Job Description

Position Description

The Lead Social Worker, a core member of the Student Support Team at Harlem Link, is HL’s social emotional ambassador with the responsibility of helping children develop age appropriate social emotional tools and outlets that they can use to have positive experiences with peers and adults. The Lead Social Worker leads the Social Work team and helps to educate the staff in understanding children through developmental and social emotional lenses as well as adverse experiences that may impede these developments so that we may all support our children and foster a positive school environment for all. The Lead Social Worker is supervised and evaluated by the Director of Inclusive Learning and Supports. 

HL’s Social Worker has met the school’s goals if: 

• Students across the school consistently use positive social skills school-wide and in classrooms
• Students can use their words to express their feelings
• Students can independently and successfully navigate conflict resolution at any time of the school day
• Teachers have knowledge about developmental milestones for children, social emotional needs and tools they can use to teach their children to have positive social skills
• The HL community feels up to date about adverse experiences that directly impact our children such as poverty-related issues, abuse or neglect, negative interactions with preventive agencies and how trauma affects a family, to better work with our children
• Families are supported as needed in ways that benefit the them and their children at HL
• Families have a positive relationship between school and home even, even those going through rough patches
• Children are supported and protected at all times

Responsibilities of Grade Social Worker

Positive Social Emotional Development

• Work closely with the SST or Student Support Team (Director of Inclusive Learning & Supports, Social Workers, Manager of Special Education, Director of Student Affairs, Behavior Specialist, AIS Teachers, Assistant Principals, and Principal), teachers and staff so that there is effective collaboration and communication about social emotional needs and steps to take school wide and in classrooms
• Work alongside teachers, students & staff throughout the school day (breakfast, lunch, recess & dismissal)  to develop positive social and conflict resolution skills needed to effectively collaborate and communicate with others and to achieve academically
• For the benefit of all students’ social emotional development, collaborate with Social Work team to support teachers in providing weekly social emotional lessons(such as from Second Step) across all grades
• Assist with developing support plans and putting preventative measure in place to respond to the trauma and attachment needs for children in our community
• Observe classrooms to monitor social emotional strengths and growth areas for students
• Assess students’ social emotional needs and develop plans to meet these needs with the SST team, particularly the Assistant Principals, Dean/Behavioral Specialist and teachers
• Provide Tier II push-in support to assist individual children and groups with social emotional growth
• Encourage students’ positive interactions with other students and adults. 
• Provide families with support around social emotional development and how this looks in the home as well as school

 

Counseling

• Provide counseling to students in 1:1 and small group settings for the purposes of:
  • meeting IEP-mandates
  • meeting goals of students referred through Tier II or III RTI
  • supporting students with short term crisis intervention
  • increasing social skills, anger management, self-esteem, and conflict resolution, and
  • ultimately, improving classroom performance
• Create treatment plans for students who receive counseling  that include goals and progress monitoring
• Update goals, attend annual meetings, and make revisions as necessary for students with IEP-mandated counseling

 

Leadership and Collaboration

• Supervise and annually evaluate the Social Work team which includes at least two Social Workers and one Case Manager
• Supervise Social Work interns
• Help support behavior plans and interventions alongside the administration, specifically the Assistant Principal, Director of Student Affairs and Behavior Specialist to support children during all parts of the day. 
• Server as a Member and Collaborator of Response To Behavior Intervention Team and coordinate supports for Students in Tier II or III for behavior
• Serve as advocate for parents and families in need
• Facilitate/Co-Facilitate workshops with Social Workers, Family Engagement Director or other necessary staff:  
  • Social Emotional, Child Development, Trauma, Abuse & ACS workshops for staff as needed
  • Social Emotional and  Community Resources workshops for families as well as topics that respond to parent/guardian needs
• Be part of the core Attendance Team at Harlem Link along with other staff to support positive change in attendance with students
• Communicate clearly and regularly with families and provide a supportive pathway for families to feel connected to the HL Community
• Support Harlem Link’s mission, vision and culture
• Model Harlem Link’s Core Values and Staff Norms at all times with the children and other adults,
• Uphold the philosophies of Responsive Classroom and Emotionally Responsive Practice when working with children, staff and families
• Facilitate and bridge a relationship between Northside Counseling CBO and the HL family
• Infuse laughter, joy, hard work ethic, excellence, learning, and celebration into work with children
• Collaborate closely your fellow Social Workers for seamless social emotional support of our students and school community

