ACCESS ID/DD Specialist

POSITION/BUSINESS TITLE: ACCESS ID/DD Specialist

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT: ACCESS, Onondaga County Child and Family Services (CFS)

REPORTS TO: ACCESS Supervisor

CCSI SERVICE LINE: Program Management

DATE: February 2025

LOCATION: Syracuse, NY

ABOUT CCSI: CCSI is a not-for-profit management services organization with a special focus in the area of behavioral health and human services. We help provider agencies, local and state government, and other not-for-profits deliver programs and services that improve health and quality of life for the people they serve. Our administrative offices are in Rochester, and we work with customers and communities across New York State. Our customers are our partners, and we work hard to develop the longstanding, productive relationships needed to support high quality services.

CCSI’s culture is one that values integrity, innovation, community connectedness, and exceptional customer service. We are committed to maintaining a diverse workforce, an inclusive environment, and efforts aimed toward dismantling structural racism. Our people make CCSI what it is and in turn, we strive to create a work environment that supports both personal and professional growth. We work hard and appreciate the importance of wellness through work/life integration.

ABOUT THE POSITION: The ACCESS program serves as a central location for families to request assistance should their child/youth be experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges. As a member of the ACCESS Team, the ACCESS ID/DD Specialist serves as the point-person for responding to referrals for children and their families who receive supports or could potentially receive supports from the Office of People with Developmental Disability, and/or have mental health related needs and our requiring technical support and case monitoring. This approach offers voluntary assistance to youth/families through a partnered assessment process that supports opportunities for problem solving and solution building. This role will support the work to address identified struggles by regularly reviewing the progress, challenges, and well-being of individuals with developmental disabilities ensuring that their support plans are implemented effectively and being mindful to adjust when needed.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Responds to ID/DD referrals generated / identified when coming through the Children’s System of Care and/or Children’s Single Point of Access (C-SPOA).
• Monitor cases by regularly reviewing the progress, challenges, and well-being of individuals with developmental disabilities, ensuring that their support plans are implemented effectively, and adjusting interventions as needed to meet evolving needs.
• Serve as support point-person for families and their children/youth experiencing challenges with specific struggles that are related to their child’s Intellectual or Developmental Disability, and/or Mental Health diagnosis.
• Serve as instiller of hope for Parents, partnering with families to complete assessment process, explore natural supports, assist with problem solving and support service planning
• Conduct home visits/meetings with assigned youth and their families.
• Complete a family driven assessment process; uses diverse assessment tools as needed
• Educate families on community services and program that are available and completes associated referrals as needed
• Coordinate and facilitates/co-facilitates meetings with families and services providers
• Maintain a connection with the youth/family and associated service/ community providers, providing short term directional support and/or case monitoring services
• Contribute to knowledge and provider technical support around supporting those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for the ACCESS Team and community partners as needed to strengthen the Children’s System of Care
• Maintain effective professional relationships with service providers and community organizations in the interest of client’s and program goals; represents and promotes ACCESS Team and its process at meetings and community events as needed/assigned
• Present referral information as applicable to identified entry points and/or potential referral sources
• Participate in Individual and Group Supervision or Coaching sessions for consultation and identification of best fit service/support opportunities available for families
• Input and maintains records of all response activity in designated system within the established timeframes and maintains hard copy records, statistics, other as directed
• Maintain communication and coordination with applicable service providers throughout the response process and completes follow up
• Provide ACCESS Team intake overflow support/coverage as needed
• Deliver service in a manner that is strengths based, family driven, trauma informed and culturally competent
• Perform other duties as assigned

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES: To be successful in this position, you will need to be competent in:

• Communicating effectively; strong verbal and written communication skills
• Building collaborative relationships
• Valuing diversity and fostering an inclusive environment
• Striving for self-development and taking initiative to be resourceful
• Problem-solving both independently and with others, able to handle multiple priorities
• Effective youth & family engagement skills
• Excellent planning, organizational and time management skills
• Computer proficiency
• High level of interpersonal skills with ability to build relationships with team. members, school district personnel, families and members of the provider community.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENC:

• BA/BS in Human Services field with 2 years of relevant professional experience and/or some advanced hours of training or MSW/MA in Human Services or equivalent education and work experience (see CCSI's equivalency chart).
• Previous direct work with youth experiencing social or emotional challenges, habitual truancy from school and/or unmanageable behavior at home, in school or in the community preferred.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Satisfactory completion of required background screenings: criminal, Statewide Central Register and driving.
• Respect the confidential nature of all CCSI and CCSI customer information you are exposed to in the course of your work performance. Staff working directly with protected health information/electronically stored protected health information, personal identifiable information, and other patient/consumer/customer data, will abide by the specific procedures and policies outlined by CCSI’s Code of Conduct and CCSI’s Privacy and Security Policies, New York State regulations and Federal regulations.

Operating Principles and Demonstrated Behaviors:

Ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our workplace values through behaviors and actions. These operating principles are expected of all employees in all roles. All applicants (internal and external) must evidence their attitudes/behaviors as part of the application process:

• Excellence in Customer Service
• Collaboration
• Honoring People and Their Work
• Individualized Work/Life Integration
• Integrity
• Innovation
• Community Connectedness
• Diversity & Inclusion

CCSI does not accept inquiries from third party recruiters or search agencies.

The responsibilities listed for the position are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. This position description does not constitute an agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

We Are CCSI!

CCSI employs more than 500 talented, dedicated professionals who provide program management services, consulting, and operational support needed by local departments of mental health and social services, state agencies, community-based organizations, and school districts across New York State and beyond! Our mission, simply put, we help people and communities.

CCSI’s vision is to be an exceptional place for individuals to grow and build a career, while expanding our capacity to invest in communities. We do this by prioritizing employee voice and equity to ensure we protect employees from harm; provide connection and community; enable work-life harmony; foster mattering at work; and creating opportunities for growth and development.