Clinical Coordinator: Infant Mental Health Specialist

THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Justice Innovation (formerly the Center for Court Innovation) is a non-profit organization that works with communities and justice systems to advance equity, increase safety, and help individuals and communities thrive. The Center's goal is to identify and resolve as early as possible the challenges that bring people into the criminal and civil legal systems. It does this in a number of ways—by developing and running programs that reduce the need for incarceration and enhance economic opportunity, conducting original research to identify what works, and sharing what we learn from our programming and research with those seeking to transform the justice system around the world.

The Center is an 800-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. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Strong Starts Court Initiative (SSCI) is a special Infant-Focused Court Model with an emphasis on supporting Family Court involved families with subject children under the age of three. The goals of SSCI include increasing communication and collaboration between all parties and creating family-need-specific service plans that promote success and well-being, while keeping the infant’s needs, and voice, at the center of planning. 

The Strong Starts Court Initiative is seeking a Clinical Coordinator: Infant Mental Health Specialist. Reporting to the Clinical Director, the Infant Mental Health Specialist will be responsible for coordinating and completing clinical and developmental screenings, supporting and working with caregivers and families, and collaborating with court personnel and stakeholders.  

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Complete clinical and developmental screenings, and comprehensive assessments of infants’ development and social-emotional status; 
• Provide comprehensive screenings and psycho-social assessments of caregiver and family needs; 
• Provide ongoing assessment of parent-child attachment/relationship; capacity, strengths, and areas in need of support;
• Develop family-specific service plans in collaboration with other case planners, including evidence-based infant, adult, and family interventions; 
• Facilitate referrals to high-quality services based on assessment in collaboration with Child Protective Services (CPS) or Foster Care Case Planners; 
• Track and monitor referral status, client progress, and barriers to treatment; 
• Coordinate and provide leadership of monthly Infant/Family focused Clinical Conferences and provide infant focused feedback to Court Team to ensure that infants’ needs are expressed and being met; 
• Prepare monthly reports for the Judge and Court Team based on ongoing assessment and outcomes of monthly Clinical Conferences; 
• Provide infant development/infant mental health expertise to the Judge and Court Team by way of formal trainings and day-to-day consultation; 
• Attend all Court Conferences and multi-disciplinary meetings with CPS/Foster Care Agency and Community Partners; 
• Engage community-based service providers and government systems serving infants and families with ongoing outreach in order to form meaningful relationships, collaborate and support family’s treatment, and to include community resources in the Court process so they can in turn support families with a higher knowledge of court practices and expectations; 
• Participate in quarterly meetings of SSCI Steering Committee; 
• Assist with data collection and participate in program evaluation and quality improvement; 
• Participate in, and assist with providing training in infant development and infant mental health to the wider Court community and a variety of child welfare system stakeholder groups; 
• Additional tasks as needed.  

Qualifications:  The ideal candidate will have:  

• Master’s degree (or higher) in social work, psychology, child development or related field and a minimum of five years’ experience working with infants and families, with a strong background in infant mental health including attachment theory and research; 
• Background in trauma and trauma-informed interventions; 
• Knowledge of local infant/family-serving systems and organizations including Early Intervention, Early Head Start, home visiting programs, parent-child dyadic therapeutic models and services; 
• Ability to work collaboratively with, and provide leadership to, a multidisciplinary practitioner group; 
• Ability to engage and support court-involved parents; 
• Knowledge of screening assessment tools for infants and caregivers; 
• Knowledge of issues related to child abuse/neglect; 
• Knowledge of systems that interface with court-involved families and how to navigate these systems; 
• Excellent written skills are a must; 
• Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred; 
• Knowledge of Family Court, CPS and/or foster agency practice; 
• Experience with systems change and community building; and 
• Trained in Child Parent Psychotherapy. 

Position Type: Full time.

Position Location: Bufflalo, NY.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $72,030 - $85,120 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.

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