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 child care assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care.

The Division of Youth and Family Justice (DYFJ) is responsible for oversight and management of secure and non-secure detention services for juveniles (e.g., youth) awaiting disposition in family, criminal, and supreme courts. DYFJ also oversees a wide network of providers throughout the five boroughs that operate Non-Secure and Limited Secure Placement sites for youth who are adjudicated delinquent and are placed by the New York City Family Court, and a vast network of community-based alternative programs for youth involved in, or at risk for involvement in, the Juvenile Justice system.

Under the supervision of the ACS Division of Youth and Family Justice’s (DYFJ) Education Unit, the Secure Detention School Liaison will work collaboratively with the Department of Education (DOE) and DYFJ Detention Unit staffs to improve school attendance for compulsory-age youth and student engagement older youth who are independently driven to continue their education.

Job duties include, but are not limited to:

- Collaborate with the NYC Department of Education to develop an understanding of individual youth needs as it relates to their academic path, goals, and areas for support, support of school attendance and engagement and education-related initiatives.
- Provide daily targeted coaching and support to youth, including talking with youth on their housing units to encourage school attendance and school engagement and mitigate concerns.
- Support learning in the classroom and through the facility, by assisting students with academic assignments including homework, where practicable.
- Monitor and track facility-wide school attendance, and maintain records and logs related to school attendance and engagement.
- Work with youth and DYFJ Programs and Group Services to develop strategies in support of their daily school attendance and academic engagement including youth participation in school time and out-of-school time programming, including tutoring, college access, workforce development, afterschool support, counseling, etc.
- Support family engagement by participating in Family Days and Family Team Conferences to provide academic updates.
- Attend meetings of the milieu to report out on education-related considerations.
- Provide reports to Facility and Division leadership regarding progress toward achieving the educational goals established by ACS and the DOE, including attendance tracking and trends and outcomes data.
- Candidate must be willing to work in ACS-operated detention facilities to support implementation of education programming and school engagement for all youth in Secure Detention and participate in educational programming during non-school days.

Qualification Requirements
1. High school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to duties described above; or
2. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" above.

The preferred candidate should possess the following: - Commitment to working from a youth development approach to engage youth in educational services. - Ability to collect and analyze engagement data and present to DOE and DYFJ managers. - Excellent problem solving and communication skills. - Ability to develop effective professional relationships. - Team player - Experience working in an educational context preferred. - Commitment to the process of continuous review and improvement.

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.