Social Work Supervisor, Family Defense, Staten Island

The Center for Family Representation Inc. (CFR) is an award-winning, innovative law and policy organization that serves primarily Black and Brown families and youth in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island with an interdisciplinary legal defense model that serves more than 2400 clients every year. CFR was originally founded in 2002 to dramatically change the trajectory of indigent parents being prosecuted by the City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Our goal is to defend and protect our clients’ rights, reduce the harm of family separation and prevent or minimize the time any child spends in the foster system.

CFR is committed to providing robust supervision to program staff. Under the supervision of the Social Work Director, the Social Work Supervisor’s primary responsibility will be to supervise two to four social work staff of varying degrees of experience who work in interdisciplinary teams with attorneys, parent advocates, and paralegals to represent parents in Family Court, as well as in Home for Good practice areas. Social Work Supervisors are responsible for helping social work staff, including senior staff, develop mastery as well as reinforcing and building upon skills and values introduced in initial and ongoing training.

The Social Work Supervisor will also work with other supervisors and senior staff as well as with HR and Development staff, Training Supervisors, and Executive Director to inform decisions on strategic planning and overall program development and improvement for the entire agency. In those areas, activities may include participation in administration, fundraising efforts, training, policy work, development, progressive discipline, internships, recruitment and/or hiring. All Supervisors are expected to demonstrate an aptitude for productive problem-solving, a commitment to CFR’s current DEI work, and a desire to contribute to the stewardship of CFR; this includes the ability to positively and productively contribute to the work culture at CFR in communications and work with staff at all levels, including progressive discipline if necessary. Candidates for supervisor also need to be well organized in order to work efficiently and effectively beyond their own caseload and to effectively supervise multiple staff, with varying levels of experience.

Responsibilities May Include:

• Work as part of CFR’s interdisciplinary legal teams (comprised of attorneys, social work staff, paralegals and parent advocates) to provide our clients with high quality legal defense and meet objectives such as keeping children out of foster care, shortening lengths of stay for children in foster care, promoting quality visiting arrangements and ensuring that families receive services that are well-tailored to expediting safe and lasting reunification
• Carry a small caseload of your own providing direct social work support and advocacy to clients
• Provide direct supervision of social work staff and interns, and hold/write professional development reviews for any directly-supervised staff
• Supervise child protective intake along with the Social Work Director
• Participate in training for new and seasoned staff as well as trainings and technical assistance for external practitioners and professionals
• Coordinate monthly Case Practice and/or Social Work meetings
• Facilitate group supervision sessions for social work staff members and interns
• Review policy statements and work with ACS staff and staff from other agencies to address substantive issues impacting CFR’s clients
• Participate in CMS work groups and related work to enhance CFR’s data collection
• Capture client stories for development and advocacy around policy issues;
• Provide input and assistance with development efforts
• Review resumes and interview candidates for various positions at CFR;
• Participate in additional meetings and professional development opportunities geared towards senior staff and supervisors

Qualifications

To be eligible, ideal candidates will have:

• Obtained their LMSW
• Have at least three to five years of experience at CFR and/or in related work in family policing, court systems or other relevant advocacy roles.
• Prior supervisory experience
• SIFI certification
• Experience working with people struggling with addiction, mental illness,and/or court involvement

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Experience working in and with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities
• Strong client counseling and programmatic skills
• Ability to work well independently as well as part of a team
• Ability to model best practices and a willingness and aptitude for taking on a leadership and managerial role at CFR.
• Commitment to interdisciplinary representation of parents
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Strong organization skills and meticulous attention to detail
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and ability to learn other applications for communication and recordkeeping
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
• Commitment to raising one’s cultural consciousness and challenging oppressive practices on an interpersonal and institutional level
• Knowledge of the Staten Island community and available resources

Annualized Salary: $96,100 (L3) - $116,900 (L13), LMSW

Experience with public benefits, education, housing or immigration is preferred

Fluency in Spanish or other languages is preferred