Family Support Specialist, Social Work

Community Coordinator

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 conducting investigations into accidental drug overdose deaths, 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 works to deliver a 360 approach in the investigation of suspected drug-related deaths by bringing together a multidisciplinary team of medicolegal investigators, social workers, and epidemiologists to gather never-before captured data and a full picture of the lives of overdose victims. DIIG's approach offers a meaningful and unique perspective with the overarching goal of identifying high-risk populations and systemic gaps in overdose prevention policy to ultimately reduce overdose in NYC. These efforts are multidisciplinary and involve significant inter-agency collaboration. DIIG members work in close coordination with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), New York City Police Department, and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program as part of the RxStat initiative. DIIG conducts outreach to the family and friends of overdose decedents to connect them with resources and appropriate supports. DIIG takes a person-centered approach to this work, as each social worker works one-on-one with clients to assess their needs and to determine the appropriate steps to meet those needs and short-term care plan. The Social Worker will play a significant role in supporting the needs of the next-of-kin (NOK) in the aftermath of a fatal overdose and other traumatic losses. The social worker will conduct direct outreach, handle case management, and provide one-on-one person-centered support to the varying social network of overdose victims.

Responsibilities:

• Review historical OCME case files to better understand the needs of individuals contacted by OCME during the death investigation.
• Conduct phone-based outreach to next-of-kin and social contacts in the weeks following the loss of a loved one.
• Provide short-term, individual counseling to next-of-kin and friends of decedents.
• Conduct individual needs assessments to determine the needs and service gaps that exist for the families and friends of overdose victims.
• Work collaboratively with clients to meet their socioemotional and concrete needs.
• Provide warm hand-off referrals to relevant municipal, state agencies and community-based programs.
• Follow-up with clients as needed to ensure that they have the support/s they need and to determine outcome of referrals made.
• Provide timely, detailed documentation of encounters with clients for program evaluation purposes.
• Maintain case records for each client on caseload with required information.
• Build and strengthen institutional relationships with organizations across the New York City region that provides services and resources relevant to the needs of the families and friends of decedents.
• Conduct semi-structured interviews with next-of-kin about the lived of overdose decedents for the New York City RxStat Overdose Fatality Review Team (OFR).
• Other duties as assigned.

Special Note: Selected candidates will be required to provide a DNA sample by swabbing. This position has been identified as essential. During emergency events, essential positions may require 24-hour availability.

Work Authorization: Authorization to work in the United States is required for this position. Office of Chief Medical Examiner does not provide sponsorship for international employees for visa applications, extensions, or status changes, including STEM/OPT visas. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet all qualifying requirements for this position at the time of application.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
• High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills:

• A master's degree in social work, counseling, therapy or a related field.
• LMSW or LMHC licensure in New York State.
• Experience working with and/or providing support to bereaved populations.
• Expertise in trauma-informed care, harm reduction, substance use, and suicide.
• Expertise in conducting risk assessments and providing crisis support as needed.
• Familiarity and working knowledge of Motivational Interviewing (MI) as a therapeutic intervention.
• Strong knowledge of the varying social service agencies, programs and organizations that provide emergency mental health, and substance use services across New York City.
• Familiarity with social service agencies across New York City to appropriately connect clients to meet their needs.
• Experience in intervention planning and formulation of plans of care.
• Ability to advocate for clients as needed.
• Strong written and communication skills.

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.