Social Service Coordinator - Northside Center for Child Development

ABOUT NORTHSIDE CENTER

Northside Center is known for our wonderful work culture and our expert teams of educators and clinicians. Most importantly, look forward to joining us in achieving our mission to provide children and families with the support they need to overcome adversity and thrive. Ensuring that our high-quality outcome-driven behavioral, mental health and education services propel struggling children forward, away from the ill effects of poverty and racism, toward a future limited only by the scope of their dreams.

JOB SUMMARY

A Social Service Coordinator plays a crucial role in helping individuals and families access the resources and support they need to navigate life’s challenges.

PRINCIPLE PRESPONSILBILITIES & DUTIES

• Delivering comprehensive social services to children, families, and pregnant women in the Early Head Start and Head Start programs.
•  Providing direct services to clients in need, when deemed appropriate.
•  Serving as liaison between mental health and parent involvement consultants in the EHS/HS program
• Developing a parent involvement curriculum for all Early Head Start/Head Start families that incorporates available on-site and off-site resources.
•  Establishing ongoing collaborative relationships with community organizations that are responsive to the needs of Early Head Start/Head Start children, and families.
•  Helping organize and oversee the procedures for program recruitment and enrollment.
•  Ensuring that EHS/HS multicultural principles are reflected in program practices.
• Intervening in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, as mandated by Federal and State law.
•  Maintaining confidentiality of family records and information.
• Encouraging and promoting the family’s achievement of self-sufficiency.
•  Participating in all appropriate trainings and meetings
•  Fostering the belief in parents that they are the child’s first teacher and reinforcing this concept with practical suggestions for its development.
•  Participating in the hiring of all EHS/HS staff members. 
• Stays current on new initiatives and practices in the field.
•  Participating in program annual assessment and federal reviews.
•  Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

EHS/HS Program Supervision:

•  Assisting in the development and evaluation of EHS/HS home and center-based policies and procedures.
•  Supervising the program’s family intake process, ensuring that it emphasizes early assessment and the development of a Family Partnership Agreement for every family enrolled.
•  Managing the referral of families to appropriate on-site-and off-site services in the areas of mental health, education, health, employment, etc.
•  Maintaining the programs records as completed by the Social Services staff in a timely and accurate manner.
•  Providing guidance and leadership in the planning of group socialization activities
•  Monitoring the program’s continuous outreach and recruitment activities within the Central and East Harlem community.

Supervision of Social Services Staff:

•  Guiding the staff in the assessment, intervention, and delivery of services to families in need.
•  Supporting Home Visitors and Family Assistants through meetings, some observations of home visits, group socializations, review of records and enrollment levels.
•  Supporting Home Visitors to assist parents in ways of using household resources in educational activities with their children, as needed.
•  Maintaining a system of reflective supervision with Family Assistants.
•  Meeting with Family Assistants and Home Visitors weekly to update each other on family needs and children’s progress.
•  Sharing information about Northside Center for Child Development, Inc. and the EHS/Head Start program model.
•  Assisting the Social Service Manager with evaluating social services staff yearly (formally) and regularly (informally), develops their improvement/training plans, and makes recommendations based on evaluations.
•  Modeling appropriate communication techniques.
•  Provides program orientation for new staff with the support of the Social Service Manager.
•  Assisting with the identification of training needs and the development of training to meet those needs.
•  Supervising any volunteers and social services interns and provides the necessary training, support, and feedback necessary for their professional growth. Parent Involvement:
•  Promoting a viable environment in which parents can enhance their parenting skills while receiving support in their efforts towards self-sufficiency.
•  Developing a parent involvement curriculum for all EHS/HS families that incorporates available on-site and off-site resources.
•  Coordinating parent governing activities and ensures that Class and Center meetings (for center-based families, home-based families, and pregnant women) and the Policy Council reflects the program’s mission and EHS/HS mandates.
•  Encouraging parents to attend parent meeting.

Qualifications

•   Leadership and managerial ability 
•  Bachelor or Master degree in social work or related field.
•   Good interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work as part of a team, communicate effectively both orally and in writing, receive and provide feedback, and manage dynamic interchanges in meetings.
•   Experience working with families and children aged newborn to five. 
•  An understanding of the Head Start philosophy and ability to implement its principle of shared authority and decision-making.