Log In
Sign Up
Description
Job DescriptionThe Criminal Defense Practice has an opening for a Forensic Social Worker in its Brooklyn office to provide client services. While working closely with the Criminal Defense attorneys, the Forensic Social Worker’s (FSW) primary role is to interview clients, and any collateral contacts, with the goal of gathering a life history to highlight mitigating circumstances such as mental illness, drug addiction, trauma and/or chronic poverty leading to a client’s involvement in the criminal justice system. The FSW will then advocate for an alternative to detention, an alternative to incarceration, or lesser sentence, based on mitigating factors. The FSW will evaluate clients and recommend a treatment program. The FSW will fill out necessary paperwork and provide supporting documents to facilitate a client’s interview with a program and/or to assure a client’s acceptance into a program. The FSW educates the client about treatment options, offers crisis intervention, and short-term counseling. The FSW provides essential information to attorneys about clients.ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIESInterview the client, performing a thorough bio-psycho-social assessment. During this process, crisis intervention, brief treatment, or short-term counseling may also be performedIdentify and interview collateral sources of information. Collateral interviews are done with family members, friends, teachers, social workers, community members, and others connected to the clientRequest, review, and analyze life history records (i.e. school, medical, psychiatric) in order to document specific arguments within written reportsDevelop casework plans in conjunction with the attorneys, develop alternative sentencing plans, and provide advocacy in courtAssess a client’s readiness for treatment and make referrals to substance abuse treatment, domestic violence, mental health counseling, shelters, etc.Other duties assigned.Requirements Strong diagnostic skills with a background emphasis in working with clients with the following special needs: MICA, physical illnesses and disabilities, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and developmental delays, and histories of substance abuse. 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 Strong computer skills Ability to work within a team model A MSW degree and NYS certification in social work (LMSW)SALARY AND BENEFITSThe leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSIONThe leadership of 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, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.HOW TO APPLYAll applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email [email protected] 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 (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth; one’s gender identity may be male, female, neither or both, e.g., non-binary), gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not be distinctively male or female and 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.Required DocumentsPLEASE SUBMIT A COVER LETTER AND RESUME AS A SINGLE PDF WHEN YOU APPLY VIA THE LAS RECRUITMENT PORTAL.
Posted on :
2021-09-09T07:49:00Z
