Position Available: Clinical Social Worker for Housing Case Management

Organizational Background: My Friend’s Place is a privately funded nonprofit organization with a mission “to assist and inspire homeless youth to build self-sufficient lives.” Our crisis resource drop-in center provides emergency, health, mental health, creative arts, case management, and education & employment services to over 700 youth and young adults experiencing homelessness annually. The youth and young adults we serve are predominantly black and brown and male identified. We recognize the experience of homelessness as a social, racial and economic justice issue. Our comprehensive, multi-disciplinary program model is innovative and replicated in drop-in centers locally and nationally. We are a data lead agency committed to continuous learning and development. We are currently seeking an enthusiastic, committed, and integrous master level social worker to join our Health & Well-Being Team.

Job Summary: Working from a trauma informed, strengths based, and harm reduction approach and in alignment with Coordinated Entry System (CES), the Clinical Social Worker will address urgent basic needs and psychosocial issues facing youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. The ultimate goal of all intervention is to partner with youth in order to resolve their experience of homelessness. This full-time position will be managed by the Health & Well-Being Manager and clinical supervision is provided.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Housing Case Management:

• Carry an individual case load of 30 youth who are engaged in short and long term case management and have varying needs, patterns of drop-in utilization, and degrees of clinical complexity
• Meet with case managed youth with appropriate urgency, intensity, and frequency to set and achieve goals and maintain and improve health and wellbeing
• Complete the Next Step Tool (NST) required assessment for Coordinated Entry System (CES) and continue to advocate and track case managed youth within CES ensuring that appropriate opportunities for housing are made available
• Create task related goals with youth to ensure that they are “match ready” for housing and motivate to completion
• Provide intensive case management and coordination of services and supports to each case managed youth within and outside of CES
• Provide ongoing resource linkage, risk assessment, safety planning, skills coaching, sobriety contracting, solution-focused and brief therapy
• Develop and implement care plans and safety plans that are sensitive to cultural, social and mental health needs encouraging positive help-seeking, coping, and other social-emotional skill building
• Determine what services and supports are needed to assist with immediate, short-term, and long-term stabilization and ensure linkage using a trauma informed youth development model
• Coordinate, facilitate, and transport youth to housing related appointments
• Help youth identify and engage natural and community supports promoting permanent connections
• Support completion of agency intakes and biopsychosocial assessments as needed
• Address on-demand referrals and linkage to mental health, substance use, physical health, and housing resources as triage needs arise in accordance to the agency’s low-barrier approach and practice standard

Crisis Intervention

• Provide crisis intervention, including suicide, homicide, and child abuse assessments using tenants of Psychological First Aid
• Develop crisis plans utilizing the strengths of the youth and available community resources to resolve the immediate crisis and facilitate follow up interventions
• Provide assessment as diagnosis as needed to ensure care
• Perform other duties as assigned, including responding to an emergency/tragedy event

Safe Haven Milieu Intervention

• Create and actively promote a comfortable, welcoming and healing environment where every young person is treated with dignity and respect and community is promoted
• Employ a customer service orientation in anticipating and responding to needs and requests
• Support Safe Haven Team in the supervision of all youth and the promotion of positive attachment and prosocial behavior
• Partner with Safe Haven Intake and Crisis Coordinator to lead on responding to youth who are dysregulated and provide de-escalation and problem solving opportunities, including conflict mediation, so that youth can remain safely in Safe Haven community

General Social Work Duties

• Center youth care and adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics
• Fulfill all mandated reporting requirements, in consultation with clinical supervisor
• Report all critical incidents and risk assessments immediately, consult with clinical supervisor, and adhere to all other program policies and procedures
• Document all case management/crisis activities in performance management tool within 48 hours
• Provide referrals requested from community members and other service providers
• Explore and cultivate possible referral resources as needed
• Maintain working knowledge of current trends and development in issues related to young adult mental health, trauma informed care, and homelessness/housing
• Work with management and administrative staff in program evaluation and development

Group Facilitation:

• Plan, create content, recruit, and facilitate wellness, life skills, and housing preparation/retention groups
• Maintain records on group content, activity and participation

Multi-disciplinary Meeting Participation:

