Social Services Coordinator, Newark, NJ

KIND • Newark, NJ

5d

About The Position

KIND seeks a Social Services Coordinator to work with child clients and their families to identify needs and gaps in services and help families access education, health, mental health, housing, mediation, and childcare services. The coordinator also provides leadership in establishing and sustaining relationships with local and state social services partners.

The role supports KIND’s mission to protect unaccompanied and separated children through a holistic approach that combines legal services, advocacy, and partnerships. The coordinator works with children, caregivers, KIND legal staff, community service providers, and partner organizations, and supervises interns and volunteers.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in Social Work or a related field; counseling or a related specialty is preferred.
• At least 2 years of experience working with immigrant populations.
• At least 2 years of experience working with children.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish.
• Ability to work collaboratively and advocate on behalf of clients.
• Strong intercultural responsiveness, sensitivity, awareness, and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Ability to verbalize and implement therapeutic-focused strategies for children and families.
• Ability to conduct training for diverse audiences in person and virtually.
• Ability to work with adult immigrant caretakers or training in trauma-informed parenting.
• Ability to manage, create, and oversee events intended to bring resources and services to child clients.
• Ability to network with local coalitions and establish relationships that enable cross-referrals.
• Ability to travel as assigned.
• Ability to work in an office environment, interact regularly by telephone, teleconference, instant messaging, and email, and meet with clients in person.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including tools such as Teams and Excel.
• Ability to collaborate and multitask while managing multiple priorities and emerging opportunities.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects in a deadline-oriented environment, prioritize tasks, and delegate as appropriate.
• Ability to work with a sense of urgency in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to practicing and supporting wellbeing and work-home life balance.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with unaccompanied minors.
• Experience working with unaccompanied minors, immigrant and refugee children, or survivors of abuse, human trafficking, or other trauma.
• Prior experience working with attorneys, law firms, or other legal service providers.
• Experience working and communicating in a remote environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain knowledge of social services available to clients in assigned work areas.
• Develop relationships with community coalitions in areas with high client concentration.
• Establish working relationships and partnerships with local service providers and administrators to enhance referrals.
• Assess referred clients, including the broader context in which each child is living, and identify needs, barriers, and safety concerns.
• Maintain documentation of attempts to access services and service delivery.
• Track and report client data, outreach actions and outcomes, and other information for program evaluation, performance quality, and development.
• Refer clients to services, help families complete intake requirements, and follow up as needed.
• Assist KIND legal staff in working with families in crisis and transition.
• Collaborate with KIND Social Services Coordinators nationally to develop best practices and protocols and provide training and support to KIND staff.
• Conduct training for pro bono attorneys and community social providers.
• Work with legal services providers, law firms, corporations, and law schools to identify and support resource-sharing among partner agencies.
• Supervise interns and volunteers.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; KIND pays 100% of the employee-only premium for one of the medical plan options, dental, and vision.
• Pre-tax flexible spending accounts for medical and dependent care.
• Pre-tax transit and parking spending account.
• Employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
• Employer-paid short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Mindfulness and wellness trainings, wellness platforms, employee assistance and resilience programs, time away, and office wellness activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level