Job Title: SPECIAL NEEDS / MENTAL HEALTH MANAGER
Reports To: Director of
Child Development and Disabilities
Salary Range: Grade 6 – Starting wage $17.00
to $18.32 per hour – 25 hours per week
General
Description of Duties:
The
Special Needs / Mental Health Manager will work to ensure those children with
special needs and/or mental health concerns and their families, and families
with special needs and/or mental health concerns have their individual needs
addressed and met in a culturally sensitive, linguistically appropriate
responsive and timely manner.
Specific Job
Qualifications for this position:
·
BA
or above in Psychology, Counseling, Education, or related field
·
One
year experience in providing family support services, counseling, special
education or related services
·
Valid Washington
State driver’s license and daily
access to a personal, legally licensed vehicle with proof of current automobile
insurance.
·
Ability
to work flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends as required.
·
Computer
software proficiency: Word, Excel, Publisher, other applications.
·
Knowledge
of basic office equipment: copy, fax, voice mail, etc.
·
Excellent
oral and written communication skills.
·
Excellent
organizational and time management skills.
·
Those
skills and abilities which meet generally accepted levels of management;
including professionalism, monitoring, organization, analysis, and
presentation.
·
Knowledge
of community resources available to low income adults and English as a second
language adults.
·
Bilingual
in English and language(s) as determined as needed by DLEC preferred.
Job Duties
Identification,
Referral and Follow-up
1. Establish, implement, maintain and evaluate a
process for recruiting and enrolling into DLEC programs children and their
families with identified or suspected Special Needs and Mental Health concerns
by:
·
Establishing working relationships with community
agencies from which referrals can be made.
- Creating an active, ongoing process to recruit, support and facilitate the DLEC enrollment process for children with Special Needs/Mental Health concerns and their families.
- Recruiting, enrolling and maintaining 10 % of the total funded enrollment with children with diagnosed Special Needs as defined in the Head Start Performance Standards.
- Developing, implementing and evaluating a work plan and time line for the above.
2. With the Community Outreach/Enrollment
Manager establish, implement, maintain and evaluate a process for:
- reviewing eligibility applications, EPSDT’s, dental exams, and all other DLEC forms to identify and follow-up on children with diagnosed Specials Needs/Mental Health conditions and Special Needs/Mental Health child and family concerns by:
1. Prior to
Placement, reviewing all file forms for information which needs immediate
follow-up and following-up.
2. Receiving
Eligibility Verification authorization.
·
Transmit
Special Needs/Mental Health information to the Family Service Manager, Center
Supervisor, Teacher and to other appropriate staff; prior to the child’s first
day of service, coordinate the development of a Classroom Health Plan and/or a
Classroom Integration Plan.
·
Monitor
the Classroom Health Plan and/or a Classroom Integration Plan to ensure all
accommodations have been made prior to the child’s first day of service.
·
Receive
Community Outreach/Enrollment Manager
authorization and start date assignment.
3. Facilitating and supporting the process by
which children with identified and/or suspected Special Needs/Mental health
concerns can be assessed and receive services by:
·
Establishing a process and training, scheduling
regular meetings, facilitating and monitoring teachers and staff in that
process to identify and refer children with Special Needs/Mental Health
concerns.
·
Establishing a working relationship with Seattle
Public Schools (SPS) and their process for assessment and services.
·
Ensuring that all forms and documents needed in
the referral process are current and available.
·
Establishing a regular schedule with SPS employees
to discuss and implement the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process and any
other individuals to assure service.
·
Assisting Family Service Specialists, Teachers and
other staff in training, facilitating, attending and supporting parents in the
IEP process
·
Assisting Education and other staff in training,
facilitating and supporting DLEC staff in the completion and implementation of
the IEP, their revisions etc. and coordination and attendance at all Special
Needs staffings, Classroom Health/Integration Plans, meetings, etc.
·
Working with these families in an ongoing manner
as facilitator/coordinator with their assigned Family Service Specialist,
teacher/teaching assistant and other staff as needed.
·
Establishing, implementing, maintaining and
evaluating any other relationships with community agencies as needed.
·
Where
services are not available from SPS, convene a multi-disciplinary team to
determine that IEP services are necessary to meet the needs of the child,
coordinate the development and delivery of IEP services directly through DLEC
or through the use of other community agencies.
Education and
Trainings
1. Assisting staff and parents in on-going education and training in
areas of Special Needs/Mental Health by providing educational materials,
arranging for trainings etc. and providing support as requested.
2. Coordinate with Mental Health consultant and/or conduct classroom
observations and establish a regular schedule of follow up to identify and
refer children with Special Needs or Mental Health concerns.
3. With the Director of Child Development and Disabilities,
and other Education staff, establish and/or coordinate and/or conduct a regular
schedule of classroom observations to identify areas of classroom concern with
the environment and children/adult interactions and give feedback to education
staff including:
·
Review and follow-up of DLEC identified
developmental screening tool and
·
Support
of implementation and evaluation of DECA.
4. With the Center Supervisors, conduct annual site inspections to
ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
5. Providing Special Needs/Mental Health
Education and information to teachers and other staff through trainings,
individual mentoring and assistance to support the needs of children in the
classroom by providing educational materials, arranging for trainings etc. and
providing support as requested.
6. Be an active member of the Health Services Advisory Committee and
a voting member of the HSAC Steering Committee.
7. Facilitate and support the attendance of DLEC
parent(s) and other community representatives to the Health Services Advisory
Committee.
Information
Collection and Reporting
1. Work with the Program Assistant and other
DLEC staff to collect, input and report DLEC information. This includes:
·
Ensuring
that all relevant child/family information is correct and accurate.
·
Ensuring
that all relevant information is entered into Child Plus or stored.
·
With
the Director of Family and Community Partnerships and other DLEC staff,
identifying reports needed to ensure quality service delivery, weekly/monthly
monitoring and for the purposes of short and long term planning.
·
Submitting accurate, detailed, timely and
professional reports as identified/requested.
·
Providing report compilation and analysis as well
as problem solving and solution based narratives.
·
Establish
and maintain all necessary documentation including:
1. Maintain confidentiality of Special
Needs/Mental Health client information.
2. Work with the management staff and the
parents to review and approve the Special Needs/Mental Health Work Plan yearly.
Other Duties:
