Conference Facilitator

City of New York•New York City, NY

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 a continuum of conferences and related activities that support Child Protection best practices, including processing out-of-home foster care placements for children who are unsafe or at risk of remaining in their natural environment. Child and Family Specialists focus on family support, well-being, child safety, risk, and permanency. Child Safety Conferences support appropriate safety decisions and plans, aim to prevent removal when it is safe to do so, or identify suitable out-of-home placements by exploring family and fictive-kin resources. The selected candidate will be offered a salary between $84,863 and $97,593. The job description states that the selected candidate should take and pass the next open competitive civil service examination for the title to avoid being displaced when the eligible list is established. Permanent Child and Family Specialists are encouraged to apply. The position requires a master’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work, along with the specified New York State social work registration and qualifying post-graduate experience. An LCSW or LMSW must be obtained within one year of appointment if not already held, subject to the conditions described in the qualifications.

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 registration as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and at least one year of full-time, satisfactory post-graduate experience in one or more specified practice modalities; (2) valid New York State registration as a Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) and at least three years of the specified experience, with up to two years permitted in supervision of the specified social work practice areas; or (3) at least three years of the specified experience.
Qualifying experience must include substantial experience in at least one of the following: facilitating family team conferences or family group decision-making meetings using a model emphasizing family engagement and consensus-based decision-making; clinical group work with children, youth, parents, or individual families; or conducting professional training on child and family services topics.
At least one year of the required experience must have been obtained within the last five years.
A valid New York State LCSW or LMSW license must be obtained within one year of appointment if not already held. Failure to obtain the license by the end of the probationary period results in dismissal; the probationary period may be extended by no more than six months for this purpose.
Take and pass the next open competitive civil service examination for the title to avoid being displaced 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, focusing on child safety, risk, well-being, permanency, and family support, and ensure placement and discharge decisions reflect Children’s Services commitments, values, and principles.
Address critical issues and concerns raised by the child and family, 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 administrative documentation, including conference records, 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 reassess decisions and service plans; consult with the FCLS attorney about case legal posture and relevant court orders when assessing family readiness for change and caretakers’ protective capacity.
Provide conferencing in the family’s natural community when appropriate, necessary, and safe.