Case Manager, Health and Wellness

Center for Justice Innovation•City of Syracuse, NY

3d•$52,000 - $65,400•Onsite

About The Position

The Center for Justice Innovation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing community safety and racial justice. The Onondaga County Pretrial Release Program (OC PRP) provides an alternative to pretrial detention and bail by ensuring that individuals facing criminal charges attend their court appearances and avoid rearrest while remaining in their communities. This is achieved through regular check-ins with dedicated program staff who provide support and facilitate connections to community-based services and resources. The Center's Upstate Office seeks a Case Manager, Health and Wellness who will report to the Upstate Office Project Director. The primary responsibility of the case manager will be to conduct required Cognitive Behavior Therapy-informed sessions with eligible OC PRP participants who indicate that they have mental health needs during the intake assessment. CBT-informed sessions are built on foundational CBT principles, using the Center's unique pretrial release model. The purpose of these sessions is to work with participants' existing motivation for change to support their engagement in prosocial goal identification and relevant services to address criminogenic needs. Relatedly, case managers also play a key role in linking assessment information to service and resource referrals, providing timely emergency referrals and crisis intervention and de-escalation support. Case managers also work with participants to identify and address barriers to compliance and court attendance; conduct outreach to participants, court stakeholders, community-based service providers, and community contacts; lead other suitable programming, and ensure accurate and timely court reporting on participants' compliance with program requirements. Accurate and timely data entry is a core responsibility for this position.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a mental health field (BSW or similar) and a minimum of two years direct practice experience (case management or similar client-facing social service work);
Experience and competency with crisis intervention and de-escalation required;
Must be detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills;
Must be able to work effectively independently and as part of a highly interdependent, multi-disciplinary team within a fast-paced work environment;
Professional demeanor and ability to work collaboratively and effectively with a variety of program stakeholders, including judges prosecutors, defense attorneys, court staff, and partner agencies;
Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally responsive manner required;
Must be proficient in Microsoft and Google suites.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with people related to substance use treatment, mental health services, co-occurring disorders, or adolescent development strongly preferred;
Experience using trauma-informed and strength-based approaches strongly preferred;
Experience working in a court setting preferred;
Experience working in pretrial, court-based, or criminal legal system strongly preferred;
Experience working people needing substance use treatment, mental health services, or other services related to co-occurring disorders, or adolescent development, strongly preferred;
Experience using trauma-informed and strength-based approaches, Motivational Interviewing and CBT strongly preferred;
Comprehensive knowledge and experience with local social service providers strongly preferred;
Must be able to work effectively independently and as part of a highly interdependent, multi-disciplinary team within a fast-paced and dynamic work environment;
Professional demeanor and ability to work collaboratively and effectively with a variety of program stakeholders, including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, court staff, and site partner agencies;
Ability to work collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally-competent manner;
Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred.

Responsibilities

Facilitate mandated and voluntary evidence-based practice sessions, with a focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches;
Create voluntary service and resource plans that address participants' needs and goals;
Provide assistance to participants to support engagement with referrals, as needed;
Conduct intakes and holistic assessments for program participants, as needed;
Provide participants with information regarding any additional court mandates, such as mandated programming;
Schedule participants for their first check-in with their assigned Pretrial Release Specialist;
Case conference with Pretrial Release Specialists to discuss participant needs and/or service and resource plans;
Provide comprehensive, clinically-informed case management services;
Work with participants to identify and address barriers to compliance with supervision requirements and court attendance;
Monitor participants' compliance with supervision requirements;
Conduct outreach to participants, their community contracts, and defense attorneys to maximize compliance with supervision requirements;
Provide de-escalation and emergency intervention in response to incidents occurring in the courthouse and community offices, coordinating responses, debriefing, and documentation across the team and other departments;
Maintain accurate and timely data entry and case documentation aligned with the program model, court reporting obligations, and best practices;
Submit accurate and timely reports to court within designated time frames;
Maintain professional, productive, and positive relationships with external stakeholders, including court staff, judges, and attorneys;
Engage in consistent and effective cross-team communication and collaboration to proactively identify successes, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen programming, create opportunities for meaningful collaboration, and maximize internal and external resources and expertise;
Provide on-site shadowing opportunities and hands-on training for staff and external visitors related to job responsibilities;
Participate in individual, group supervision, and regular staff trainings to develop program expertise and related skill sets;
Lead peer supervision groups, as needed;
Attend project events, community events, and meetings after hours, as needed;
Additional relevant tasks, as necessary.