Director, Social Services (Cauldwell)

Childrens Rescue Fund•New York, NY

16d

About The Position

The Director of Social Services is responsible for the development and delivery of comprehensive social services for clients referred to the Children’s Rescue Fund by the NYC DHS Division of Family Services. This role is designed to stabilize homeless families by strengthening their independent living skills and helping them achieve successful placement into permanent housing. This individual is responsible for working with clients at our Cauldwell location in the Bronx, NY, and will work cooperatively with other members of the management team to achieve program goals.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work is strongly preferred; candidates that do not have a Master’s degree but have a bachelor's degree can be considered if they have at least 4 years of relevant supervisory experience
At least five years of social services experience and two years’ experience in a supervisory and administrative capacity is required, including experience in clinical interventions with families and disadvantaged populations, group work practice, substance abuse issues, and housing programs
Skill in supervising the work of professionals, including their development
Skill in securing client entitlements through knowledge of housing regulations and homeless programs
Excellent interpersonal relations skills to establish cooperative working relationships
Excellent written and oral communication skills and knowledge of office systems such as MS-Office is required

Responsibilities

The Director of Social Services is directly responsible for ensuring that each member of the social services staff has hands-on working knowledge of all DHS procedures, New York State Part 900 Regulations, OTDA, CRF Rules and Regulations, and all other relevant laws/programs related to providing comprehensive social services and permanent housing to CRF clients
Ensure the timely collection, preparation, and analysis of client and program information to generate routine and as needed reports, in order to evaluate program performance and facilitate short and long-term planning
Oversee and supervise the Social Services department (Caseworkers, Housing Specialists, and Case Management Supervisors) on the utilization of the DHS Client Assistance and re-housing system (CARES) regarding intake, shelter assessment, service plans/independent living plans, Provider Housing, transfers and client responsibility, incident reports, case conferences, and meeting DHS housing placement targets
Ensure that the families are living in a safe, clean, and hazard-free environment by ensuring that the casework staff are conducting weekly/bi-weekly unit inspections; communicate and document all observations and maintenance repairs that need to be addressed
Intervene or direct staff intervention when necessary to resolve problems effectively
Work collaboratively with Housing Specialists to ensure that weekly, monthly, and quarterly targets are being achieved
Must be knowledgeable of DHS Housing programs, packages, and incentives
Work in collaboration with other departments to develop independent skills workshops
Coordinate an inter-agency network of on and off-site providers to ensure families’ receipt of appropriate medical, nutritional, educational, and specialized mental health assistance
Work collaboratively with other members of the management team to develop and implement social services policies and procedures that guide and direct the delivery of services, including relocation goals and strategies
Perform other duties and special projects as required, including serving on-call
Evaluate and verify employees work assignments and ensure that performance evaluations are being completed in the required timeframe
Facilitate effective communication with other staff within an interdisciplinary context, participate in and contribute to staff meetings and the development of policies and procedures
Participate in training and staff-development activities to acquire and maintain both interpersonal and operational skills necessary for successful job performance
Serve as a Super User in the DHS CARES System to assist the program staff with trouble-shooting problems in the system
Ensure that staff attends CORE trainings within (6) months of employment, such as the mandated reporter training, CARES getting started, CARES assessments, Incident Reporting, Safe Sleep Training, Mental Health First Aide Training and Domestic Violence, etc.
Director of Social Services must be on call 7 days a week for Priority one incidents
Closely monitor open/closed Public Assistance cases on a weekly basis
Closely monitor certified housing and high-income families
Closely monitor all apartments viewed/visited by clients each week (in the absence of the housing coordinator)
Closely monitor and track appointments kept/missed, specifically as it relates to ILP’s and housing related matters (in the absence of a casework supervisor and/or housing coordinator)
Work towards the achievement of DHS weekly, monthly, and quarterly target goals of moving families into permanent housing in conjunction with social services department
Closely monitor special populations such as newborn, ACS, medical, mental health, and domestic violence cases, up to sex offenders