Case Manager/Fatherhood Advocate

HOURS: Full-time (40 hours/week)

REPORTS TO: Project Director

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None

LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY

ORGANIZATION

Youth Justice Network (YJN) was founded in 1990 to anchor, support and build capacity among young people released from jail in New York City. We break cycles of incarceration and promote an equitable justice system by providing young people with opportunities to grow, thrive, and lead. Through a combination of individualized advocacy, mentorship and services, our network of advocates develops relationships with young people whose lives intersect with the justice system. We leverage authentic relationships and local resources so that young people can forge their pathways to wellbeing and positive development.

POSITION:

YJN has an immediate opening for a Fatherhood Advocate/Case Manager within Friends to Fathers (F2F), a discrete project which supports Bronx-based fathers to engage more deeply with their children on a social and emotional level and to build their capacity to financially support them. A majority of our fathers are referred by the Administration of Children’s Services or by the courts, often as a result of domestic violence charges or other custodial issues. Funded by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), the Fatherhood Advocate/Case Manager will work directly with fathers through a combination of one-on-one mentoring and group classes. In our work with fathers we seek to help them reflect on their approaches to parenting, expose them to a broad array of ideas about child development, and provide opportunities for them to engage in activities together with their children.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Individual and group supportive services

• Engage newly referred fathers
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment to understand father and his family’s needs to determine relevant F2F support and referrals to community partners/services;
• Meet weekly one-on-one to support fathers and maintain a caseload of fathers;
• Provide updates and progress letters to the courts, probation and child welfare administration as requested;
• Develop and facilitate bi-weekly mentoring and co-parenting activities;
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation in DYCD database and F2F electronic records.

Facilitate parenting, anger management, and batterers’ accountability classes for non-custodial classes

• Teach three 20-session Parenting Classes per year; · As needed, teach a 26 week Batters’ Accountability class based on the Duluth Model;
• As needed, teach a 10 session Anger Management class;
• Cover colleagues’ classes when substitutions are necessary.

Support other F2F initiatives

• Participate in team meetings, trainings, and planning sessions;
• Participate in agency-wide activities;
• Support the ongoing mission and work of the program as needed.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree preferred and/or relevant experience working with youth population;
• Three to five years’ experience working with fathers or individuals involved with child welfare or the justice system;
• Strong group facilitation and interpersonal skills, cultural competence, and an understanding and belief in strengths-based practices and youth development philosophy;
• Experience and facility with data entry;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• A sense of humor, integrity, flexibility and a profound commitment to the participants we serve;
• Fluency in Spanish a plus;
• Individuals with prior criminal justice involvement are encouraged to apply.

Youth Justice Network is privileged to have a profoundly committed and caring staff – one which believes unconditionally in our youth members’ ability to do right and do well. We take our work very seriously, but we strive to make time for self-care and joy. We look for staff from all walks of life who have integrity, humor, a strong work ethic, are passionate about young people and committed to address the harms caused by mass incarceration.

Benefits include competitive vacation/sick leave policy including 3 days off between Christmas and New Year, generous health insurance, 403b employer match.