Conference Facilitator

City of New York•New York, NY

2d•$84,863 - $114,446•Onsite

About The Position

The Office of Family Team Conferencing facilitates a continuum of conferences and related work in support of Child Protection best practices. This may include processing out-of-home foster care placements for children who are unsafe or at risk in their natural environment. The work focuses on family support, well-being, child safety, risk, and permanency. Child Safety Conferences support appropriate safety decisions and plans, aiming to prevent removal when safe or identify suitable out-of-home placements through exploration of family and fictive-kin resources. The Child and Family Specialist attends and facilitates scheduled Family Team Conferences, addresses critical concerns raised by children, families, provider agencies, divisional partners, and Family Court, and supports stakeholder decision-making and referrals. The role also includes completing conference documentation and reports, preparing expedited kinship home-study packages, requesting items and emergency funds for kinship homes, coordinating with critical support resources, and consulting on case decisions, service plans, legal posture, and court orders. Conferences may take place in a family's natural community when appropriate, necessary, and safe. The role is with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), which works to protect and promote the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare, juvenile justice, and community support services. Work locations include 55 West 125th Street and 110 William Street in New York City. The selected candidate will be offered a salary between $84,863 and $97,593. The posting also gives compensation as USD 84,863–114,446.

Requirements

Master's degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work.
Meet one of the following experience and licensure pathways: (1) valid New York State LCSW registration and at least one year of satisfactory post-graduate experience in a specified practice area; (2) valid New York State LMSW registration and at least three years of the specified experience; or (3) at least three years of the specified experience, with a valid New York State LCSW or LMSW license obtained within one year of appointment.
Qualifying experience includes facilitation of family team conferences or family group decision-making meetings using a family-engagement and consensus-based conferencing model; clinical group work with children, youth, parents, or individual families; or professional training on child and family services topics.
For the LMSW pathway, up to two years of required experience may consist of supervision of the specified social work practice areas.
At least one year of the required experience must have been obtained within the last five years.
Employees who have not obtained an LCSW or LMSW within one year of appointment may have their probation extended by no more than six months; failure to obtain the license by the end of probation results in dismissal.
Take and pass the next open competitive civil service exam for the title to avoid being bumped when the eligible list is established.

Nice To Haves

Permanent Child and Family Specialists are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Attend and facilitate scheduled Family Team Conferences focused on child safety, risk, well-being, permanency, and family support.
Ensure placement and discharge decisions reflect Children's Services commitments, values, and principles.
Address critical issues and concerns involving children, families, provider agencies, divisional partners, and Family Court during conferences.
Use a decision-making process involving stakeholders, children, families, service providers, and community resources; recommend referrals and resources when appropriate.
Complete timely administrative documentation, including conference records, data, action plans, and related reports.
Complete expedited home-study packages (5300 series) with community kinship resources and resource homes.
Request DOAS items to support children in kinship resource homes.
Request emergency funds or miscellaneous reimbursement payments for kin resources caring for children.
Coordinate with interagency critical support resources, including the clinical consultation team and investigative consultants, to identify issues and barriers related to child safety.
Provide case conferencing and consultation to reassess the appropriateness of decisions and service plans.
Consult with FCLS attorneys about the legal posture of cases and relevant court orders when assessing family readiness for change and caretaker protective capacity.
Provide conferences in families' natural communities when appropriate, necessary, and safe.