Social Worker

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic organization and provide direct social work services to children, families, and participants engaged in USES programs. The Social Worker will serve as a critical resource to support the social-emotional well-being of children and families enrolled in our Early Childhood Education (ECE) and club48 after-school programs. This role will work directly with educators to support individuals and groups of children. with parents and caregivers, and with families and children together, to promote resilience, strengthen family relationships, and support long-term stability.

In addition, the Social Worker will provide case management, and supportive services to participants in USES’s Family Mobility and Guaranteed Income programs, ensuring families are connected with the resources they need to thrive. This position requires a compassionate and culturally responsive professional who can partner with families in navigating complex challenges, advocate for their needs, and support children’s development and family well-being.

The Social Worker reports to the Director of Youth and Family Mobility Programming and works closely with program staff across Early Childhood Education, Out-of-School Time, and Family Mobility programs.

What You’ll Do

• Provide direct social work services for children and families in Early Childhood Education and Out-of-School Time programs, including individual, group, and family sessions.
• Support children’s social-emotional development through evidence-based practices, modeling strategies for staff, and collaborating on classroom behavior and intervention plans.
• Partner with parents and caregivers to strengthen family functioning, address challenges, and connect them with appropriate resources and referrals.
• Support families through the external referral process and help coordinate assessments as needed.
• Work with families participating in USES’s Guaranteed Income (STEP) and Family Mobility program, supporting goal setting, case management, and connection to community resources.
• Conduct assessments to identify strengths, needs, and risk factors, and develop child-centered action plans.
• Provide crisis intervention and coordinate with outside agencies as needed to ensure safety and well-being.
• Collaborate with program staff to integrate social-emotional supports into daily programming for children and families.
• Maintain accurate and timely case notes and documentation in alignment with confidentiality and licensing standards.
• Attend and contribute to program team meetings and attend family conferences as needed.
• Participate in professional development and stay current with best practices in social work, child development, and family engagement.
• Represent USES in community collaborations and build relationships with partner organizations to enhance supports for families.
• Participate in a Care Team.
• Train staff at Camp Hale (40 staff).
• Follow up with participants (return from Camp Hale).
• Onboard staff with behavioral management techniques.

What We’re Looking For

• Commitment to USES’s mission and values of opportunity, community, and diversity.
• Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) required; LCSW or LICSW preferred.
• Two or more years of experience providing social work services to children and families, preferably in an early childhood education, after-school, or community-based setting.
• Strong knowledge of child development, family systems, and trauma-informed care.
• Experience providing individual, family, and group interventions.
• Familiarity with Guaranteed Income, case management, or economic mobility programs a plus.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to establish trust and build collaborative relationships with children, families, and colleagues.
• Capacity to handle confidential information with sound judgment and professionalism.
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities strongly preferred.
• Ability to work some evenings and occasional weekends to meet the needs of families.

Work Expectations for this Role

This role is fully in-person. Some evenings and weekends may be required for family meetings, community events, or urgent family needs.

About United South End Settlements

United South End Settlements (USES) offers programs that support the whole family in achieving economic mobility. USES helps parents and caregivers develop their own capacity to reach their goals, increase their income and assets, and connect with new networks of people through One-on-One Coaching combined with opportunities for personal development through Family Mobility programming. For children and youth, USES provides quality education and enrichment opportunities that foster personal development and social-emotional skills such as perseverance, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Programs include Early Childhood Education, club48 out of school time programming, and Camp Hale on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. USES believes that as families increase their income and assets, become more resilient and connect to a diverse network, they and their children are more likely to develop the necessary skills to disrupt the cycle of poverty.

As United South End Settlements celebrates its 130th year and beyond, the organization is now reaffirming its founding vision of an inclusive community where neighbors from all walks of life work together so that all can thrive, while implementing a bold, new model designed to promote economic mobility and social capital to break the generational cycle of poverty.

USES firmly commits to advocating for all residents of its community, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. The organization’s deep roots in Boston’s South End have fostered connections with—and responsibility to—its diverse, underrepresented neighbors. Over the organization’s 130+year history, USES has consistently endeavored to address systemic racism and advance equity and opportunity through programming, services, support, and friendship. Its mission—to harness the power of its diverse community to disrupt the cycle of poverty—provides a higher purpose and throughline for all decision-making. The values of opportunity, community, and diversity guide the behavior of USES employees, families, and supporters. Through its influence as a neighborhood lifeline, USES commits to transformational family experiences that offer accessibility, equity, and inclusion and lead to true belonging.

USES Core Values

• Community: We believe in engaging the entire community as a catalyst in our model of service that helps children and their families build strong, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships.
• Diversity: We believe that we achieve the greatest positive impact on children and their families when we include people from various backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives in disrupting the cycle of poverty.
• Opportunity: We believe that all people have potential and deserve access to top quality educational and economic opportunities.

USES Organizational Norms and Behaviors

• Collaboration: Finding ways to work together within and across our departments and positions.
• Positivity: Having a “Can do” attitude even when things are tough or stressful.
• Transparency: Having open communication by sharing successes, challenges and ideas with each other.
• Excellence: Doing the best we can with everything we do.

We provide access to a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, a generous paid time off policy plus two paid weeks of full office closure, and more.

Bilingual or multilingual abilities strongly preferred.