Professional Learning 

• Keep up to date with topics germane to Harlem Link and the community such as developmental milestones, trauma, psychological issues facing youth, community demographics and changes, impacts of poverty, community resources, state laws around child protection, etc. through readings, workshops and school visits
• Meet with supervisor regularly
• Meet with LCSW for clinical supervision, as available
• Work closely with Emotionally Responsive Practice coaches in workshops, classroom observations and through coaching to become fluent with the ERP approach 
• Participate in professional learning opportunities including HL’s Summer Institute, HL Professional Days, workshops,  
• Provide professional development and learning opportunities as needed to staff and families

 

Social Work Coordination

• Build systems of tracking students, note taking, scheduling, meetings and communication to support students
• Facilitate Harlem Link’s mandated reports of neglect and abuse to ACS and maintain contact with case workers and preventive agencies, serving as Harlem Link’s liaison while clearing communicating action steps and paperwork needed with teachers
• Track number ACS referrals in any given school year and when cases close
• Communicate closely with the Director of Inclusive Learning and Supports when a child is in crisis (e.g. abuse, suicidal/homicidal articulation, tragedy in a family)
• Maintain Social Service Resource List and Referrals
• Hire, train and supervise social work interns as needed and work with the Director of Student Support and the ILT plan for the interns’ work in the community
• Administer Bio-Psycho-Socials for each new student and/or screenings, and possible home visits
• Know all current school health regulations, legal requirements, and funding streams for various social programs, and 
• Evaluate the need for individual students to be referred to appropriate social, mental health or family services and communicate with Instructional Leadership team early on for any interventions that you will recommend

Other Additional Responsibilities

• Provide daily presence and support and for families, children and staff by 8:15am in the cafeteria, throughout the day and at Dismissal starting at 3:30pm

• Provide daily presence and support for families, children and staff from 8:30-9:00 by classrooms and the main office

• • Attend Daily Attendance Team meetings that lead to actions for interventions
  • Conduct home visits as necessary for safety and wellness as well as for attendance 

• Collaborate closely with Social Workers and Case Manager

• Collaborate closely with the school community particularly the members of the Student Support Team and teachers

• Designate 2-3 lunch periods per week to be at lunch and recess to promote and facilitate positive play, social interaction and conflict resolution 

• Keep an organized workspace and up to date files on all students

• Attend after school events to support the family, children and community such as Back To School Night, Winter Festival, Spring Musical, Alumni Events, parent and board meetings

Work Rules

• The Lead Social Worker is a 12 month employee
• The Lead Social Worker is an exempt employee working on-site each day school is in session from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus additional hours as needed seasonally and for special events.  
• The Lead Social Worker has 20 vacation days plus 12 sick/personal days available for serious health or personal reasons.
• The Lead Social Worker should expect Summer projects and a start date of August 1 with Administration. 

 

Qualifications: 

• LCSW Certification 
• Highly Collaborative 
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Ability to set up systems and structures involved in social work documentation
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team 
• Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse set of school stakeholders  (students, families, staff)  in a community
• Responsive Classroom trained or willingness to get training Summer of 2021
• Knowledge of Google Tools such as Documents, Sheets and Presentations

How to Apply

Please visit the school website at www.harelmlink.org and upload to the careers page or e-mail Hiring Manager vbabb@harlemlink.org

Bureaus: New York. Job Categories: Full-Time. Job Types: School Network Staff. Salaries: 60,000 - 80,000.