Lead Case Manager - Home Study & Post Release Services (HS/PRS)

Job Title: Lead Case Manager - Home Study & Post Release Services (HS/PRS)

Reports To: Program Manager - HS/PRS

Department: Programs - El Caminos

Location: Gainesville, GA

FLSA: Full-time exempt

Job Summary:

The Lead Case Manager provides effective leadership and management to uphold Wellroot Family Services' Trauma Informed Care Culture for clients, families, and staff. The Lead Case Manager provides adaptive leadership through supportive coaching and mentoring to Home Study & Post Release Service (HS/PRS) case management staff and is responsible for providing oversight to activities related to the completion of Home Studies and delivery of Post Release Services to unaccompanied children and their sponsors (caregivers). This position ensures the creation of strong systems and methods of performance excellence with the goal of conducting HS that assess for safety and suitability of placement and providing PRS that promote successful integration of youth and support family reunification efforts. Board of Child Care (BCC) (lead agency) works in collaboration with Wellroot to provide home study and post release case management to unaccompanied children that are reunified with caregivers across the Mid-Atlantic and surrounding regions as well as other parts of the country.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate and practice trauma informed leadership
• Provide oversight and coordination for all aspects of Wellroot' s HS/PRS Program, including direct supervision of the HS/PRS case management team
• Assign referrals to individual case managers within the required timeframe, taking into consideration case manager workload, location, and complexity of case distribution
• Provide initial and continuous training and professional development for HS/PRS case management team regarding responsibilities within the Wellroot Program, including agency, state and federal policy updates and changes and best practice service provision
• Provide ongoing and continuous identification of community-based resources, providers, and services available to meet the needs of communities served by the program, ensuring that HS/PRS case management team has easy access to current and up to date resources
• Facilitate regularly scheduled individual and group guidance sessions for all members of the HS/PRS case management team, including part time and contract staff
• Actively participate in agency and community efforts to build culturally competent outreach, education, and interventions for the immigrant and refugee community
• Ensure adherence to BCC established performance metrics related to best practice contact requirements for youth and family, including phone and in person face to face visitation requirements
• Provide oversight and support necessary to ensure that all case managers submit detailed and thorough documentation in compliance with BCC and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) requirements and reporting deadlines, including but not limited to case notes, federal and agency data collection, programmatic reporting, assessments, care plan documentation, transition/discharge planning and post-discharge follow-up

• Acts as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders
• Provide effective communication across departments and programs to ensure consistency and clear expectations across the interdisciplinary team
• Responsible for interviewing and onboarding new employees for the department. Integral in the orientation process for case management staff, teach clear expectations of the position and promoting a strong connection to the organization
• Required to maintain a reduced caseload, providing direct service provision of both HS and PRS
• Participate in the development and implementation of policies, procedures and reports to assure effective department functioning and documentation of activity and performance outcomes
• Promote team understanding of available BCC resources and assist with the facilitation of referrals as appropriate
• Maintain effective working relationships with families, children/youth, colleagues, consultants, and community agencies
• Develop and maintain emotional intelligence for effective self-care and the role-model for youth, staff, and families the essence of Trauma Informed Practices
• Ensure that services are provided to all youth and families 24/7 in keeping with federal and state regulations, Council on Accreditation (COA) and agency standards
• Demonstrates an understanding of the value of cultural diversity, including the ability to develop systems and practices that are inclusive of diverse staff members and responsive to the cultural needs of the client population served
• Demonstrates knowledge of and familiarity with both BCC and Wellroot Policy and Procedures relating to services for Unaccompanied Children. This includes knowledge of legal background and authority governing the practice as related to working with Unaccompanied Children
• Demonstrates knowledge of and ability to identify community social service resources and the processes required to connect youth and families to available social service benefits and programs
• Assist in the provision and facilitation of department and agency wide training opportunities
• Identify supervision and/or professional training needs to supervisor as they arise

Non-Essential Functions:

• Provides case coverage in the absence of the assigned Case Manager, as needed.

Competencies:

• Accountability for Others
• Accurate Listening
• Attitude toward Honesty
• Commitment to the Job
• Consistency and Reliability
• Developing Others
• Emotional Control
• Empathetic Outlook
• Flexibility
• Handling Stress
• Human Awareness
• Leading Others
• Monitoring Others
• Practical Thinking
• Creative Problem Solving
• Cultural Humility

• Relating to Others
• Role Awareness
• Frequent Interaction with Others
• Attention to Detail
• Bilingual Fluency

Supervisory Responsibility: Responsible for supervising HS/PRS Case Managers. The Lead Case Manager demonstrates adaptive leadership through supportive coaching and mentoring to Case Managers through regular administrative supervision and training opportunities. Integral person responsible for the professional

development of the department, recognizing the importance of addressing vicarious trauma for staff. Responsible for providing regular guidance and annual performance evaluations for full time, part time and contracted staff, as applicable.

Work Environment/ Remote Office Requirements: This position requires the ability to operate both in a professional office environment as well as a remote work capacity. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. Remote duties require the ability to procure fast, reliable internet service (15 Mbps minimum download speed required) at the remote office location. Remote workspace must allow for phone and video calls to be made without interruption, the confidentiality of protected health information to be maintained, and equipment stored securely when not in use. Wellroot will provide a laptop and cell phone. Employee is responsible for all other remote office equipment and costs.

Physical Demands: 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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: This is a full-time position. The schedule requires flexibility based on the availability of youth and families served. This position regularly requires long hours and weekend work. Eligible for flex schedule. Non-essential during inclement weather.

Travel: Travel is required and will include local as well as out-of-area and overnight travel. Frequent local travel will be required to serve the home communities of youth and families served by the program.

Must be able and willing to travel to other cities by flying on commercial airlines, driving a rental car and/or using other transportation, and stay overnight in hotels.

Requirements:

• Master's in Social Work (MSW) or an equivalent degree in behavioral sciences or social services field
• Three years of progressive employment experience in family preservation, kinship care or general child welfare services

OR

• Bachelor's degree in one of the sciences, plus approximately 5 years of relevant employment experience, that demonstrates supervisory and case management experience

• Bilingual in English and Spanish (both oral and written)

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

• Able to learn and effectively utilize different technology platforms
• Excellent computer use knowledge with Microsoft Windows 10 and 365 Office products, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Proven effective time management, planning, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to problem solve
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to keep an electronic calendar (Outlook)
• Ability to pass TCI certification both at employee orientation and per the schedule outlined by HR
• thereafter
• Ability to pass CPR/First aid certification both at employee orientation and per the schedule outlined by HR thereafter
• Ability to demonstrate the possession of a valid driver's license prior to employment and ability to maintain the license and operate a motor vehicle thereafter
• Ability to pass CPS/UII background check both prior to employment and per the schedule outlined by HR thereafter
• Ability to pass a Tuberculosis Screening both prior to employment and per the schedule outlined by HR thereafter
• Ability to pass a work-readiness physical performed by a certified medical professional both prior to employment and per the schedule outlined by HR thereafter
• Ability to pass a Federal and State Fingerprinting Background Check both prior to employment and per the schedule outlined by HR thereafter
• Ability to pass a drug screen via urinalysis both prior to employment and randomly thereafter