Director of Adolescent and Young Adult Services

Job Description

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is seeking a mission-driven, dynamic, highly organized individual to fill the role of Director of Adolescent and Young Adult Services. The Director is responsible for exercising discretion while working on confidential and highly important matters in an extremely fast-paced environment. The Director is responsible for driving performance in the Outreach Program, providing needed support to Supervisors to ensure Outreach Workers are providing quality service with equitable access while using evidence based, Department supported interventions. The ideal candidate for this position has proven experience leading and managing social workers in the field of child welfare as well as risk assessment and knowledge of intersecting benefits among agencies that serve emerging young adults.

The selected candidate will report to the Assistant Commissioner for Permanency, the selected candidate will oversee Adolescent and Young Adult Services. The Director will lead a team of managers and supervisors to support the success of the day-to-day operations of service provisions to the transition age youth and young adult population. The incumbent will provide high-level support to transition-related services and benefits to youth and young adults who are living in out-of-home placement or independently. The Director will work with regional and area office leadership and direct line staff to further positive outcomes for youth and young adults as they leave DCF care and placement and transition to community-based services.

Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):

• Manage a statewide staff of the Adolescent and Young Adult Services, serving all DCF area and regional offices as well as Central Office.
• Manage contracts and funding that serve transition age youth and young adults including the John H. Chafee Foster Care for Successful Transition to Adulthood Program and The Education and Training Voucher Program.
• Aid the Assistant Commissioner of Permanency, as needed.
• Assess and address the training needs of staff.
• Create and assist with trainings on adolescent and young adult issues, in conjunction with CWI.
• Monitor and evaluate staff performance related to utilization of transition benefits, achievement of program model outcome goals, compliance with agency policy and practice procedures and expectations.
• Train and coach agency staff and stakeholders about best practice for transition age youth and young adults.
• Interact with multiple state human service agencies, care providers, and other stakeholders.
• Provide clinical consultation on cases involving care and transition planning for adolescents and young adults
• Participate in agency improvement efforts at all levels.
• Support and manage program development in areas affecting transition age youth including, but not limited to, housing; mental and physical health including sexual health and reproductive decision making; life skills development; fiscal literacy; employment; healthy and supportive relationships; and permanency attainment.
• Consult with Central Office staff, Area and Regional Managers and staff regarding adolescent and young adult concerns and issues. Areas of consultation include but are not limited to case practice and appropriate case direction; appropriate placement decisions inclusive of kin and independent living; Family Resource License Review Team decisions; problem-solving and resolution of complex cases related to adolescent and young adult concerns
• Work cooperatively with partner agencies.
• Work collaboratively with the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the state college/university system to improve foster youth's access to academic and financial support.
• Meet regularly for peer supervision and collaboration with the Directors of Adoption, Foster Care, Mental Health, Domestic Violence, and Substance Abuse to ensure cross-agency collaboration across disciplines, specialties, and in support of field practice.
• Collaborate across the DCF system to promote positive outcomes for children, youth, and families, including but not limited to:

• Collaborate with DCF Legal to address barriers to permanency for adolescents and young adults, and work to create solutions.
• Collaborate with Policy Unit on changes or revisions to policies and practices.
• Implement and monitor adolescent and young adult initiatives, ensuring efficacy and consistency.
• Identify IT needs to support effective services for adolescents and young adults.

• Five to seven (5-7) years of experience in the field of child welfare, mental health, or other fields serving the adolescent/young adult population.
• Five years of experience supervising and/or managing staff.
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission of the agency and understanding of the theory and practice of Child Welfare.
• Proficiency in the ability to collaborate effectively with community groups and organizations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Outlook, and other PC-based software.
• Ability to work effectively with linguistically and culturally diverse populations.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple, deadline-driven projects with strong attention to detail.
• High level of self-motivation and accountability, bringing enthusiasm and energy to team and tasks.
• Talent for exercising sound judgment, especially discretion in handling confidential information.
• Experience working in a culture that values inclusivity, performance, transparency, and authenticity.
• Robust and demonstrated understanding of child welfare practice principles and the impact of adverse childhood experiences.
• Comprehensive understanding of DCF policies and procedures.
• Capacity to think critically, and ability to nurture critical thinking skills among staff.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with children, families, resource parents, contracted providers, and DCF staff.
• Ability to manage projects and time effectively and set and implement priorities.
• Ability to develop budgets and manage funds.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated coordination, management, and administration abilities. including understanding and managing with data.
• Willingness to travel out-of-state to attend conferences and federal meetings