Diversion Coach

Position Summary:

The Diversion Coach assumes a pivotal role as an integral team member within the Older Youth Diversion Program. This position is dedicated to assisting at-risk youth by discerning appropriate programming, providing supervision, and offering support services through community-based case management. The overarching goal is to fortify the strengths and resilience of the youth, effecting positive changes in their trajectory and decision-making skills through a comprehensive assessment of their immediate needs.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Execute community outreach, conduct intakes, and proficiently assess needs.
• Facilitate group sessions with precision and professionalism.
• Deliver effective and timely services through tailored one-on-one meetings, ensuring the fulfillment of basic needs for diverted youth participants.
• Respond adeptly to participants in crisis, coordinating additional services as necessary.
• Forge close collaborations with public schools and educational organizations to ensure program participants meet educational goals.
• Systematically track referrals and maintain an efficient tracking and referral process for participants.
• Actively contribute to program development and engage in strategic outreach efforts.
• Uphold and champion participant confidentiality.
• Determine diversion eligibility and assist individuals in evaluating their housing needs.
• Provide nuanced diversion services, encompassing emergency shelter, temporary housing, permanent housing, or Rapid Re-Housing assistance, employing a strength-based case management approach.
• Foster sustained engagement, enrollment, and motivation of participants towards specified goals and outcomes.
• Identify and mobilize resources for diverted youth, maintaining effective communication with external referral sources and providers, and making judicious referrals.
• Conduct workshops and enlist experts to enhance participants' knowledge and self-understanding.
• Guide youth towards goal attainment through the establishment of goals and positive role-modeling.
• Report concerns regarding participants and incidents promptly to the Program Supervisor.
• Deliver outcome-driven services that consistently result in success for participants.
• Scrutinize and meticulously document the eligibility of applicants, maintaining comprehensive and accurate service records for all approved or denied clients.
• Actively promote the Diversion Program through targeted and impactful community outreach.
• Engage proactively in new initiatives aimed at expanding the Diversion Program and services in response to identified community needs.
• Rigorously monitor data accuracy and completeness, providing detailed weekly reports to the Program Supervisor.
• Conduct client surveys and update pertinent databases in strict accordance with agency requirements.
  
  
  

Assessment and Service Planning;

• Completes, as required, assessments and service plans for assigned clients that adequately and appropriately address the youths unique service needs.
• Implements client service plans, monitors service plan progress, and reviews progress with supervisor as required.
• Demonstrates insight regarding youths’ strengths and needs and incorporates this into service planning and assessment.
• Assesses and monitors the safety of clients in current living arrangement and makes any needed recommendations and referrals for appropriate placement.
• Assesses permanency options; recommends permanency plan for clients; and implements plan to achieve permanency for clients.
  
  
  

Organization and Service Delivery:

• Attends and actively participates in individual and team supervision sessions and trainings and follows up and/or implements feedback and recommendations received from the team supervisor, program director, and clinical consultant.
• Provides referral and linkage to appropriate resources; secures all written agreements in accordance with guidelines established by contracting agencies and other outside sources.
• Recommends and obtains supervisor approval of limited financial assistance for client needs.
• Creates organized plans so that all casework tasks can be completed as required.
• Responds in a timely manner to all written correspondence, email, and phone call inquiries regarding clients.
• Contacts courts and other service providers or community organizations to coordinate client services or to make referrals.
• Performs other related tasks as required or assigned.
  
  
  

Documentation and Reporting:

• Makes frequent reports to supervisor on progress of client services, as well as required written reports.
• Maintains accurate, complete, and weekly client records and data as required by Turning Points and District Attorney’s Office (DAO).
• Reports all possible critical incidents and unusual incidents to supervisor, management, or TPFC or by mandated reporting law.
  
  
  

Client Outreach and Engagement:

• Attends all meetings related to the young adult and/or family with the purpose of gathering information specific to intervention development and advocating in the best interest of the young adult’s long-term stability.
• Maintains weekly and when appropriate more frequent client face-to-face contact through required number of home and office visits. In person contacts will occur in community and at minimum of once per month home visit.
• Engages resistant and/or mandated clients in services.
• Provides outreach to client, family members and other significant people in the client’s life to maintain contact and to develop resources for the client. Maintains required contact with relevant family members, assesses their need for services, and works on relationship building between client and family.
  
  
  

Education/Job Experience/Certification:

• Possession of a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Human Services, or related fields.
• Proven experience in effectively engaging with at-risk teens aged 15 to 16 years old.
• Strongly Preferred: Demonstrated expertise in case management for delinquent/dependent youth.
• Robust experience in successfully coordinating programs and meticulously planning activities.
• Proficiency in crisis intervention with a focused emphasis on active listening and adept problem-solving.
• Familiarity with issues surrounding at-risk youth.
• Comprehensive knowledge of community resources in Philadelphia and surrounding areas.
• Exceptional communication skills (written and oral), collaboration capabilities, and intervention proficiency.
• Aptitude for resolving conflicts effectively and respectfully.
• Demonstrated ability to foster teamwork, collaboration, and adherence to quality performance standards.
• Transparent, honest, and consistent communication style that respects diverse backgrounds (e.g., cultural, educational, religious, racial), fostering two-way feedback channels and open dialogue.
• Ability to discern and understand the broader contexts of a situation.
• Capability to balance competing demands while maintaining effective working relationships with staff, participants, volunteers, collaborators, and the general public.
  
  
  

Educational and Work Qualifications:

• Demonstrated understanding of trauma-informed practice.
• Working knowledge of community resources to use in serving clients and maintains productive working relationship with these resources.
• Demonstrated understanding of Positive Youth Development.
• Ability to work flexible and/or varying shifts, including evenings and weekends.
• Proficiency in operating a computer with Microsoft Office suite of applications.
• Ability to interpret and accurately apply the regulations of federal and state programs.
• Respect for cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and coworkers.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent writing skills and record keeping practices.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Valid Pennsylvania driver’s license and insurance, access to a car, and the ability to transport children in accordance with IDCFS regulations.
  
  
  

Professionalism and Work Conduct:

• Behaves with integrity, demonstrates high ethical standards, and displays a positive image of PHMC.
• Acts in a professional manner always and maintains appropriate boundaries with clients.
• Demonstrates accountability for results and keeps commitments to others.
• Reports to work, meetings, training, and job-related activities prepared and as scheduled.
• Demonstrates openness and respect for cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and coworkers.
• Understands and supports standard of cultural proficiency and strives to meet it.
• Responds to clients and their families, Turning Points staff, PHMC service providers and other stakeholders in a timely manner and ensures follow up to adequately address their need.
• Ability to read and understand general guidelines, procedures, policies, and internal communications. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from managers, employees, and the public.
• Performs other related tasks as required or assigned.
  
  
  

Work Environment: This position requires local travel to provide services to youth at their placements and in their community. This position may require the transportation of clients and/or their children.

Work Conditions: This position will require being on-call and work on weekends, evenings, and overtime.

PHMC is an Equal Opportunity and E-Verify Employer.