Social Worker, Felony Alternatives to Incarceration

Center for Justice Innovation•New York, NY

3d•$60,500 - $78,800•Hybrid

About The Position

The Center for Justice Innovation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing community safety and racial justice. The Brooklyn Mental Health Court (BMHC) and Brooklyn Felony ATI Program serve individuals facing felony charges who are living with serious mental illness or are not otherwise eligible for Mental Health Court or other treatment courts. These programs divert participants from jail or prison by conducting clinical assessments, connecting them with long-term community treatment, and providing rigorous judicial monitoring. The BMHC is seeking a Social Worker for its Brooklyn Felony Diversion programs to serve individuals mandated to the Brooklyn Mental Health Court and Felony Alternative to Incarceration (Felony ATI) programming. The Social Worker will report to the Clinical Director and be responsible for conducting psychosocial assessments, linking clients to wrap-around services, providing comprehensive trauma-informed case management, compliance monitoring, and reporting.

Requirements

LMSW with a minimum of 3-4 years in criminal justice and/or related fields such as healthcare, substance use and mental health treatment, homeless services and supportive housing, domestic violence programming, sex offense treatment, and services for people with developmental disabilities is required.
Candidates must be currently licensed in New York state.
Excellent time management and written skills are a must.
Candidate must be a skilled communicator able to work in a multi-disciplinary setting and maintain strong relationships with multiple agencies and organizations both onsite and in the community.
All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout the duration of employment.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working in a court or criminal justice setting, and/or with justice-involved communities preferred.
Bi-lingual strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive assessments and write detailed psychosocial evaluations for clients with complex clinical needs who are currently incarcerated.
Render a diagnosis utilizing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5-TR.
Use structured assessment tools that utilize a risk-needs-responsivity model in order to identify the types of services a client will need to participate in during their mandate in order to reduce recidivism.
Complete assessments within a specific timeframe.
Communicate with collateral contacts of participants and review records for assessment purposes.
Communicate with Rikers Island discharge planning and Correctional Health Services for updates and release coordination.
Conduct reassessments with clients that required stabilization before proceeding with the assessment process.
Collaborate with the Center’s Jail Population Review team to ensure ongoing communication regarding referrals for assessment.
Collaborate and maintain strong relationships with court stakeholders including the judge, District Attorney’s office, and defense attorneys.
Provide detailed treatment recommendations to court parties for services and treatment.
Make appropriate referrals to community-based organizations for additional services.
Provide clinically-informed case management services to participants that address issues such as substance use, mental health issues, trauma, domestic violence, housing, and educational/vocational needs; and other challenges in client’s life (e.g. new arrests, family court cases and other civil legal issues).
Manage and monitor compliance with treatment mandates, including care coordination with providers and obtaining compliance updates for court.
Coordinate with court stakeholders on any non-compliance issues and assist clients in getting back into compliance, including re-engaging clients, arranging return on warrants, and implementing graduate responses to encourage future compliance.
Maintain appropriate client information in electronic databases and paper files.
Establish and maintain linkages with community partners who can provide appropriate interventions and services to court-involved individuals.
Attend court with assigned participants for support, as needed.
Provide crisis intervention and de-escalation, as needed.
Participate in regular interdisciplinary case conferences with court stakeholders and treatment providers.
Assist with the development and implementation of new initiatives; including best clinical practices, and appropriate evidence-based interventions.
Attend individual and group supervision, team meetings, and trainings.
Assist with administrative responsibilities including data collection and management, and grant reporting requirements, as needed.
Attend all required staff meetings and trainings.
Attend community-based events after hours, as needed.
Additional relevant tasks, as needed.