations and may require P.O.S.T. Board certification.

CORRECTIONS CASE MANAGER I A1A1XX

Concept of Class

This class describes the fully-operational case manager. Positions is this class provide offenders with counseling and guidance in order to determine the appropriate custody level and facility placement; conduct progress assessments; resolve disagreements; coordinate offender access to work, educational, treatment, and recreational programs; determine earned time grants; initiate parole board risk assessments and actions; develop parole plans; and advise offenders on family and personal problems. Positions in this class serve as an offender advisor on issues, complaints, suggestions, and disciplinary actions.

Included in this class are positions receiving training and orientation during their initial probationary period.

Factors

Allocation must be based on meeting all of the three factors as described below.

Decision Making 

The decisions regularly made are at the process level. Within limits set by professional standards, the agency's available technology and resources, and case management program objectives and regulations established by a higher management level, choices involve determining the process, including designing the set of case management operations. An example could be a decision on the process to achieve offender work or educational objectives to meet parole risk assessment guidelines. The general case management pattern, program, or system exists but must be individualized. This individualization requires analysis of offender behavioral data that is complicated or contradictory. An example could be a decision on how to motivate offenders to correct abnormal social behaviors when their work behavior is normal. Analysis is breaking the offender problem or case into parts, examining these parts, and reaching conclusions that result in case management processes. This examination requires the application of known and established counseling, rehabilitation, educational, or vocational theory, principles, conceptual models, professional penal standards, and case management precedents in order to determine their relationship to the problem. An example could be decisions on what counseling principles to apply for a process to resolve offender complaints or grievances against individuals outside the correctional system. New case management processes or objectives require approval of higher management or the agency with authority and accountability for the program or system.

Complexity 

The nature of, and need for, analysis and judgment is formulative, as described here. Positions evaluate the relevance and importance of case management and counseling theories, concepts, and principles in order to tailor them to develop a different approach or tactical plan to fit specific circumstances. While general case management policies, precedents, or non-specific practices exist, they are inadequate so they are relevant only through approximation or analogy. For example, a position may modify case management principles in developing a risk assessment for repeat offenders. In conjunction with theories, concepts, and principles, positions use judgment and resourcefulness in tailoring the existing case management guidelines so they can be applied to particular circumstances and to deal with emergencies. An example could be the modification of case management guidelines for an evaluation plan to fulfill the needs of an offender with learning disabilities.

Line/Staff Authority 

The direct field of influence the work of a position has on the organization is as an individual contributor. The individual contributor may explain work processes and train others. The individual contributor may serve as a resource or guide by advising others on how to use processes within a system or as a member of a collaborative problem-solving team. This level may include work leader or supervisory accountability for less than two full-time equivalent positions.

CORRECTIONS CASE MANAGER II A1A2XX

Concept of Class

This class primarily describes the agency level staff specialist responsible for developing and evaluating case management operations among and between separate facilities. As the agency authority on case management principles, models, and American Correctional Association (ACA) case management standards, positions guide and influence correctional decisions on how to integrate case management operations into specific outcomes by developing case management guidelines used throughout the agency. Positions are actively involved in offender classification, movements, and disciplinary systems and operations. Positions also persuade other correctional program areas to adjust or modify their operations to incorporate case management objectives. This class may also be used for those facility positions functioning as work leaders and fulfill such definition contained under the Line/Staff Authority factor in this class. Positions located at the agency staff level are not directly involved in the restraint and confinement of offenders. This class differs from the lower class of Case Manager I in the factors of Purpose of Contact and Line/Staff Authority.

Factors

Allocation must be based on meeting all of the three factors as described below.

Decision Making 

The decisions regularly made are at the process level, as described here. Within limits set by professional case and population management standards, the agency's available technology and resources, and program objectives and regulations established by a higher management level, choices involve determining the process, including designing the set of operations. Within broader incarceration and release guidelines, the general case or population management program or system exists but must be individualized. An example could be decisions related to whether pre-release case management should differ due to the security level of offenders. This individualization requires analysis of data that is complicated. Analysis is breaking the problem or case into parts, examining these parts, and reaching conclusions that result in processes. This examination requires the application of known and established case management theory, principles, conceptual models, professional ACA standards, and legal precedents in order to determine their relationship to the problem. An example of such decision could be deciding the process for case management training or audits of facility case management. New processes or objectives require approval of higher management or the agency with authority and accountability for the program or system.

