DescriptionPosition Summary:
The Director of Strategy & Permanency serves as the agency’s lead advisor on child welfare practice, permanency strategy, and workforce development. Working closely with the Director of Quality, this role develops and implements strategies to strengthen practice, address performance gaps, and support staff in achieving safe and timely permanency for children and families in alignment with the Florida Practice Model.
Essential Job Functions:
- Serve as the program’s chief consultant to the Deputy Administrator, Directors and management child welfare practice, permanency strategy, and program improvement. Provide guidance on complex cases, practice issues, and organizational decisions to strengthen outcomes for children and families.
- Act as the program’s in-house expert on child welfare practice and the Florida Practice Model. Provide consultation and guidance to supervisors and staff to promote consistent, high-quality practice across the organization.
- Provide leadership and oversight of agency training, onboarding, and workforce development, including supervision of the Training Manager. Ensure staff receive the training and coaching needed to perform their roles effectively and consistently.
- Provide strategic oversight of permanency services and court coordination, including supervision of the Permanency Manager and Court Advocacy Manager. Work with leadership and Quality to address barriers and strengthen strategies that move children toward safe and timely permanency, including reunification, guardianship, and adoption.
Qualifications
Essential Qualifications:
Certifications/Licensures:
- Certification as a Certified Child Welfare Professional in good standing by an agency approved and recognized by the Florida Certification Board is required within 1 year from the date of hire. Preference will be given to those candidates who are currently Certified.
Education:
- Graduation from an accredited four-year college with a degree in Addiction Counseling, Criminal Justice, Social Work, Psychology or related field is required
- Master’s degree in Social Work, Human Services, or related field preferred.
Experience and Competencies:
- Minimum five (5) years of experience in child welfare practice.
- Minimum three (3) years of leadership, training, coaching, or supervisory experience.
- Demonstrated expertise in child welfare case practice and permanency planning.
- Strong working knowledge of the Florida Practice Model.
- Certification in the Florida Practice Model preferred.
- Ability to coach and support staff without direct supervisory authority.
- Experience working within a Community-Based Care (CBC) system preferred.
- Bilingual is preferred
- Excellent communication skills;
- Ability to exercise good judgment and discretion;
- Ability to work well in a team environment;
- Adherence to the highest standard of ethical conduct, especially to standards governing confidentiality;
- Professional appearance and demeanor;
- Must be culturally/linguistically sensitive to populations served;
- Valid driver’s license and ability to obtain and maintain WestCare’s vehicle insurance is required;
- CPR Certification, First Aid Certification and an annual Tuberculosis test.
- Strong leadership, coaching, and team-building abilities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
- Analytical thinker with sound judgment and problem-solving capabilities.
- Commitment to child and family well-being, equity, and timely permanency.
- Experience working within a community-based care (CBC) model.
- Familiarity with case management systems and court tracking databases.
- The ability to identify and evaluate an individual’s strengths, barriers, problems, and needs for the development of a Wellness and Recovery Plan
- The ability to write assessments, progress notes, discharge summaries, and other consumer related data
- Knowledge of the inter-relationship among substance use, mental health, and primary care disorders
- Knowledge and application of developmental theories
- The ability to evaluate the impact of substance use and mental health problems on the consumer’s functioning in major life area
- The ability to coordinate and integrate multiple services, as well as interface and communicate with internal and external providers
- The ability to provide information to individuals and families concerning alcohol or other drug abuse, mental health problems, and the available services and resources
- The ability to identify the needs of a consumer that cannot be met by the counselor or agency and to assist the consumer/family to utilize the support systems and community resources available
- The ability to identify crises when they surface; mitigate or resolve the immediate problem; and de-escalate the situation, including the ability to develop Safety Plans, as needed
- The ability to assess the individual’s growth and development relative to normative development for his/her chronological age, including physical, emotional, cognitive, educational, and social development
- Understanding of the relationship among mental health, substance use, physical health, and medication use on daily functioning
- Understanding and application of federal, state, local and agency confidentiality rules and professional standards of conduct
- Understanding of family dynamics, family roles, and family structure
- Understanding of professional ethics, consumer rights, and professional responsibilities
- Ability to communicate appropriately and effectively with members of a multidisciplinary team
- Ability to organize, interpret, and communicate data in a comprehensive and effective manner
- Ability to handle multiple tasks and effectively prioritize
- Ability to network with internal and external departments and agencies
- Understanding of issues related to individuals with varied identities in prevention, intervention and treatment.
- Understands that individuals with distinct community backgrounds have different perceptions of health
- Demonstrates respect for individuals with varied identities when conducting assessments, developing Wellness and Recovery Plans, and providing services
- Understands that individuals with distinct community backgrounds define and perceive family and its importance differently
- Demonstrates ability to work effectively with individuals with distinct community backgrounds
- Ability to use trauma informed care principles including ensuring consumer safety, preventing/avoiding re-traumatization, maximizing trustworthiness, enhancing consumer choice, maximizing collaboration, and emphasizing empowerment
- Ability to identify and describe key signs, symptoms, impact and manifestations of trauma
- Aware of the differences between trauma informed and trauma-specific services
- Understands the bidirectional relationships among substance use and mental disorders and trauma
- Understands the differences among various kinds of abuse and trauma, including: physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; domestic violence; experiences of war for both combat veterans and survivors of war; natural disasters; and community violence
Working Conditions:
- Work is primarily performed in an office or residential treatment setting; and
- Some outdoor activities may be required.
Essential Physical and Mental Demands of the Job
The employee must be able to perform the following essential duties and activities with or
without accommodation:
Physical Demands:
- Requires mobility and physical activity: Having an adequate range of body motion and mobility to work in an office, residential, or outdoor environment including standing and walking (even and uneven surfaces), sitting for extended periods of time, bending, twisting, reaching, balancing, occasional lifting and carrying of up to 50 pounds. Use of computer and telephone systems is required which includes coordination of eye and hand, and fine manipulation by the hands (typing, writing, and working with files). Requires the ability to defend oneself and clients in physically abusive situations through the use of approved physical de-escalation techniques.
- Requires talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Talking is required to impart oral information to employees, clients, patients, and the public, and in those activities in which the employee is required to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to others accurately, loudly, or quickly.
- Requires hearing: Hearing is required to receive and communicate detailed information through oral communication.
- Requires seeing: Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less and at distance. This factor is required to complete paperwork for many of the employee’s essential job functions and to observe client behavior and activities in and out of the facility.
- The normal work routine involves no exposure to human blood, body fluids or tissues. However, exposure or potential exposure may be required as a condition of employment. Appropriate personal protective equipment will be readily available to every employee.
Mental Demands:
- Requires the ability to collect and analyze complex numerical and written data and verbal information to reach logical conclusions.
- Requires the ability to work and cooperate with clients, co-workers, managers, the public and employees at all levels in order to exchange ideas, information, instructions and opinions.
- Requires the ability to work under stress and in emotionally charged settings.
- The ability to defend oneself and clients in mentally/verbally abusive situations through the use of approved mental/verbal de-escalation techniques.
