Special Investigator

Hillside Childrens Center•Rochester, NY

23h•Onsite

About The Position

The Special Investigator conducts, documents, and completes investigations involving allegations or significant incidents made against Hillside staff that involve service recipients. Investigators will be assigned investigations throughout Hillside. This role involves conducting investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect or significant incidents delegated by the Office of Mental Health (OMH) or Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), as well as incidents involving staff in programs not under the jurisdiction of the NYS Justice Center. The investigator will respond to inquiries from various state agencies and local or state law enforcement regarding allegations of abuse or neglect. They are expected to initiate investigations in a timely, compliant, confidential, and flexible manner, which may include evenings and weekends work, as necessary. Key responsibilities include conducting witness interviews, taking witness statements, collecting and reviewing pertinent evidence (documents, communications, photos, audio/video files), compiling and retaining investigative information in an orderly and confidential manner, and writing objective, thorough, and concise investigative reports. The investigator must draw unbiased, impartial, rational, and objective conclusions from investigations. They are required to remain knowledgeable in Hillside policies and stay abreast of regulations, reporting requirements, and methodology for accurate investigations. Participation in Special Review meetings to review assigned investigations and attending DO SIRC meetings to answer questions related to investigations are also part of the role. Additionally, the investigator will complete breach of client information investigations as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with minimum 3 years of experience in child and family human services or related fields; OR Associate’s degree (e.g., paralegal studies) with minimum 5 years of relevant investigative, legal support, compliance, or related experience (e.g., collecting and reviewing evidence, interviewing witnesses, analyzing records, preparing investigative reports, or supporting administrative or legal proceedings, and etc.).
Minimum 2 years of experience with investigations involving vulnerable persons.
Unrestricted, valid NYS driver’s license for minimum of 1 year with a clean driving record and minimum insurance coverage that meets agency standards.
Must possess excellent writing skills and the ability to communicate potentially complex events in a written format.
Knowledge of relevant organizational policies, procedures, and applicable regulations to conduct thorough, objective, and credible investigations.
Knowledge of, or the ability to learn, verbal and physical intervention techniques relevant to the organization’s operations.
Proficiency with MS Office including MS Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint.
Basic knowledge of NYS Regulatory bodies including but not limited to Office of Mental Health, Office of Children and Family Services, Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, Department of Health, and State Education Dept. of NYS.
Maintain the highest ethical and confidentiality standards.

Responsibilities

Conduct investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect or significant incidents delegated to Hillside by the Office of Mental Health (OMH) or Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).
Conduct investigations into allegations of abuse and neglect incidents involving staff in programs not under the jurisdiction of the NYS Justice Center.
Respond to inquiries from OMH, OPWDD, NYS Justice Center, and local or state law enforcement regarding an allegation of abuse or neglect.
Initiate investigations in a timely, compliant, confidential, and flexible manner, which may include evenings and weekends work, as necessary.
Conduct witness interviews and take witness statements.
Collect evidence by gathering and reviewing all pertinent documents, letters, email or other communications, damaged property, photos, audio or video files, etc.
Compile and retain investigative information in an orderly, organized and confidential manner.
Write investigative reports in an objective, thorough, and concise manner.
Draw conclusions resulting from investigations in an unbiased, impartial, rational, and objective way.
Remain knowledgeable in Hillside policies and keeps abreast of regulations, reporting requirements and methodology to perform accurate investigations.
Participate in Special Review meetings to review assigned investigations.
Attend DO SIRC meetings to answer questions related to investigations.
Complete breach of client information investigations as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.