Description

About Us

The pretrial stage is a critical juncture in the larger criminal justice process; whether or not someone gets out of custody after arrest is a major determinant of the ultimate outcome of the case, as those who remain in jail are more likely to face a conviction than those who are released. In addition, the presumption of innocence and constitutional protections against excessive bail are two of our most foundational legal principles. Despite these facts, and against the backdrop of mass incarceration nationwide, jail populations in San Francisco and across the country are disproportionately composed of pretrial individuals. 

The San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project (SFPDP) works to address this critical issue by providing alternatives to pretrial incarceration. By doing so, the SFPDP does its part to prevent unjust harm and unnecessary incarceration. Rather than languishing behind bars, newly arrested people can be released to our services to receive care, support, case management, and referrals to outside treatment providers. Our services are diverse and wide-ranging in recognition of the many needs that justice-involved people may have. Further, San Francisco has been the seat of new bail reform initiatives in California, which has afforded us the opportunity to continue to grow and build on our 45 years of experience overseeing pretrial services in the City and County.

Job Summary

The primary responsibility for the In Custody Referrals case manager is to work in concert with Judicial Services and Mental Health Diversion Court to remove barriers to mental health and substance use treatment, serving adults involved in the pretrial justice system, who have been arrested in San Francisco. The case manager primarily operates out of the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project (SFPDP) Offices and will also spend a part of their day in the field and in court. The Case Manager will be expected to travel to the San Bruno jail, CJ2, and other sites as needed.

Justice-involved adults in San Francisco with out-of-county Medi-Cal have limited availability of substance use disorder (SUD) counseling, case management, and stabilization services within San Francisco, making it less likely for them to be able to participate in Mental Health Diversion. This project will provide a crucially needed case manager focused uniquely on clients from other counties facing barriers to service enrollment. This project will also allow individuals to get appropriate treatment for substance use disorder and mental health issues, rather than criminalization and convictions. This is particularly as SF Pretrial caseloads are at historic highs and clients are being released from jail with higher levels of need.

This position has a travel component, which may require up to 25% travel. The Case Manager will travel throughout California to transport clients to various treatment programs that are contracted to work with SF Pretrial. The Case Manager will Partner with the San Francisco Mental Health Diversion Court; San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, DPH Jail Health Services, and additional partners to assess pretrial individuals for the appropriate level of care, and will oversee the creation of treatment plans, timelines, transport, and tracking outcomes.

This position has been created to implement client services for a fixed- period grant. The grant runs through September 3, 2024. While it is possible this position and program become permanent, this position is currently funded through the August 31, 2026  grant period.

Responsibilities

Client Interaction:

• Outreach to pre-identified justice-involved  persons and provide professional and culturally relevant support, advocacy, information and referrals in order to assess eligibility.
• Screen and assess single adults using standardized tools for substance use and mental health prioritization. 
• Develop and manage referral systems for clients, regularly communicating status updates to them.   
• Keep detailed and specific notes on a client’s status through the start and end of the treatment placement process.
• Work with clients to ensure they have the necessary tools to integrate into their communities. Focus on the core values of health, home, purpose, and community inclusion. 
• Maintain, at minimum, weekly contact with the client during their residential treatment period.
• Provide on-going resource, case management and crisis intervention support to clients using a trauma informed/harm reduction model.
• Educate clients on residential treatment programmatic requirements. 
• Assist clients in developing and learning appropriate methods of advocating for themselves.
• Maintain client privacy and confidentiality regarding patient health information and comply with all laws of confidentiality and HIPAA requirements. 
• Support clients when they return from treatment placement to support successful transition into their community.

Process Management:

• Using a collaborative process involving a range of services, techniques and resources , manage a safe permanent or temporary accommodation of clients in order to avoid ongoing justice involvement.
• Upon completion of priority level eligibility assessments, make referrals to the appropriate treatment program.
• Manage a shared caseload of approximately 25 clients at a time. Depending on resources and need, this amount may increase.
• Support the completion of all required items for a residential treatment provider’s placement.
• Coordinate and manage treatment services with third party providers.

Resource Management:

• Locate and obtain other support and service resources necessary to successfully fulfill a client’s treatment plan.
• Locate and obtain other support and service resources necessary to successfully assist a client to be successful in their treatment site.   
• Achieve a broad understanding of the substance use and mental health-related resources and services available in the community for clients, particularly those with acute medical and behavioral health needs. This may include information such as rental assistance programs, IHSS services, food programs, and health and behavioral health services.
• Develop and maintain relationships with program and administrative staff at the sites where clients are referred for housing. 
• In collaboration with clinical consultation, develop strategies to address client’s negative behavior that may impact their treatment program retention. 
• Participation in site-based coordination meetings.
• Attend monthly Operations meetings. 

