CASEWORKER - Bethany Program

SCO Family of Services•New York, NY

10h•Onsite

About The Position

The Caseworker position within the Bethany Program is responsible for providing comprehensive social work services to children and their families. This role involves maintaining regular contact, advocating for appropriate services, developing service plans, and facilitating placements and discharge plans. The caseworker will also engage with collateral persons, maintain accurate records, and represent the agency in community forums. The position requires a strong understanding of the Family-to-Family service model and cultural sensitivity.

Requirements

Familiarity with the community to which assigned and knowledgeable about the major culture groups within the neighborhoods served.
Excellent writing skills.
Good basic computer skills (e-mail, word processing, internet research).
Ability to set limits and maintain helping role of practitioner and to intervene appropriately.

Nice To Haves

A record of success and achievement in a foster boarding home or residential childcare work is helpful.
Demonstrated competency in the knowledge of the Family-to Family service model is desirable.
Residence in the community in which the position is located.
From the culture and ability to speak the language of the major groups served in the community.

Responsibilities

Maintains on-going qualitative social work/child, and social/child care contacts in accordance with regulatory mandates.
Lobbies and advocates energetically for the appropriate education/vocational placement for each resident.
Prepares cases for presentation in six-month interdisciplinary case reviews and participates actively in the development of comprehensive service plan.
Serves as youngster’s advocate and represents in collaborative service planning with Department of Mental Health and Youth Development Services and the program’s Nursing and Program Management Units.
Facilitates case movement, which seeks the placement of each youngster in the most appropriate and least restrictive setting for required services.
Maintains and facilitates on-going qualitative social work/family, family/child and siblings contacts in accordance with regulatory mandates.
Executes diligent efforts to locate family members of each youngster in the program.
Implements creative strategies for involving family members in the service planning and delivery process.
Lobbies energetically and facilitates the provision of family therapy and other supportive collateral services when indicated.
Facilitates the development of realistic appropriate and timely discharge plans.
Promotes the principles of the family-to-family initiative through partnership with direct care staff, birth parents and youth and neighborhood residents.
Helps to establish communities of care for youth and the families by building effective relationships with significant individuals and service providers in the location where the family resides.
Maintains regular contact and efficacious working relationships with significant others involved in the service planning and provision process, i.e. childcare staff, educational personnel, court and legal representatives, foster parents, medical personnel and other caseworkers involved.
Lobbies energetically and advocates for services which will empower and enhance client functioning.
Assures a holistic, culturally sensitive, family centered and child-focused presentation of case particulars.
Represents the agency in neighborhood service network meetings and other forums and participates in other community educational activities.
Maintains accurate and up-to-date electronic and paper case records.
Completes, accurate and timely documentation of casework activities is a critical element of this position.
Facilitates regulatory compliance with City and State standards of practices.
Completes and submits all necessary reports (e.g., service plans, permanency hearing reports, progress notes), as required, in a timely fashion.
Performs all other duties as assigned.