Complexity 

The nature of, and need for, analysis and judgment is formulative, as described here. Positions evaluate the relevance and importance of case management theories, concepts, and principles in order to tailor them to develop a different approach or tactical plan to fit specific circumstances. While general policy, precedent, or non-specific practices exist, they are inadequate so they are relevant only through approximation or analogy. In conjunction with theories, concepts, and principles, positions use judgment and resourcefulness in tailoring the existing case management guidelines so they can be applied to particular circumstances and to deal with emergencies. An example could be the adaptation of ACA case management principles to deal with changes in sentencing laws, or to deal with emergency movement of offenders from county holding jails to state offender reception facilities without degrading offender classification principles and standards.

Line/Staff Authority 

The direct field of influence the work of a position has on the organization is as an individual contributor, a work leader, or a staff authority. The individual contributor may explain work processes and train others. The individual contributor may serve as a resource or guide by advising others on how to use processes within a system or as a member of a collaborative problem-solving team.

NOTE: This portion of the factor is applicable only to those positions with agency-wide responsibilities as described in the concept for this class, which is used as a tradeoff for the supervisory responsibilities less than the work leader definition below.

OR

The work leader is partially accountable for the work product of two or more full-time equivalent positions, including timeliness, correctness, and soundness. At least one of the subordinate positions must be in the same series or at a comparable conceptual level. Typical elements of direct control over other positions by a work leader include assigning tasks, monitoring progress and workflow, checking the product, scheduling work, and establishing work standards. The work leader provides input into supervisory decisions made at higher levels, including signing leave requests and approving work hours. This level may include positions performing supervisory elements that do not fully meet the criteria for the next level in this factor.

OR

The staff authority is a pacesetter who has a unique level of technical expertise in a field or profession that, as part of the assignment, is critical to the success of an agency. It is an essential component of the work assignment that has been delegated by management to the position. This authority directly influences management decisions within an agency. For example, management relies on such a position when making decisions regarding the direction that policy or a program should take in the staff authority's field of expertise. Managers and peers recognize and seek this level of technical guidance and direction regarding the application of a program or system within the agency or to its clients. An example is a position with statewide correctional case management influence on its peers and the agency management teams as to offender placement needs versus agency capabilities.

CORRECTIONS CASE MANAGER III A1A3XX

Concept of Class

This class describes supervisory case management responsibilities. In addition to having a caseload, positions in this class supervise other case managers in a facility and coordinate the offender classification system operations with other facility areas such as security, housing, work, educational, recreational, and religious program supervisors. As the facility classification officer, positions also conduct review hearings on offender classifications. This class differs from the lower Case Manager II class in the Line/Staff Authority factor only.

Factors

Allocation must be based on meeting all of the three factors as described below.

Decision Making 

The decisions regularly made are at the process level. Within limits set by professional standards, the agency's available technology and resources, and case management program objectives and regulations established by a higher management level, choices involve determining the process, including designing the set of case management operations. An example could be decisions on the process to achieve offender work or educational objectives to meet risk assessment guidelines for gaining parole approval. The general case management pattern, program, or system exists but must be individualized. This individualization requires analysis of offender behavioral data that is complicated or contradictory. Analysis is breaking the offender problem or case into parts, examining these parts, and reaching conclusions that result in case management processes. This examination requires the application of known and established counseling, rehabilitation, educational, or vocational theory, principles, conceptual models, professional penal standards, and case management precedents in order to determine their relationship to the problem. An example could be decisions on what process to use to accomplish case management activities in a facility which includes determining case loads, depth and frequency of case management contacts with offenders, case management audits, and making changes in the sequence of risk assessment actions. New case management processes or objectives require approval of higher management or the agency with authority and accountability for the program or system.

