Mental Health Coordinator

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 New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care services. In child welfare, ACS contracts with private nonprofit organizations to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through family (preventive) services and provides foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. Each year, the agency’s Division of Child Protection responds to more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In juvenile justice, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. ACS is also a key part of NYCs early childhood and education continuum, providing childcare assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care. The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Office of Child and Family Health (OCFH) delivers direct medical care to children entering foster care, clinical support and guidance to child welfare staff, and ensures that the physical and mental health care provided to children and youth in ACS custody is comprehensive and appropriate. Within OCFH, the Mental Health Coordination Unit (MHCU) is responsible for tracking acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations of children (under 18) in ACS custody and coordinating related case planning activity. The team also provides assistance, guidance, advocacy, and support to case planners and provider agency staff. In addition, MHCU is responsive to the needs of partners in the mental health system, hospitals, and other agencies. MHCU works closely with other divisions and offices within ACS including Family Permanency Services, Child Protection, Youth and Family Justice, Family Court Legal Services, and Office of the General Counsel. Reporting to the MHCU Supervisor, the Mental Health Coordinator will provide real-time, informed, and thorough recommendations on behalf of foster children and adolescents admitted in acute inpatient psychiatric hospitals. Weekend and after-hours coverage for all duties is required and will be provided on a rotational basis.

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U. S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and four years of satisfactory, full-time community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibility for planning, organizing, coordinating, developing, evaluating and/or administering a large community service program or activity; or
A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and eight years of satisfactory, full-time experience as described in "1" above, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above; or
Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Undergraduate education above the high school level may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 4 years. Graduate education beyond the baccalaureate degree may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, on the basis of 30 graduate credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 2 years. However, all candidates must possess a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and two years of full-time experience in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above.

Responsibilities

Serve as a liaison for children/families, case planning entities, providers, and hospitals so that all mental health treatment needs and discharge plans are timely, individualized, appropriate, comprehensive, and realistic.
Participate in case conferences/meetings/calls with foster care agencies, ACS case planning units and hospital treatment teams as needed in order to provide a combined child welfare and mental health care perspective. Focus on addressing child and family needs and concerns.
Join team and staff meetings, monthly meetings with foster care agencies, and every other month meetings with New York State Office of Mental Health and hospitals.
Assist with tracking attendance, note-taking, and cover meetings when the director and supervisor are not available.
Negotiate/advocate with hospital treatment and management teams, service providers, and state/city agencies in order to help case planning agencies/entities access the most appropriate treatment settings and services for children and their families.
Obtain and review discharge summaries to help guide child welfare personnel regarding follow-up recommendations and aftercare appointments, with the goal of reducing readmission rates.
Attend and help organize cross-systems and inter-agency forums/trainings/presentations to enhance practice, responsiveness, collaboration and understanding.
Use an electronic application system to track and enter data, prepare and submit accurate and timely notes and reports, create/complete/maintain/file physical or electronic case records, and monitor activities associated with case planning/hospital visits/service coordination for children receiving acute inpatient psychiatric care.
Provide performance-based feedback regarding contracted providers, outreach and training, support/supervision/coverage, and obtain information as needed.
Complete special projects and other duties as assigned or deemed necessary.