• Participate in clinical supervision. Come prepared to discuss case conceptualization, goal planning and progress, concern for transference and countertransference, and places of feeling stuck in the therapeutic process.
• Participate in daily and weekly cross-domain meetings meant to enhance team attunement and multidisciplinary teamwork as well as agency-wide trainings
• Partner with the Development Team to create content for agency communication
• Participate in agency fundraising events and other community efforts to educate about youth homelessness

Experience, Education, & Qualifications

• Required: Master degree in social work with a minimum of one year of professional experience working with youth experiencing homelessness or high-risk youth
• Required: ACSW registrant in California or LCSW in good standing with the Board of Behavioral Sciences
• Commitment to agency values including JEDI (justice, equity, diversity & inclusion)
• Ability to work and share critically and self-critically
• Demonstrable commitment to self-awareness and one’s own healing and wellbeing as key to working responsibly and effectively with others and contributing to a healthy and equitable work environment
• Must have the ability and interest to work professionally with youth with severe trauma histories and appreciate that the behavioral expression of pain can include challenging, even hostile, behaviors
• Solid understanding of adolescent/young adult development and the impact of trauma on high-risk behavior including substance use
• Demonstrable commitment to developing trauma-focused counseling and advocacy skills
• Ability to thrive in a multidisciplinary team approach appreciating that service decisions and interventions are made in collaboration with the team
• Ability to take initiative, provide leadership combined with openness and patience in a learning environment
• Ability to think critically and problem-solve while completing assessments and developing both case and safety plans
• Strong organizational skills with an attention to details, timelines, and follow through
• Ability to balance autonomy, responsibility, and collaboration
• Open-mindedness and ability to work with diverse groups
• Articulate a positive vision for the mission of My Friend’s Place
• Availability for evening crisis coverage as required
• Able to concentrate and be productive in a shared office setting
• California driver’s license, automobile insurance and reliable transportation

PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Commitment to Core Values

The following core values are fundamental to our work together and with the youth: compassion, flexibility, honesty, human worth, integrity, openness, respect, sense of humor, trust, valuing diversity, and the willingness and courage to engage, address, discuss and work across differences

Dependability / Reliability

• Centers youth care
• Reports to work on time and informs appropriate staff when involved in other duties away from the agency
• Provides advance notice in a timely manner for all scheduled leave
• Maintains proper attendance requirements in compliance with agency policies, understanding the critical nature of the crisis center work

Attitude and Flexibility

• Exercises good judgment under various work situations
• Adapts to changes in agency routines and issues
• Maintains flexibility in completing tasks as required by the position
• Exhibits positive daily work attitudes on a consistent basis

Interpersonal Relations

• Creates a positive environment for all people in the agency by addressing issues of harassment, discrimination, or lack of respect immediately
• Continues to pursue the development of cultural sensitivity and proficiency agency-wide
• Documents challenging personnel and stakeholder situations in writing
• Exhibits cooperation and courtesy while creating a positive public image for My Friend’s Place and a productive work environment

Quality / Quantity of Work

• Understands and satisfactorily performs activities as assigned by the Health & Wellbeing Manager and Associate Director of Programs
• Ensures that all work is completed to the highest quality professional standards

Professional Leadership

• Maintains a level of professional knowledge so as to function as a resource for all staff, volunteers, and community members for the agency’s overall operation

Requirements, Terms and Benefits

• Full-time non-exempt status position, occasional weekend and evening hours will be necessary. Benefits include medical and dental insurance, vacation and sick leave, and 403b retirement plan
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, bend, lift and carry objects weighing 25 lbs, and drive
• Job requires frequent verbal and written communication. Computer, telephone, copier, and fax use are required
• ACSW supervision provided by qualified LCSW supervisor
• Must submit to and successfully pass a criminal history background check
• Must have access to adequate transportation and is insurable by the agency’s insurance
• TO APPLY, please email resume, cover letter and salary requirements to:

Katie Power, LCSW, Associate Director of Programs

kpower@myfriendsplace.org

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: My Friend’s Place is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, criminal history in accordance with the law, or any other legally protected characteristics. Everyone is encouraged to apply for available employment to ensure our staff reflects the diversity of the young people served by My Friend’s Place.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $69,395.46 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work setting:

• In-person

Education:

• Master's (Required)

Language:

• Spanish (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)
• ACSW (Required)

Work Location: In person