Complexity 

The nature of, and need for, analysis and judgment is formulative, as described here. Positions evaluate the relevance and importance of case management and counseling theories, concepts, and principles in order to tailor them to develop a different approach or tactical plan to fit specific circumstances. While general case management policies, precedents, or non-specific practices exist, they are inadequate so they are relevant only through approximation or analogy. In conjunction with theories, concepts, and principles, positions use judgment and resourcefulness in tailoring the existing American Correctional Association (ACA) case management principles so they can be applied to particular circumstances and to deal with emergencies. An example could be the modification of case management guidelines for a plan to fulfill the facility's objectives under offender overcrowding conditions or severe, long-term security restrictions on offender movements.

Line/Staff Authority 

The direct field of influence the work of a position has on the organization is as a unit supervisor. The unit supervisor is accountable, including signature authority, for actions and decisions that directly impact the pay, status, and tenure of three or more full-time equivalent positions.

At least one of the subordinate positions must be in the same series or at a comparable conceptual level. The elements of formal supervision must include providing documentation to support recommended corrective and disciplinary actions, signing performance plans and appraisals, and resolving informal grievances. Positions start the hiring process, interview applicants, and recommend hire, promotion, or transfer.

Definitions

Case Management: The assessment, planning, coordinating, and counseling of offenders to achieve progress through the penal institution system and return them to the general population.

Entrance Requirements

Minimum entry requirements and general competencies for classes in this series are contained in the State of Colorado Department of Personnel website. For purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the essential functions of specific positions are identified in the position description questionnaires and job analyses.

History of Changes Made to Class Description

The​ ​following​ ​is​ ​a​ ​summary​ ​of​ ​changes​ ​made​ ​to​ ​this​ ​class description.

Effective July 1, 2018

Update the Class Code of A1A1TX to A1A1XX per administrative updates.

June 30, 2015

Updated and removed the purpose of contact.

Effective July 1, 2005

Date and statute citation updated. Published as proposed 10/25/2004.

Effective July 1, 2002

EPS Consolidation Study. Date and class history updated. Published as proposed 5/8/2002.

Revised September 1, 1993

Job Evaluation System Revision project. Published as proposed 6/11/1993, 12/13/1993.

Effective December 30, 1994

Published as proposed 9/15/1994.

Effective September 1, 1993

Job Evaluation System Revision project. Published as proposed 6/11/1993.

Summary of Factor Ratings

Minimum Qualifications

Valid as of: August 23, 2023

This​ ​document​ ​includes​ ​the​ ​following​ ​levels:
 

CORRECTIONS CASE MANAGER I (A1A1XX)

Experience Only:

Three (3) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position

OR

Education and Experience:

A combination of related education and experience in a relevant field related to the work assigned equal to three (3) years.

CORRECTIONS CASE MANAGER II (A1A2XX)

Experience Only:

Four (4) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position

OR

Education and Experience:

A combination of education and experience in a relevant field related to the work assigned equal to four (4) years.

CORRECTIONS CASE MANAGER III (A1A3XX)

Experience Only:

Five (5) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position

OR

Education and Experience:

A combination of education and experience in a relevant field related to the work assigned equal to five (5) years.

History of Changes Made to Minimum Qualification

The​ ​following​ ​is​ ​a​ ​summary​ ​of​ ​changes​ ​made​ ​to​ ​this​ ​minimum​ ​qualification.

Sept. 15, 2023 (Whole Document)

Standardized language and made substitutions statements consistent with a year-for-year methodology approved by Compensation.

Aug. 11, 2023 (Whole Document)

• New format (updating to adhere to accessibility standards)
• Updated minimum qualifications to align with the Skills-based Hiring initiative

July 1, 2018 (A1A1TX Changed to A1A1XX)

Review and correction of the classification codes to align with the 2018-19 pay plan and compensation grades approved by the CHRO.

Oct. 24, 2017 (Whole Document)

Made grammatical changes.

Sept. 18, 2017 (Whole Document)

Per agency request and considering external research, removed bachelor’s degree requirement to allow for staff progression.

Sept. 1, 2017 (Whole Document)

• Part of the 2017 MQ Project
• New format
• Removed definitional language referring to ‘hard to need clients’ and ‘professional experience’.
• Standardized language and made the substitution statements consistent with a year-for-year methodology.