ACCESS Diversion Specialist

Description

ACCESS Diversion Specialist
ACCESS, Onondaga County Child and Family Services (CFS)
Syracuse, NY On-Site
FULL-TIME Nonexempt : 40 hours

Put the CARE in your CAREER!

At CCSI, our mission is to activate possibilities for our customers and employees through collaboration, compassion, equity, and imagination. For more than 30 years, CCSI has been a leading non‑profit partner to local governments, schools, and community‑based organizations, helping them improve their business processes so they can focus on their missions. If you’re looking for a career with purpose that creates lasting change in the community, we encourage you to apply.

We are seeking a talented Diversion Specialist to join our team of nearly 500 employees. The ACCESS program serves as a central location for families to request assistance should their child/youth be experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges. As a member of the ACCESS Team, the Diversion Specialist serves as the point‑person for responding to Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) Diversion referrals received from families and or school districts in Onondaga County.

This preventive response offers voluntary assistance to youth/families through a partnered assessment process that supports opportunities for problem solving, solution building and best‑fit service connection to address identified challenges and divert youth from the need for Family Court and or Juvenile Justice intervention.

• Respond to Diversion referrals generated from families/school district(s)
• Serve as diversion support point‑person for families struggling with children/youth experiencing challenges including but not limited to habitual truancy from school and/or unmanageable behavior at home, in school or in the community
• Serve as instiller of hope for parents, partnering with families to complete assessment process, explore natural supports, assist with problem solving and support service planning
• Conduct home visits/meetings with assigned families
• Complete a family driven assessment process; uses diverse assessment tools as needed
• Educate families on services and community resources available and completes associated referrals
• Coordinate and facilitates/co‑facilitates meetings with families that may include school district personnel and or service providers
• Maintain a connection with the youth/family and associated school district/building personnel, providing short term continued support and or case management services throughout diversion response process
• Contribute to technical support for ACCESS/Child Welfare Response Team and community partners as needed to strengthen continuum of support for addressing diversion related needs identified
• Maintain effective professional relationships with service providers and community organizations in the interest of client’s and program goals; represents and promotes ACCESS Team and its process at meetings and community events as needed/assigned
• Present referral information as applicable to designated Onondaga County Juvenile Justice Service personnel for PINS petition consideration and completes related paperwork/other as required
• Participate in Individual and Group Supervision or Coaching sessions for consultation and identification of best fit service/support opportunities available for families
• Input and maintains records of all response activity in designated system within the established time frames and maintains hard copy records, statistics, other as directed
• Maintain communication and coordination with applicable school(s) throughout the response process and completes follow up
• Provide ACCESS Team intake overflow support/coverage as needed
• Deliver service in a manner that is strengths based, family driven, trauma informed and culturally competent
• Other duties as assigned.

• BA/BS in Human Services field with 2 years of relevant professional experience and/or some advanced hours of training or MSW/MA in Human Services or equivalent education and work experience (see CCSI's equivalency chart).
• Previous direct work with youth experiencing social or emotional challenges, habitual truancy from school and/or…