Social Services Manager

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a Social Services Manger to oversee social services for families enrolled in the Head Start program. They provide team leadership and direction to a team of social service staff, ensuring the delivery of comprehensive services that support holistic development of children and families.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Delivering comprehensive social services to children, families, and pregnant women in the Early Head Start and Head Start programs.
• Providing direct services to clients in need, when deemed appropriate.
• Serving as liaison between mental health and parent involvement consultants in the EHS/HS program.
• Developing a parent involvement curriculum for all Early Head Start/Head Start families that incorporates available on-site and off-site resources.
• Establishing ongoing collaborative relationships with community organizations that are responsive to the needs of Early Head Start/Head Start children, and families.
• Helping organize and oversee the procedures for program recruitment and enrollment.
• Ensuring that EHS/HS multicultural principles are reflected in program practices.
• Intervening in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, as mandated by Federal and State law.
• Maintaining confidentiality of family records and information.
• Encouraging and promoting the family's achievement of self-sufficiency.
• Participating in all appropriate trainings and meetings
• Fostering the belief in parents that they are the child's first teacher and reinforcing this concept with practical suggestions for its development.
• Participating in the hiring of all EHS/HS staff members
• Stays current on new initiatives and practices in the field.
• Participating in program annual assessment and federal reviews.

EHS/HS Program Supervision:

• Assisting in the development and evaluation of EHS/HS home and center-based policies and procedures.
• Supervising the program's client intake process, ensuring that it emphasizes early assessment and the development of a Family Plan for every client enrolled.
• Managing the referral of clients to appropriate on-site-and off-site services in the areas of mental health, education, health, employment, etc.
• Maintaining the programs records as completed by the Social Services staff in a timely and accurate manner.
• Providing guidance and leadership in the planning of group socialization activities.
• Monitoring the program's continuous outreach and recruitment activities within the Central and East Harlem community.

Supervision of Social Services Staff:

• Guiding the staff in the assessment, intervention, and delivery of services to clients in need.
• Keeping Home Visitors and Family Assistants informed of current research in Infant, Toddler, and Preschoolers development.
• Supervising Social Service Coordinators, Home Visitors and Family Assistants through meetings, observations of home visits, group socializations, review of records and enrollment levels.
• Training Home Visitors to assist parents in ways of using household resources in educational activities with their children, as needed.
• Maintaining a system of reflective supervision with the Home Visitors and Family Assistants.
• Meeting with Family Assistants and Home Visitors on a weekly basis to update one another on family needs and children's progress.
• Sharing information about Northside Center for Child Development, Inc. and the EHS/Head Start program model.
• Assisting the Director with the evaluation of social services staff on a yearly basis (formally) and on a regular basis (informally), develops their improvement/training plans, and makes recommendations based on evaluations.
• Modeling appropriate communication techniques.
• Provides program orientation for new staff with the support of the Program Director and other Management staff.
• Assisting with the identification of training needs and the development of training to meet those needs.
• Supervising any volunteers and social services interns and provides the necessary training, support, and feedback necessary for their professional growth.

Parent Involvement:

• Promoting a viable environment in which parents can enhance their parenting skills while receiving support in their efforts towards self-sufficiency.
• Developing a parent involvement curriculum for all EHS/HS families that incorporates available on-site and off-site resources.
• Coordinating parent governing activities and ensures that Class and Center meetings (for center-based families, home-based families, and pregnant women) and the Policy Council reflects the program's mission and EHS/HS mandates.
• Assisting parents in developing ways of using household resources in educational activities with their children.
• Providing parents with group socialization experiences and parenting skills workshops.
• Encouraging parents to attend parent meetings.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Leadership ability.
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Social Work or related field.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work as part of a team, communicate effectively both orally and in writing, receive and provide feedback, and manage dynamic interchanges in meetings.
• Experience working with families and children aged newborn to five.
• An understanding of the Head Start philosophy and ability to implement its principle of shared authority and decision-making.

COMPENSATION: $57,000 - $63,000

ABOUT NORTHSIDE

Northside Center for Child Development serves more than 5,500 children and families across New York City each year through high-quality, outcome-driven behavioral health, early childhood education, and enrichment services. With over $34 million in annual funding, Northside provides the comprehensive support children and families need to overcome adversity, build resilience, and pursue their dreams.

Founded in 1946 in Harlem, Northside has been a cornerstone of the community for eight decades, leading the way in integrating education and mental health to support children’s development. Several of Northside’s innovative programs were the first of their kind in Harlem, setting standards of care that continue to influence social service agencies throughout the United States today.

Northside’s founders, Drs. Kenneth B. and Mamie Phipps Clark, were renowned, pioneering psychologists whose groundbreaking research was instrumental in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education landmark Supreme Court decision that declared school segregation unconstitutional. Their belief in the worth, dignity, and potential of every child continues to guide Northside’s mission and inspire its work today. Northside is driven by its vision and principle, “Each Child…First Chance.”

For more information on Northside Center for Child Development, please visit www.northsidecenter.org.