Social Worker, Neurodevelopmental Population

THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Justice Innovation is a community justice organization that centers safety and racial justice. Since our founding in 1996, the Center has partnered with community members, courts, and the people most impacted to create stronger, healthier, more just communities. Our decades of experience in courts and communities, coupled with our field-leading research and practitioner expertise, help us drive justice nationwide in innovative, powerful, and durable ways. For more information on how and where we work, please visit www.innovatingjustice.org.

The Center is a 900-employee, $100 million nonprofit that accomplishes its vision through three pillars of work: creating and scaling operating programs to test new ideas and solve problems, performing original research to determine what works (and what doesn't), and providing expert assistance and policy guidance to justice reformers around the world.

Operating Programs

The Center's operating programs, including the award-winning Red Hook Community Justice Center and Midtown Community Justice Center, test new ideas, solve difficult problems, and attempt to achieve systemic change within the justice system. Our projects include community-based violence prevention programs, alternatives to incarceration, reentry initiatives, and court-based initiatives that reduce the use of unnecessary incarceration and promote positive individual and family change. Through this programming, we have produced tangible results like safer streets, reduced incarceration, and improved neighborhood perceptions of justice.

Research

The Center's research teams are staffed with social scientists, data analysts, and lawyers who are academically-trained or have lived experience and who conduct research in the U.S. and globally on diverse criminal-legal system and justice issues. Their work includes evaluating programs and policies; conducting exploratory, community-based studies; and providing research translation and strategic planning for system actors. The Center has published studies on topics including court and jail reform, intimate partner violence, restorative justice, gun violence, reentry, sixth amendment rights, and progressive prosecution. The research teams strive to make their work meaningful and actionable to the communities they work with, policymakers, and practitioners.

Policy & Expert Assistance

The Center provides hands-on, planning and implementation assistance to a wide range of jurisdictions in areas of reform such as problem-solving courts (e.g., community courts, treatment courts, domestic violence courts), tribal justice, reducing incarceration and the use of fines/fees and reducing crime and violence. Our current expert assistance takes many forms, including help with analyzing data, strategic planning and consultation, policy guidance, and hosting site visits to its operating programs in the New York City area.

Center Support

A dedicated support team within the Center ensures the smooth functioning of operations across various domains, including finance, legal, technology, human resources, fundraising, real estate, and communications. Comprising 15% of the organization's staff, these teams provide essential infrastructure support and innovative solutions aligned with the Center's mission and values.

THE OPPORTUNITY
Brooklyn Mental Health Court specializes in working with people with serious and persistent mental illness and those diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders, linking them to long-term treatment as an alternative to incarceration. The court aims to strengthen the justice systems ability to identify, assess, and monitor individual participants, to create linkages between the justice and mental health systems, and to improve public safety by ensuring that participants receive high quality community-based services. The Brooklyn Mental Health Court is seeking a Social Worker for its Neurodevelopmental Disorder Track. Reporting to the Clinical Director, the Social Worker will also be responsible for providing clinical assessments and providing short-term individual and group counseling sessions for eligible defendants, among other duties.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Provide comprehensive, clinically informed case management services to clients diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders as well as clients with serious mental illnesses; Conduct comprehensive psychosocial evaluations; Perform a variety of professional tasks related to assessment, community referrals, and court monitoring; Establish a working relationship with Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and other relevant agencies that serve clients with neurodevelopmental disorders; Build a database of appropriate resources and serve as a resource to other staff with clients who are in need of such resources; Manage, monitor, and report on participant compliance with court mandates; Provide clinical recommendations to the court for mandated services and treatment; Maintain appropriate client information in electronic databases and paper files; Establish and maintain linkages with community partners who can provide appropriate interventions and services to court-involved individuals; Provide written and verbal compliance reports to the court and other court staff; Assist with the development and implementation of new programs, initiatives, and/or interventions; Participate in staff meetings, in-service trainings, site visits at Brooklyn Mental Health Court, and offsite visits at partner providers; and Additional tasks as necessary. Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have a LMSW and a minimum of 2 years prior work in criminal justice and/or a related field required. Experience with working with people diagnosed with Neurodevelopmental disorders and experience navigating OPWDD is required. Experience with mental health services, co-occurring disorders, trauma-informed and anti-oppressive practice is preferred. Ability to effectively work with diverse client populations, as a team member in a multiracial setting, and collaborate with on-site partner agencies and court personnel is required. Must be comfortable working in a court-based setting and with court personnel, and partners. Court-based social work is a unique and demanding area of practice, and candidates must be open to constructive engagement with other professionals who have differing and, at times, competing perspectives. Candidate must excel at client engagement and be comfortable working with a wide range of clients with complex mental health needs

Position Type: Full-time. The hours are Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm.

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $57,500 - $73,500 and is commensurate with experience. The Center for Justice Innovation offers an excellent benefits package including comprehensive healthcare with a national network, free basic dental coverage, vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts including commuter FSA. We prioritize mental health care for our staff and offer services like Talkspace and Ginger through our healthcare plans. We offer a 403(b) retirement plan with a two-to-one employer contribution up to 5%.

The Center for Justice Innovation is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace, and as such, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by law. We strongly encourage and welcome applications from women, people of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, as well as individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system. Our aim is to create a supportive and respectful environment where every individual, irrespective of their background or identity, feels valued and included.

As of February 10, 2023, New York City Executive Order 25 rescinded the requirement of the COVID-19 vaccination for City workers, new hires, and contracted employees. Accordingly, the Center does not require all new hires be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus; however, the Center recommends all staff, interns, and volunteers stay up-to-date on the vaccination.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. Kindly refer to the job posting for the relevant contact information. If the contact details are not provided, we kindly ask that you refrain from making inquiries via phone or email, as only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.