Supervising Social Worker

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner investigates cases of persons who die within New York City from criminal violence, by accident, by suicide, suddenly when in apparent health, when unattended by a physician, in a correctional facility or in any suspicious or unusual manner or where an application is made pursuant to law for a permit to cremate a body of a person.

The core values of CARES guide our work for communities and inform our behavior toward each other and all those we serve.

• Commitment: Dedicated to the mission at all times
• Accountability: Responsible to each other and the community
• Resilience: Adapt in the face of adversity
• Excellence: Achieve and maintain the highest quality
• Service: Innovate to meet evolving needs
  
  

The Drug Intelligence and Intervention Group (DIIG) at OCME was created for the joint purposes of:

• Providing public sector leaders with timely and actionable information about fatal overdose, and
• Providing support to bereaved family and friends of overdose victims in NYC.
  
  

The DIIG Family Support Team conducts outreach to the family and friends of overdose decedents to connect them with resources and support. The DIIG Family Support Team takes a person-centered approach to this work; each social worker works one on one with clients to assess their needs and determine the appropriate steps to meet those needs.

The Supervising Social Worker will oversee the DIIG Family Support Team, directing the team’s engagement with the families and friends of overdose decedents and serving as the direct supervisor of six social workers. This position will also be responsible for building and strengthening partnerships with other OCME units as well as social services agencies and organizations across the city and state.

Responsibilities

• Serve as direct supervisor for DIIG Family Support Team
• Provide ongoing supervision and mentorship to assigned staff
• Oversee time and leave for up to six Social Workers and Senior Social Workers
• Participate in recruiting and hiring of new staff and ensure smooth transition during staffing changes
• Assign cases to Family Support Team, ensuring appropriate workload distribution and timely outreach
• Review and support case work, meeting regularly with each social worker to discuss their work with clients
• Facilitate case conferences and other team meetings
• In collaboration with DIIG Program Manager, refine the goals, vision, scope of work, priorities of the social work team
• Improve and develop training and onboarding materials for engaging with families
• Develop and maintain up to date DIIG Family Engagement Standard Operating Procedures, ensuring that protocols accurately reflect current and best practices for family engagement and bereavement support
• Identify appropriate screening tools for assessing needs among clients
• Collect and create written guides to bereavement and relevant community resources
• Build and strengthen institutional relationships with organizations across the New York City region that provide services and resources relevant to the needs of the friends and families of overdose victims
• Work collaboratively with DIIG Program Manager and external research and evaluation partners to identify and track process and outcome measures related to family engagement and peer support groups, providing input on evaluation and research protocols and analysis
• Provide direct social work support to the families and friends of decedents
• Conduct phone-based outreach to next-of-kin in the weeks following the loss of a loved on
• Assess individual needs to determine was resources or support would be most beneficial
• Work collaboratively with clients to meet their socioemotional and material needs
• Provide warm hand-off referrals to relevant municipal or state agencies and community-based programs
• Follow-up with clients to ensure that they have the support they need
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• A Master's Degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work and one year of full-time satisfactory experience practicing social work utilizing one or a combination of casework, group work and community organization methodologies.
• Certification and License Requirement: A valid Certified Social Worker (CSW) certificate or Licensed Master of Social Work license (LMSW) issued by the New York State Department of Education must be obtained within one year of the date of appointment. Employees who fail to obtain their CSW or LMSW within one year after appointment will automatically have their probationary periods extended for no more than six months. Failure to obtain the CSW or LMSW by the end of 18 months of service will result in dismissal.
• Special Note: Section 424-a of the New York Social Services Law requires an authorized agency to inquire whether a candidate for employment with child-care responsibilities has been the subject of a child abuse and maltreatment report. The agency has the discretion to assign a candidate who has been the subject of a child abuse and maltreatment report to a position with no child-care responsibilities.
  
  

Preferred Skills

• At least six years of relevant work experience - At least two years of supervisory experience - Strong written and verbal communications skills - Experience working with bereaved populations - Expertise in trauma-informed care, harm reduction, substance use or suicide - Fluency in Spanish
  
  

55a Program

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.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

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/.

Residency Requirement

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.

Additional Information

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.