Community Social Worker, Co-Response

Community Social Worker, Co-Response

The City's Office of Community Health & Safety provides community-based support for, emergency response to, and sustained engagement with community members whose needs are not met by the traditional Public Safety paradigm. A critical part of our right responder model is the Co-Response program, which pairs social workers and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police personnel to respond together to the calls. The Co-Response program will be responsible for staffing units in each of the City's six Police Zones.

Co-Response personnel have a positive impact on our community by engaging with citizens through trauma-informed program development and direct service delivery. The Community Social Worker, Co-Response (CSW) will work with a team of colleagues and their police partner to identify and support individuals through both immediate response and ongoing support. Engagements will focus on addressing barriers to consistent care, resources, and treatment that result in Public Safety engagements.

The CSW will engage with individuals who experience high utilization of Public Safety services, are victims of crime, or are individuals with unmet behavioral health or social support needs. This position will perform on-scene crisis care and de-escalation, perform needs assessments and coordination of care, conduct follow-up with their clients, and engage in short-term intervention by determining and submitting the types of referrals and services needed.

The ideal candidate will have a strong alignment with the principles of harm reduction; a strong understanding of assertive engagement, stages of change, empowering individual agency, and choice; and experience in case management, crisis intervention, victim support, and mental/behavioral health support. The successful candidate will possess a desire to work directly with Police to support interactions in a way that leverages the distinctive skills and roles of social workers and law enforcement.

The Community Social Worker, Co-Response will receive referrals from Public Safety and city government staff and collaborate directly with other OCHS programs, street outreach, and DHS-contracted providers. Supervision and management will be conducted by the Co-Response Team Lead for daily task supervision, alignment with program and office, creative problem-solving, and to foster personal and professional growth. The successful candidate will assist in the growth and expansion of the OCHS's Co-Response program and will therefore work directly with the City of Pittsburgh's Bureaus of Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as well as the Office of Community Services & Violence Prevention and their partners.

CSWs will respond to calls in which safety has been assessed. The safety of the CSWs, community members, and other responders is the top priority of OCHS. CSWs will work collaboratively to build on existing plans to ensure safe practices. They will be empowered to provide expert assessments, serving as equal partners in the public health and safety continuum. CSWs will provide de-escalation psychosocial support on scene and will conduct ongoing follow-up, collaborate with appropriate service providers and/or provide referrals for services, and ensure that best practices are adhered to.

General Requirements: You must submit or show proof of all the following at the time of application (unless otherwise indicated below) or your application will be disqualified. Disqualifications based on any of these General Application Requirements are not subject to a Civil Service appeal.

• Applicants must submit a complete application, including education, work experience, a resume (if applicable), and completed supplemental questions.
• Applicants must become residents of the City of Pittsburgh prior to employment and must remain a resident throughout employment.
• A current, valid Pennsylvania Class C Driver's License is required prior to appointment and must be maintained throughout employment. The Department of Human Resources & Civil Service will consider individual written requests for accommodation based on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

NOTE:

The City of Pittsburgh, as a matter of policy, conducts pre-employment and promotional background investigations on all candidates being considered for positions. The background investigation includes, but is not limited to, criminal background, driver's license, and City of…