Kingship Specialist Navigator

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. The Division of Child Protection focuses on leveraging strategies to reduce pre-placement when out-of-home care is critically essential to a child’s safety by improving overall efficiencies in the placement process. ACS is committed to ensuring every child requiring a protective removal will be potentially placed with a family caregiver. To embed Family Finding firmly in the Division of Child Protection practice, the Division, along with program partner FTC, intends to centralize the function of Kin finding.

About the role

The Office of Family Team Conferencing Kinship Support Services at the Nicholas Scoppetta Children’s Center helps children and families served by ACS after-hours staff in borough offices and emergency units that work nights and weekends to place children on an emergency basis. Pre-Placement (Children’s Center, Youth Reception Centers, and Sheltering Arms Reception Center) operates 24/7 to provide critical services for children and youth in foster care. The Kinship Specialists unit focuses on finding kin resources through exploration of familial and fictive kin to expedite and support placement and permanency for children and youth in Pre-Placement settings.

Responsibilities

• Maintains liaison with various stakeholders by obtaining and conveying information and providing feedback to facilitate cooperation and coordination of services.
• Prepares reports by utilizing information obtained from kinship assignments, activity sheets, records, or reports to provide a written record of unit actions, findings, and recommendations.
• Assists supervisor with gathering data from staff to enter in the Kinship Practice Log Spreadsheet.
• Responds to requests for help from staff by researching files, documents, and solutions databases to provide requested information and support.
• Addresses basic requests and escalates complex requests to the appropriate parties. Logs all requests and problem resolutions.
• Coordinates work related to follow-up on incomplete, pending applications and/or referrals by providing direction, requesting and reviewing additional information to enhance achievement of community services/project objectives.
• Assists with other duties to support the CC Kinship Team as needed.

Requirements

• High school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community-centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or equivalent education and/or experience.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County.

Pay

$44,545.00 – $74,134.00