Other:

• Follow policies, procedures and protocols established by other third party providers.
• Maintain a cooperative and collaborative working relationship with the employees, volunteers and clients of the residential treatment partners.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

1. Background Check: The successful candidate will be required to complete a Criminal Background check that will be conducted by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department. The cost of the check is covered by SFPDP. 
2. Language: Proficiency in Spanish or Cantonese is required. 
3. Licensing: None required for this position.
4. Reference checks: SFPDP will require the candidate to provide at least three references, with two individuals who have previously supervised or managed the candidate.
5. Vaccination Requirement: 
   1. Based on recommendations from the CDC and other health agencies; and due to the work we do in the jails, SFPDP recommends that employees get vaccinated in order to prevent them contracting the virus. This is also recommended to prevent the spread of the virus to others in our workplace. Currently, SFPDP does not require employees to be vaccinated. Employees who have not been vaccinated are also recommended to wear a mask while in the workplace to prevent contracting/spreading the virus; however, this is not required. This policy may change based on recommendations from the CDC and other health agencies.
   2. Proof of semi-annual TB screening.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, or related field or commensurate field and community work and 2 years experience as a case manager working with the justice involved population. 
2. At least 1 year of experience conducting risk, substance use, and/or mental health assessments.
3.  At least 2 years of experience managing a client caseload.
4. At least 1 year experience navigating county or other systems of care. 
5. At least 6 months experience facilitating groups such as  trauma, violence, restorative justice, safety, or related topics in a custody or a controlled environment. 

Other Qualifications

1. Confidentiality:
   1. Ability to handle confidential information and use of tact, respect, discretion and good judgment in a variety of situations.
2. Diverse Work Experience:
   1. Demonstrated respect for, experience with and willingness to work with a diverse client population.
3. Knowledge:
   1. Knowledge of issues confronted by and sensitivity to adults with substance abuse, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, mental health issues, history of trauma and co-occurring-diagnoses.
   2. Knowledge,  understanding and/or experience with resources available to homeless and low-income residents of San Francisco.
   3. Knowledge, skills and attitude  to deliver culturally competent services and work effectively in cross-cultural situations.
   4. Experience working in integrated service teams using participant-centered, trauma-informed, harm reduction approaches.
   5. Knowledge of current permanent supportive housing eligibility requirements, including HUD homeless regulations. 
4. Language Skills:  
   1. Read, write, and verbally communicate effectively and professionally with other employees, clients, and outside agencies. 
5. Professionalism: 
   1. Ability to diplomatically deal with difficult situations and people, while exhibiting a consistent level of professionalism. 
   2. Professional and discreet demeanor with good interpersonal skills. 
   3. Advise the Court and its representatives of options for pretrial release, community-based treatment, and other matters relating to court cases.
   4. Develop and submit to the Court release recommendations for all in-custody referral clients in a timely manner. As requested, provide in-person recommendations to the court.
   5.  
6. Technical Skills:  
   1. Proficient in Microsoft Office suite products and Google applications.
7. Work Style:
   1. Collaborative work style with the ability to develop and manage excellent relationships.
   2. Ability to work independently and effectively as an individual and part of a team.
   3. Commitment to the organization and third party  mission and values.
   4. Ability to be flexible and adapt to changes.
   5. Ability to think independently, to exercise independent discretion, and to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of factual situations where no specific guidelines exist.  
   6. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, report or schedule form and to exercise good judgment in applying that information.
   7. Able to work with little or no supervision under pressure. 
   8. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. 
   9. Strong administrative skills.

Physical Demands 

1. Be prepared to travel with clients through airports, in airplanes and in ground transportation operated by a third-party.
2. Stand, walk or sit alternatively depending on specific needs of the day. Estimates of 50% time are spent on feet and 50% sitting at a desk.
3. Occasionally need to perform the following physical activities: bending/stooping/squatting, climbing stairs, pushing, pulling, twisting, lifting and reaching above shoulders. 
4. Constant need to perform the following physical activities: writing/typing, grasping/turning, finger dexterity.
5. Lifting/carrying up to 5 lbs. frequently and 25 lbs. occasionally. 
6. Vision requirements: constant need to complete forms, read reports, view computer screens. Frequent need to see small details. Frequent need to see things clearly beyond arm's reach.
7. Hearing requirements: constant need to communicate over telephone and in person.

Equipment/Machinery

1. Operate equipment such as, but not limited to, personal computer, calculator, fax machine, copier, phone, security system, and door locks.  

Salary : $69,000 - $73,100