Forensic Social Worker, Bronx Trial Office

The Criminal Defense Practice has an opening for a Forensic Social Worker (FSW) in its Bronx office to provide client services. The Forensic Social Worker plays a vital role in the legal team. While working collaboratively with the Criminal Defense attorney and other members on the interdisciplinary team the Forensic Social Worker develops a comprehensive mitigation package to advocate for best client outcomes. The Forensic Social Workers primary role is to interview clients and any collateral contacts with the goal of gathering a life history to highlight mitigating factors such as mental illness cognitive functioning substance use trauma medical condition and/or chronic poverty leading to a clients involvement in the criminal justice system.

The FSW evaluates clients identify their underlying needs and make connections to community resources as needed. They educate clients about treatment options offer crisis intervention and short-term counseling. The FSW will fill out necessary paperwork and provide supporting documents to facilitate a clients interview with a program and/or to assure a clients acceptance into a program. The FSW will make an oral and/or written presentation to stakeholders of the criminal justice system with a recommendation for an alternative to detention an alternative to incarceration or lesser sentence.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Interview the client performing a thorough bio-psycho-social assessment. During this process crisis intervention brief treatment or short-term counseling may also be performed
• Identify and interview collateral sources of information. Collateral interviews are done with family members friends teachers social workers community members and others connected to the client
• Request review and analyze life history records (i.e. school medical psychiatric) to document specific arguments within written reports
• Develop casework plans with the attorneys develop alternative sentencing plans and provide advocacy in court.
• Assess a clients readiness for treatment and make referrals to substance abuse treatment domestic violence mental health counseling shelters etc
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• MSW degree and New York State (NYS) license in social work (LMSW or LCSW) preferred OR the ability to obtain LMSW licensure within 6 months of hire
• Strong diagnostic skills with a background emphasis in working with clients with the following special needs: MICA physical illnesses and disabilities mental health intellectual disabilities and developmental delays and histories of substance use
• Ability to interface with Judges District Attorneys and Correctional Personnel
• Ability to negotiate with community-based treatment centers
• Ability to write persuasively
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Proficient in Microsoft 365
• Ability to work within a team model

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary rangerepresentsa good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors including but not limited to job-related knowledge skills and experience as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range:$83631 - $125627

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance paid vacation disability and life insurance and more.Click here to read more about benefits.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness.This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally employees who are New York residents may be eligible forassistancefrom New York state toassistwith loan repayments depending on years of practice. To learn more click the links below.

AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas orpermits. (However for citizens of Canada and Mexico LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completedonlinevia the career portal. We do not acceptemailedapplications. Submit the following documents as a combined PDF:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

For technical difficulties or questionsregardingthisposting please email.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color size (including bone structure body size height shape and weight) religion or creed alienage or citizenship status sex (including pregnancy) national origin age sexual orientation gender identity (ones internal deeply-held sense of ones gender which may be the same or different from ones sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through for example ones name choice of pronouns clothing haircut behavior voice or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities) disability marital status relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships polyamorous families and individuals chosen family platonic co-parents and multigenerational families) genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics military status domestic violence victim status arrest or pre-employment conviction record credit history unemployment status caregiver status salary history or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy respect diversity and inclusion client-oriented defense access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people) to understanding their diverse circumstances and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic evolving and emerging field of knowledge of identity bias and systemic forms of oppression andparticipatein productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.