Assistant Director of Social Services
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City of Newton
Posted October 07, 2020
Employment Type Full-time
Compensation $72,058 - $74,220
Company City of Newton
Location 1000 Commonwealth Ave, HR Dept., Room 210
Newton, MA 02459
US
DESCRIPTORS
WELCOME
We recognize and respect the amount of time you are about to invest by applying to this open position. If you complete this job application, you will be kept informed via email status updates (and text messages, if you opt in) throughout the evaluation process.

By continuing with this job application, you will be asked to answer job-specific questions. Please note that the questions contained in this job posting are our sole intellectual property.

Upon receipt of your responses, we will evaluate your submission. If selected for a personal interview, you will receive an email/text with scheduling instructions.

Thank You,
The Human Resources Department

COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Settled in 1630, Newton, Massachusetts is a vibrant community comprised of 13 distinctive villages. Located just outside of Boston, Newton is well respected for the quality of education, community life, exceptional homes, and beautiful open spaces. Newton has frequently been voted as one of the 10 best communities to live in. 

We place high value on diversity and on ensuring that City employees are representative of the multi-cultural community we serve, so we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

The City of Newton is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.
JOB DESCRIPTION

The mission of Health and Human Services Department is to protect, promote and sustain the health, harmony and wellbeing of all Newton residents, in a culturally-sensitive, customer-friendly manner.  The focus is on prevention.  The Department is organized into five different divisions: Environmental Health, School Health, Public Health and Education, Emergency Preparedness, and Social Services. This position supports the social services division under the direction of the Director of Social Services. The position is responsible for identifying community needs and developing proposals for responding to them, designing and implementing social service programs, consulting with city and external partners to provide a social work perspective when required, and providing direct support services to individual residents. This position facilitates the city effectively addressing social issues including (but not limited to): substance use disorder, housing, food security, workforce development, mental health issues, family related matters, domestic violence, and outreach and support for recent immigrants and non-English speaking populations.


Necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

 

  • Is a strong leader, prepared to identify new areas of support and develop programs, strategies and initiatives in response in coordination with the  Director.
  • Possesses strong clinical judgment while working with a wide variety of residents presenting with diverse needs.
  • Has expertise in one or more issue areas: substance use disorder, mental health, domestic violence, housing, food security, outreach to recent immigrants and/or non-English speakers.
  • Is flexible and interested in learning new approaches.
  • Highly organized and detail oriented.
  • Superior interpersonal skills with outgoing style and willingness to creatively engage diverse constituents and develop strong working partnerships    with a wide range of internal and external colleagues.
  • Demonstrates coalition building skills while working with multiple community agencies and stakeholders
  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Experienced at de-escalation and support techniques.
  • Able to work independently and as part of a team.
RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Assist Director in strategic analysis of the needs of residents and develops cost effective proposals for how to enhance social service delivery approaches
  • Assist Director in developing and implementing clear, responsive protocols to serve clients needs in a timely and effective manner
  • Provides division leadership in the absence of the Director
  • Research resources and social service best practices and support the Director in developing division materials
  • Develop and/or lead community workshops, programs and/ or groups on various social service related topics, including young adult, adolescent, mental health, and substance use disorder and others as need is identified.
  • Trains and consults with staff regarding psychosocial needs that encompass social, ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of individual residents of the City.
  • Identify areas of unmet community need and develop and implement creative strategies to address those needs, including programs, educational materials, social media outreach, regular media outreach and partnering with other departments and organizations.
  • Conduct community outreach through in person community- based networking. Provide staffing at community-based sites to engage with residents and inform them of services.
  • Facilitate, lead and/or participate in interdisciplinary service planning and case conferencing, including but not limited to; mental health providers, school social work staff, health care providers, and other city departments
  • Recruit, support and provide clinical supervision to interns or other staff as necessary.
  • Conduct on-site, in home, or in community visits with residents, family, or guardians to assess needs and facilitate access to services, through both pre-scheduled appointments as well as walk ins.
  • Maintain detailed knowledge of federal, state and local benefits and services. Keep abreast of developments in social services field, areas of expertise and trends.
  • Develop and maintain accurate and confidential client records including: intake notes, release of information forms, records, and statistics on contacts, referrals and resolutions, and any other records and reports as required.
  • Serve as a mandated reporter when there are concerns about neglect or abuse of children, elderly, or disabled.
  • Attend other meetings, conferences, on committees, task forces releFacilitate, present at and/or attend social service related meetings, conferences, on committees, task forces relevant to duties as determined with supervisor. vant to duties as determined with supervisor.
  • Facilitate, present at and/or attend social service related meetings, conferences, on committees, task forces relevant to duties as determined with supervisor.
  • Participate in regular staff meetings, staff training programs, supervisory sessions, and accept the responsibility for aiding the development of positive team relationships as requested.
  • Maintains liaison with private, public, and other City agencies involved in the support of Newton residents. Convenes these groups when necessary
  • Lead, consult, and/or actively participate in Emergency responses to crisis situations including on-call situations requiring emergency response during non-business hours
  • Assist Director in budget planning and implementation relevant to social services
  • Assist Director in designing and implementing evaluations of social service programs
  • Adhere to and follow City of Newton, departmental/governmental rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. Driving to various locations
  • Adhere to and follow City of Newton, departmental/governmental rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  • Performs other duties as required.
QUALIFICATIONS
  • Masters Degree in Social Work from an Accredited MSW program. LCSW or LICSW eligibility. Previous related training and/or work experience in a social services setting required. Previous experience with program development and coalition building highly preferred. Demonstrated organizational, time management and prioritization skills necessary. Management experience preferred. Fluency in languages in addition to English a plus.
BENEFITS
  • Deferred 457 Plans (Optional)
  • Dental Insurance
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Health Insurance
  • Metro Credit Union
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • City Retirement (Mandatory)