THE SELECTED CANDIDATE WILL BE OFFERED A SALARY BETWEEN $79,798 - $91,768.

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care services. In child welfare, ACS contracts with private nonprofit organizations to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through preventive services and provides foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. Each year, the agency’s Division of Child Protection responds to more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In juvenile justice, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. ACS is also a key part of NYCs early childhood and education continuum, providing childcare assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care.

The federal Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), effective in New York State 9/29/21, requires jurisdictions use the least restrictive form of foster care placement that is appropriate to meet the child’s needs, and that jurisdictions use a validated assessment tool to inform placements into residential placements. FFPSA mandates a clinical assessment that leads to a level of care recommendation, which necessitates multiple interviews, extensive case record documentation, completion of the validated assessment tool and justification and court report production that supports placement in foster placement settings known as a Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP). Eligibility for Title IV-E reimbursement for these placements is contingent on meeting the requirements. FFPSA mandates that a Qualified Individual (QI) completes an evidence-based and validated assessment tool in order to claim IV-E funding for a placement into a QRTP setting. Child and Family Specialists (CFS) in the QI functional assignment will complete all such assessments in NYC.

CFS with this functional assignment will be part of a specialized QI team that assesses the needs of children/youth who may need residential placement and performs the following related tasks:

- Clinically assesses the level of care utilizing an OCFS-approved, age-appropriate, evidence-based, validated, functional assessment instrument (the CALOCUS-CASII assessment).
- Consults the family and permanency team required by FFPSA, as to the appropriateness of the assessed level of care, including interviews of the child, their family members and treatment
providers.
- Prepares a court-ready written summary detailing the assessment findings.
- Provides such assessment, determination and documentation to the court and related parties required by FFPSA.
- Attends court hearings if required.

A Masters Degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work and
1. A valid New York State Registration as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and at least one year of full-time, satisfactory, post-graduate experience that includes substantial experience in one or more of the following modalities of practice: facilitation of family team conferences or family group decision-making meetings utilizing a conferencing model which emphasizes family engagement and consensus based decision-making; clinical group work with children, youth, parents or individual families; or the conduct of professional training on topics related to child and family services; or

2. A valid New York State Registration as a Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) and at least three years of the experience required in "1" above. Up to two years of this experience may have been in the supervision of social work practice areas described in "1" above; or

3. At least three years of the experience required in "1" above. A valid New York State Registration as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Master of Social Work license (LMSW) must be obtained within one year of appointment.

Note: Employees who fail to obtain their LCSW or LMSW within one year after appointment may have their probationary periods extended for no more than six months. Failure to obtain the LCSW or LMSW by the end of the probationary period will result in dismissal.

Note: At least one year of the required experience described in "1", "2" and "3" above must have been obtained in the last five years.

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This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.