Conference Facilitator

City of New York•New York City, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. The Office of Family Team Conferencing facilitates conferences and performs related duties in support of Child Protection best practices, including processing out-of-home foster care placements for children deemed unsafe or at risk in their natural environment. The work focuses on family support, well-being, child safety, risk, and permanency. Child Safety Conferences aim to develop appropriate safety decisions and plans to prevent removal when safe, or determine suitable out-of-home placements that protect children from imminent danger while exploring family and fictive-kin resources to support placement and permanency. The selected candidate will attend and facilitate Family Team Conferences, address issues raised by children, families, providers, divisional partners, and Family Court, and use a stakeholder decision-making process to recommend referrals and resources. The role also includes conference documentation and administrative work, expedited home-study packages for kinship resources, requests for items and emergency reimbursements for kin caregivers, consultation with interagency support resources, case conferencing and consultation about decisions and service plans, and conferencing in families’ communities when appropriate, necessary, and safe. Work locations include 55 West 125 St and 110 William Street in New York, NY. The selected candidate will be offered a salary between $84,863 and $97,593. Candidates must meet the stated education, registration, and experience qualifications. A valid New York State LCSW or LMSW registration must be obtained within one year of appointment; failure to obtain it by the end of the probationary period will result in dismissal. The posting encourages permanent Child and Family Specialists to apply and states that the selected candidate should take and pass the next open competitive civil service exam to avoid being displaced when the eligible list is established.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work.
One of the following qualification pathways: (1) valid New York State LCSW registration and at least one year of full-time, satisfactory, post-graduate experience in specified practice modalities; (2) valid New York State LMSW registration and at least three years of the specified experience, with up to two years permitted in supervision of those social work practice areas; or (3) at least three years of the specified experience.
Specified experience includes substantial experience facilitating 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.
A valid New York State LCSW or LMSW registration must be obtained within one year of appointment.
At least one year of the required experience must have been obtained within the last five years.
The posting states that the selected candidate should take and pass the next open competitive exam for the civil service title.

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, ensuring placement and discharge decisions reflect Children’s Services commitments, values, and principles.
Address critical issues and concerns raised by children and families, provider agencies, divisional partners, and Family Court during conferences.
Use a decision-making process involving key stakeholders, children, families, service providers, and community resources; recommend referrals and resources when appropriate.
Prepare and complete timely conference documentation, data, action plans, and other Family Team Conferencing reports.
Complete expedited home-study packages (5300 series) with community kinship resources and resource homes.
Make DOAS requests for items to support children in kinship resource homes.
Request emergency funds and miscellaneous reimbursement payments for kin resources caring for children.
Interface with interagency critical support resources, including the clinical consultation team, MCHU, and Investigative Consultants, to identify issues, barriers, and concerns related to children’s safety.
Provide case conferencing and consultation to reexamine decisions and service plans and ensure their appropriateness.
Consult with the FCLS attorney for guidance on cases’ legal posture and relevant court orders when assessing familial readiness for change and caretaker protective capacity.
Provide conferences in the family’s natural community when appropriate, necessary, and safe.