Youth Outreach Coordinator

City of New York•New York City, NY

About The Position

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS manages community-based supports and foster care services and provides subsidized childcare vouchers. ACS child protection staff respond to allegations of child maltreatment. In juvenile justice, ACS oversees detention, placement, and programs for youth in the community. ACS' Nicholas Scoppetta Children’s Center (NSCC) is a 24-hour shift-based operation providing services for New York City’s highly vulnerable population of abused and/or neglected children who have been removed from their parents/caregivers. On average, the Children’s Center serves approximately 2,500 unique children entering or re-entering the foster care system as they await transition to return home, stay with kin, or placement in longer-term foster care settings. The Office of Placement Administration is responsible for identifying timely and appropriate placement for children in foster care based on the level of care assessments conducted by the Child and Family Specialists. Reporting to the Senior Director of Childcare Operations, the Youth Outreach Coordinator will be tasked with engaging youth who chronically become “Absent Without Consent” (AWOC) when they are residing at the Children’s Center and continue efforts to engage the youth when they are in the community. The coordinator will utilize multiple outreach methods to track the whereabouts of youth through phone calls, in-person case address contacts, social media searches, AWOC Notification notices, and engaging schools. The Youth Outreach Coordinator will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders for outreach on AWOC youths, resulting in biweekly reports capturing the status of each AWOC youth.

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Responsibilities

Ensure the Children’s Center staff and ACS stakeholders are adhering to business processes and regulations from the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) when youth are absent without consent from the Children’s Center or an authorized external site such as school, field trips and appointments
Make diligent efforts to identify the youth’s current location, including via social media searches, phone outreach, school, face-to-face visits, and home visits
Collaborate with contracted providers and stakeholders to review the case history of referred youth to support outreach efforts and develop an escalation plan
Evaluate youth for safety, assist with the development of a safety plan and establish a relationship with the youth to assist with their return to the Children’s Center
Ensure the Debriefing and Safety Assessment and Sex Trafficking screening tools are initiated with all youth who are AWOC return to the Children’s Center
Provide summarized information regarding case action and youth status to the youth’s Case Planner when updates become available
Provide monthly reports regarding AWOC engagement including number of youths referred, returned, and engaged
Track, monitor, and locate youth who are AWOC from the Children’s Center in coordination with ACS case planners, Investigative Consultants, and other ACS staff
Coordinate with the Intake department to ensure the initiation of the Missing Person’s Report by documenting key details of the youth
Ensure appropriate notifications have been made to parent/guardian, attorney, and any other stakeholder as appropriate
Liaise with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding youth who are AWOC
Coordinate with the Childcare Supervisor, Child Family Specialists and/or Office of Child and Family Services staff on Mental Health assessments when applicable
Provide weekly updates on the AWOC list by removing or adding names based on case reviews and findings
Review case notes, ATS, and other databases to collect information for case reviews
Support internal meetings regarding efforts to locate youth that are AWOC and provide updates and next steps to ensure timely coordination and collaboration with all stakeholders