The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care services. In child welfare, ACS contracts with private nonprofit organizations to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through preventive services and provides foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. Each year, the agency’s Division of Child Protection responds to more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In juvenile justice, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. ACS is also a key part of NYCs early childhood and education continuum, providing childcare assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care.
The Community Based Strategies (CBS) team within the Division of Prevention Services (DPS) and ACS is seeking nine outstanding candidates to serve as Contract Management Program Officers for various prevention program models (Program descriptions below). Contracted programs offer family support services, child welfare prevention services, clinical interventions to families, early childhood parent attachment services and services for whole families experiencing intimate partner violence, particularly those families receiving court-ordered supervision. These staff form part of the Office of Program Management and Sustainability.
CBS employs an approach guided by data, research, and the voices of the communities we serve.
The Contract Management Program Officers will be tasked with:
• Support the development, implementation, and sustainability of DPS’s system for providing model-specific support to prevention service providers, including service model fidelity integration, coordination, monitoring and continuous improvement, in partnership with contracted model purveyors and the Department of Policy, Planning, and Measurement.
• Support program management that includes: ongoing collaboration with all stakeholders, site visits and relationship building with providers and front line staff, emphasis on community and family engagement to ensure and maintain utilization, feedback from clients during and after services, outcome and impact measurement, effectiveness, access and referral pathways, standardized assessments and eligibility criteria, and other elements of sustainability derived from best practice and/or implementation science.
• Prepare documents, make presentations, and guide goal-oriented meetings with key stakeholders.
• Facilitate and manage learning collaboratives among model developers and contracted provider staff implementing the same model in order to strengthen evidence-based or research-informed practice, surface and resolve challenges, and share lessons learned. This includes the systematic sharing of best practices to strengthen the network.
• Represent DPS in external coordination workgroups and internal working groups.
• Contribute expertise in the development of innovative strategies for improving service delivery to the population they are serving. Play an active role in strategic planning and coordination for division policies and programs.
• Define and assess fidelity measures for individual programs and across a cohort of programs implementing a model, support alignment and continuous improvement toward model fidelity, and chart approaches for improving implementation.
• Review programmatic reporting to ensure the providers are on track to meet their deliverables and are trending toward strong outcomes including case record reviews.
• Conduct research and use data analytics and qualitative methods to better understand program operations and performance, including utilization and program engagement, and to drive programmatic improvement and evaluation.
• Manage contracts, budgets, and relationships with providers agencies and Model Purveyors.
• Build strong understanding of prevention contract expectations, ACS standards for prevention service delivery, and service model fidelity to promote integration and coordination of high-quality services delivered to families and overall system performance in collaboration with external trainers and ACS’ Division of Policy, Planning, and Measurement (DPPM).
• Bring a racial equity and social justice lens to the work and helps drive and support initiatives across the portfolio of programs that promote equity, economic mobility, and ensure families are at the center of all decision making.
Minimum Qual Requirements
1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master’s degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master’s degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to “1” or “2” above. However, all candidates must have at least a master’s degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in “2” above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in “1” and “2” above.
NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.
Preferred Skills
Candidates should have experience working within one or more of the following models.
Special Medical (Reports to the Dir. of Specialized Needs)
Serves families in which a parent and/or child have special medical needs and the child is at imminent risk of foster care placement. The model is designed to connect families to long-term supports and services that can be sustained once participation in the prevention program has ended. Additionally, Special Medical assists terminally ill parents in identifying future permanency resources and preparing for the transfer of custody of their children. Providers offering Special Medical prevention services will strive to reduce safety factors and risk elements within the family, which, if left unaddressed, would warrant foster care placement.
Center Based Respite (Reports to the Dir. of Specialized Needs)
ACS-funded center-based respite services are provided in a facility that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. Respite services are designed to temporarily relieve parents and caregivers when there is an emergency or an unexpected demand on the family that impedes the ability to care for children; or there is a need for additional support to maintain or restore family functioning; or the needs of the child require the additional services, support, or structure available in these settings. These services intend to mitigate the risk of placement into foster care.
Family Connections (Reports to the Dir. of Early Support Programs)
A multi-faceted, community-based program that works with families in their neighborhoods to help them meet the basic needs of their children, reduce the risk of child maltreatment, and strengthen overall functioning of the family and children. Family Connections is a home-based approach that addresses the concrete and clinical needs of the family. Practitioners use standardized assessment instruments to conduct a comprehensive family assessment and monitor progress and outcomes.
Mobility Mentoring (Reports to the Dir. of Early Support Programs)
A research-informed approach to help families improve their well-being, meet their children’s needs, and get out of poverty. This model is particularly relevant to child welfare, given that scarcity is a major underlying factor for many families receiving child welfare prevention services. It promotes financial management, education, employment, family stability, and mental health.
Family Treatment and Rehabilitation (Reports to the Dir. of Specialized Needs)
FTR, reporting to the Director of Specialized Needs, the Contract Management Program Officer will be responsible for supporting the development of a vision for program integration, sustainability, coordinating and collaborating with the providers and internal ACS stakeholders to ensure the success and quality of the Family Treatment and Rehabilitation program. FT/R is appropriate for high-risk families where the primary issue is a caretaker or child’s substance use or mental health concern. Treatment occurs in three phases: Initial, Baseline, and Stabilization. FT/R providers have the capacity to make mental health evaluations and substance use screenings.
Functional Family Therapy (Reports to the Dir. of Therapeutic & Treatment Programs)
A family therapy intervention for the treatment of violent, criminal, behavioral, school, and conduct problems with youth and their families. Both intra-familial and extra-familial factors are addressed. An FFT belief is that the motivation of a family is to a great extent the responsibility of the therapist, not just the family. Additionally, the FFT-CW and FFT-TCM are adaptations of Function Family Therapy (FFT). The models use a developmental approach, serving parents and children with behavioral challenges, mental health concerns, and/or substance misuse. The focus is on helping families improve communication while decreasing the intense negativity in families.
Brief Strategic Family Therapy (Reports to the Dir. of Therapeutic & Treatment Programs)
A brief family intervention for children and youth with serious behavior problems and/or drug use. BSFT works well for families with poor behavior management and problematic relationships. The intervention identifies patterns of family interaction and improves them to restore effective parental leadership and involvement with the youth. BSFT also seeks to reduce drug use and delinquency in youth.
Additional Information
Section 424-A of the New York Social Services Law requires an authorized agency to inquire whether a candidate for employment with child-caring responsibilities has been the subject of a child abuse and maltreatment report.
To Apply
APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY USING ONE OF THE OPTIONS BELOW:
For current city employees, go to Employee Self Service (ESS), Recruiting Activities, Careers and search for Job ID# 580739.
For all other applicants go to www.nyc.gov/careers and search for Job ID# 580739. Click on the “Apply” button.
If you do not have access to a computer, most public libraries have computers available for use.
Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Public Svc Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at StudentAid.gov/PSLF .
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
POSTING DATE
08/18/2023
POST UNTIL
09/17/2023
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.