Case Planner, CAMBA Family Solutions-3

Who We Are: CAMBA is a community of staff, volunteers, clients, donors, neighbors and partners who work together to build an inclusive New York City, where all children and adults have access to the resources and supports they need to thrive. We take a comprehensive approach by offering more than 160 integrated programs in: Education & Youth Development, Family Support, Job Training & Employment Support Services, Health, Housing, and Legal Services. We reach more than 65,000 individuals and families each year at our 90 locations, including 10,000 youth. CAMBA serves a diverse cross section of New Yorkers from new mothers in Brownsville to job seekers in the Rockaways. More than half of our clients are immigrants and refugees from around the globe. Over 85% of our families are in living in poverty, reflecting the challenges faced by nearly 1.7 million New Yorkers today.

CAMBA Family Solutions (CFS)-Solution Based Casework, is a preventive foster care program. Utilizing the Solution Based Casework (SBC), an evidenced-informed casework practice model that prioritizes working in partnership with families, focuses on pragmatic solutions to difficult situations, and notices and celebrates change. By identifying and targeting specific everyday events in the life of a family that have caused the family difficulty and through partnership with Families and other service providers, CFS helps families address risk to the safety of children and restore the family’s pride in their own competence – thus reducing the risk of out of home placement. Additional support services are also provided such as parenting workshops, parent support groups, assistance with government entitlements, health concerns, referrals for treatment programs and other barriers that may be causing the family additional stress in caring for their children.

Position: Case Planner

Reports To: Assistant Program Manager

What The Case Planner Does:

The person filling this position is expected, under general supervision, to: (1) aid individuals and their families requiring social service assistance and provide specific services that address the issues and behaviors that place children at risk of foster care placement; (2) interview and evaluate applicants for services, formulate service plans and goals, including short term and long term goals, and aid clients to implement service plans while promoting maximum safety, supervision and support for children and their families; (3) locate and make use of appropriate community resources for clients; (4) evaluate actual living conditions of clients though home visits; including the following:

• Coach Families through the Solution Based Casework Milestones with fidelity to the evidence-informed practice model.
• Prepare ACS FASP.
• Utilize the PROMIS, CARA and CONNECTIONS database.
• Invite referred clients to schedule an initial appointment with Counselor.
• If required escort clients to appointments (educational, medical, social service, etc.)
• Review all documentation establishing clients' eligibility for program and make file copies.
• Assist clients in completing all CAMBA intake applications and forms.
• Create and maintain client files.
• Document client contact via progress notes.
• Conduct risk assessment of clients and clients' families to determine the safety and risk of the youth in each household.
• Periodically reassess clients and update service plans and goals to reflect current status.
• Act as a client liaison/client advocate with outside organizations regarding such matters as education (i.e., advocate for educational testing through the school system), healthcare (i.e., assist parents in arranging medical, psychological/psychiatric tests through CPSE/EI/Board of Ed for children), housing, legal issues, etc.
• Consult with others both inside and outside CAMBA to determine causes of client problems and effect solutions.
• Follow-up with clients and with referral organizations regarding client contact and progress with referral organization.
• Partner with clients to break through barriers to client goals and to assist clients in advocating for themselves and in moving toward self-sufficiency.
• Recommend and implement strategies to persuade clients to participate more fully in this process.
• Monitor clients' progress toward their goals (dates achieved) via regularly scheduled contact and/or face-to-face home and office visits, and document via progress notes in the required timeframe.
• Participate in regular weekly supervision with direct Supervisor, scheduled group meetings and staff meetings
• Recommend closing of cases in which clients have: (a) achieved primary goals and have maintained stability for a period of months; or, (b) have not demonstrated a willingness to participate in the process (lost-to-service); or, (c) have become ineligible for services (e.g. moved out of area).

Minimum Education/Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree (e. g., B.A., B.S.W.) in social work, psychology, counseling, or a related field and two years of applicable experience and/or equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

• Must obtain and maintain State Central Registry (SCR) clearance and criminal history clearance through the duration of employment.