Social Service Coordinator (Porter County)

The Salvation Army USA Central Territory•Valparaiso, IN

16h•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Social Services Coordinator for Porter County Salvation Army, you'll advocate in surrounding communities, build partnerships for funding, organize community engagement events, manage resource delivery, and collaborate on grant applications. Additionally, as the Pathway of Hope Coordinator, you'll provide case management, and empathetic support, and oversee Christmas Toy Shop operations to fulfill The Salvation Army's mission.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in social work, or related human services field required.
Minimum of one to two years’ experience in social services and/or case management.
Must have a valid driver’s license and maintain The Salvation Army Driver’s qualification standard.
Must complete Safe From Harm training within the first 90 days of employment.
Must complete Caseworker Certification Program within 60 days of employment.
Able to speak, write, and understand English in a manner sufficient for effective communication with leadership, field personnel, and clientele.
Computer proficiency with Microsoft products and ability to learn electronic reporting systems.
Strong organizational skills.
Willing to work evenings and weekends when necessary.
Ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Provide guidance and promote the spiritual dimension of Salvation Army social services programs, emphasizing the importance of Christian influence and evangelism in all Salvation Army ministries, including delivery of social services in contemporary settings.
Knowledge of The Salvation Army, government, state, and community resources.
Meets monthly with the Pathway of Hope Regional Coordinator to receive individual and group casework/case management supervision and support on all POH implementation aspects including SIMS data entry processes.
Participates and successfully completes all required components of the territorial Casework Certification program.
Participates in POH workshops and other training events at the local, divisional, or territorial, level, as requested and/or assigned.
Oversee any Volunteers that are paid by other organizations such as National Able etc.
Good speaking, hearing, and vision ability, and excellent manual dexterity.
Lifting, pulling, and pushing materials up to 25 pounds.
May require bending, squatting, walking.
May require standing for extended periods.
Travel may be required for training specific to Pathway of Hope and other opportunities identified by the Corp Officer.
The position will require traveling to various community events, engagements, meetings, fairs, and training.
All employees recognize that The Salvation Army is a church and agree that they will do nothing as an employee of The Salvation Army to undermine its religious mission.

Nice To Haves

Develop and promote Pathway of Hope services to individuals receiving services at the local site and community organizations.
Approach participants with an open and professional stance, recognizing their strengths and treating them as collaborative partners in the helping process.
Demonstrate the ability to establish rapport and positive engagement with participants in the initial phases of the working relationship and throughout services.
Schedule weekly meetings with participants, gradually reducing face-to-face contact with them as appropriate in their transition from services.
In an interview format, complete all intake and required assessments including basic demographic information, URICA, Working Together Agreement, Sufficiency Matrix, and Strengths Assessment.
Works with the POH team to ensure that the Spiritual Assessment is completed, and Pastoral Care is provided.
Based on participants’ identified goals, develop specific and measurable Action Plans.
Enters all corresponding documentation in a timely fashion within the required SIMS and Next Step data entry format.
In response to the Action Plan, coordinate referrals and participant linkage to internal and/or external resources that will facilitate the successful achievement of identified goals.
Meet with the local team weekly to coordinate overall participant services including community linkages, and address programmatic requirements including intake processes, intervention strategies, and collection of data needed to meet program reporting requirements.
Address completion requirements early in the engagement process to fully educate participants on all services available and facilitate successful transition and closure.
Inform participants of the plan to monitor their progress after successful completion through engagement in exit and follow-up assessments and surveys.
Other tasks as assigned by leadership.

Responsibilities

Deliver the full range of Pathway of Hope individualized services for a maximum of 10 families at any given time, including pre-screening, intake, linkage to Pastoral Care, goal-setting, follow-up case management meetings, referrals, progress monitoring, transition planning, and data entry into SIMS and Next Step systems. Assist with food pantry as needed and enter clients in the computer using SIMS and Charity Tracker.
Develop a case management plan for each client, covering areas such as housing, employment, legal services, personal finance, public assistance, health (medical and mental), childcare, parenting, transportation, material and financial assistance, family function enhancement, spiritual concerns, and veterans' benefits.
Document all activities engaged in with, and on behalf of, the clients.
Provide support, encouragement, and compassion to consumers as they work toward achieving their goals, offering guidance while expecting consumer self-responsibility.
Community outreach and engagement to keep the community aware of what is happening with The Salvation Army of Porter County.
Manage community outreach to serve the needs of consumers, employees, and staff members.
Understand and provide adequate information on best practices and share this information with others in the community.
Provide recommendations and referrals when applicable to serve the needs of the consumers.
Actively participate at community events and meetings to increase The Salvation Army of Porter County’s presence through networking, prospecting, and relationship building.
Assist in maintaining a structured environment for consumers and staff for community engagement.
Build rapport and advocate on behalf of TSA within the surrounding communities, developing long-term relationships with community leaders, worship centers, churches, universities, community centers, service clubs, and community events.
Attend a Service club meeting on a regular basis.
Be culturally sensitive when working with various ethnic groups.
Ensure the accurate reporting and collection of community outreach initiatives.
Maintain and provide statistical and other reporting as required.
Serve as the Point-of-Contact for community affairs between The Salvation Army and local agencies.
Conduct follow-up contacts and maintain the database of community engagement partnerships.
Develop and maintain a listing of internal and external resources available, including housing, legal, and community resources.
Maintain consumer confidentiality of all consumer information according to Federal, State, and The Salvation Army standards, policies, and procedures.
Attend multi-disciplinary staffing, departmental, and staff meetings as scheduled.
Participate in planned in-service training as well as other training as directed.
Maintain certification by meeting certification requirements.
Lead and plan Christmas Toyshop, including finding volunteers, setup, teardown, organizing toy drives, working with Walmart for Angel trees, working with clients to apply via the TSAMM Angel Tree program, and assisting with Kettle operations.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Corps Officer.

Benefits

Health, Wellness, RX and PTO benefits
91% are proud of their work to help meet the needs of people in their communities
75% find their “Work Stress” manageable
80% find their managers supportive during those times of stress
89% appreciate the flexible work options they have in their position
98% appreciate the 4 sick days as “Discretionary”
99% appreciate the 11 paid holidays they receive each year
Helping People
Faith Centered Organization
Work Environment/ Co-Workers
Benefits