Diversion Specialist - Seminole County

Community Based Care of Brevard•Orlando, FL

1d•$52,000

About The Position

This is an exempt (salaried) position that provides oversight and coordination to front end service delivery within their county, ensuring that children and families have access to the least restrictive services available while ensuring safety. The Diversion Specialist works collaboratively with the Department of Children and Families as a liaison and resource to Child Protective Investigators (CPI's) to ensure services are provided in a timely manner in accordance with agency operating procedures. This position receives Family Support referrals from DCF, assists with family engagement and initiates contact with the family. This position also provides community referrals, service authorizations and crisis intervention linkages to ensure family stabilization when indicated. This position develops and maintains strong working relationships with community agencies to successfully divert families from entering the child welfare system in a solution focused manner. The Diversion Specialist enters case activity into FSFN, is clinically astute, offers consultation to CPI's, attends staffings and ensures all families referred are engaged and that additional action steps are taken on disengaged families to "close the loop". This position will sometimes require field work which may include conducting child safety assessments, complete family assessments, and 30- day home visits minimally (or more frequent visits as identified as needed depending on the dynamic of the family) for families served in Seminole County This position produces necessary reports on utilization in a culturally competent, flexible and responsive service delivery system.

Requirements

All degrees must be from an accredited university.
Bachelor’s degree in a human service-related field. Related degrees are Behavioral Sciences, Community Development, Criminology/Criminal Justice. Education, Health Science, Human Development, Human Sciences, Human Services, Law, Political Science, Public Administration, Psychology, Social Policy, Sociology, Social Work .
Two years of experience in the delivery of services in a social work environment
Child Protection Professional certification
Ability to accommodate flexible work schedule.
Ability to learn computer skills sufficient to perform all essential functions.
Ability to problem solve, make decisions and implement plans.
Ability to set and meet deadlines, problem solve and manage multiple tasks.
Ability to travel.
Effective leadership skills
Effective presentation skills
Effective verbal and written communication skills
Well organized and results oriented with strong customer service skills.
Must possess strong oral and written communication skills.
Must possess knowledge of child development; including physical, mental, emotional and cultural and ethnicity issues required.
Must possess an ability to deal professionally, courteously, and effectively with clients and other employees.
Ability to communicate effectively in a community-based environment.
Must attend relevant skills-enhancement training and demonstrate required program specific knowledge.
Must be computer literate.
Detail and organizational skills are critical.
Time management skills necessary to accomplish this position.
NEEDED: driving, sitting, standing, walking

Nice To Haves

Dependency case management / CPI experience.
Experience in working with families with addiction, domestic violence and mental illness.
Prior child Welfare experience in the area of Diversion
Experience or knowledge of special needs children
PREFERRED: repetitive motions

Responsibilities

Receives referrals from Child Protective Investigators: This position will receive referrals from and interface with the Department of Children and Families Child Protective Investigators for those children and families who are at risk due abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
Service Utilization UM/Wrap: This is strongly recommended to manage and track the daily service utilization log, monitor costs and tracks 3rd party resources.
Coordinates with providers to ensure service delivery in a timely manner and to ensure needs are being addressed as detailed in the individualized care plans with family members and informal and natural support.
Authorization Coordination: This is strongly recommended to ensure timely delivery of appropriate services while managing the budget allocations and identifying alternative community resources as well as other funding streams in order to maximize resources and adhere to policies and procedures. Responsible for utilization and monitoring flexible funding and service coordination to meet family needs.
Facilitate Staffing’s: This position will use family strengthening techniques to effectively bring a diverse team of professionals, family, and community resources together in order to develop strategies, delegate tasks and identify ways to meet family needs. The ability to use judgement and a solution focused style is required to address differing points of view to achieve consensus within the process while reframing family deficits. It is essential that the family voice drives the process, and those decisions and actions have support of the group.
Family Preservation and Crisis Intervention: Provide family stabilization crisis intervention linkages, referrals through consultation to ensure family support and authorization of services.
Other duties as required: Job performance requires fulfilling other incidental or related duties as assigned, assisting and training others, and performing duties of higher rated positions from time to time for developmental purposes.
Coordinate planning strategies with DCF and other agencies as applicable
Assist in the assessment of client’s behaviors and emotional needs to determine the best possible community services to be implemented with/ for youth/ family.
Provide on-site support at the DCF service centers to prevent placement disruption.
Act as a liaison with DCF/case management and the community
Conduct home visits at a minimum every 30 days or weekly visits as needed or identified, depending on the family’s need and dynamic that is presented at the Diversion staffing.
Attending staffing’s (lockout staffing’s, MDT, LRT other community meetings as needed or identified.
Maintain positive relationships with other agencies and community members as applicable.
Complete any necessary file documentation and process data through FSFN and other required data systems.
Prepare documentation to identify prevention efforts.
Diversion Specialist is a liaison between the CPI and community providers for service provisions and case diversion.
Diversion Specialist diverts families from the dependency system.
Diversion Specialist Act as a support for the CPI regarding providing/ offering a service that will keep children in their homes/ communities safely and not have to enter out of home care or foster care, as well as service delivery with providers and community resources.
Diversion Specialist engage families / customize services to the need of the family.
Diversion Specialist enters information into FSFN and ensures family support pages are created and maintained regarding reason for diversion/prevention involvement and funding etc. Also ensure that family support pages are closed in a timely manner as well.
Diversion Specialist staff cases for diversion/prevention involvement and or to implement a safety service as needed.
Diversion Specialist to be involved and become a part of the CPI service center and the daily goings on in the service center regarding cases and/or possible shelters that might be occurring and implementation of services.
Diversion Specialist attach themselves to a CPI case that has been identified as needing prevention services and assist CPI with gathering information from parents/ other providers that the family may have been involved with or is currently with to move case forward and keeping the children safe without “ongoing” case management.
Diversion Specialist is the conduit between providers and families. They are the linkage of services and ensure that contact between the provider and family has occurred and they are engaged. Also obtain all monthly documentation from providers and scan into the FSFN file cabinet and or update notes in FSFN timely and continuously.
Diversion staff purchases items and coordinates provisions of services as well as gatekeepers and ensures the family needs are met to ensure child safety.
Diversion Specialist screens all referrals to community providers and programs in the community.
Other duties as assigned or arise. This list of essential functions is not intended to be exhaustive. FPOCF reserves the right to revise this job description as needed to comply with actual job requirements.