Special Investigator

Hillside•City of Rochester, NY

15h•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. At Hillside, we believe that healthy youth and strong families with opportunities to succeed are the foundation of any thriving community. Guided by this belief, we provide community-based services, education, and residential treatment to positively impact lives, in partnership with youth and families who have experienced trauma. From locations across Central & Western New York and Prince George’s County, Maryland, our programs serve nearly 10,000 youth, adults, and families each year. Partnering with families and communities, we deliver high-quality, evidence-based services, in the appropriate settings — whether on residential campuses or in schools, homes, or the workplace. By measuring the impact of our work, we endeavor to deliver ever better outcomes every day.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required with minimum 3 years of experience in child and family human services or related fields required; or Associate’s degree (e.g., paralegal studies) required with minimum 5 years of relevant investigative, legal support, compliance, or related experience required (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 required
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.
Demonstrate Hillside Professional Competencies of Communicates Effectively, Personal Excellence, Cultural Competence, Builds and Leverages Relationships and Optimizes Decision Making.

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.