Advocate Counselor, Learning to Work (LTW), Brooklyn

Who We Are: CAMBA is a community of staff, volunteers, clients, donors, neighbors and partners who work together to build an inclusive New York City, where all children and adults have access to the resources and supports they need to thrive.  We take a comprehensive approach by offering more than 180 integrated programs in:  Education & Youth Development, Family Support, Job Training & Employment Support Services, Health, Housing, and Legal Services. We reach more than 72,000 individuals and families each year at our 100 locations, including 10,000 youth.  CAMBA serves a diverse cross section of New Yorkers from new mothers in Brownsville to job seekers in the Rockaways. More than half of our clients are immigrants and refugees from around the globe. Over 85% of our families live in poverty, reflecting the challenges faced by nearly 1.7 million New Yorkers today.

The Learning to Work (LTW) for Transfer Schools Program will provide services to 150-200 students, ages 15-21 who are over-aged for grade, under-credited, and have spent at least one year in another high school to earn a high school diploma and gain valuable vocational and life skills supports.  Using the Primary Person Model, each student will have a Career Advocate who will: guide students towards removing barriers toward graduation, engage students in college preparatory activities, provide supportive services, and increase self-direction and self-sufficiency through meaningful career exploration experiences, including subsidized internship placements for 75 students.

Position: Advocate Counselor

Reports To: Supervisor II

Location: Multiple Brooklyn Locations

What The Advocate Counselor Does:

• Maintain professional relationships with students and student confidentiality.  

• Conduct initial intake and assessment of students and/or students' families' situations and needs (including academic and skill levels, basic skills, occupational skills, prior work experience, employability, interests, aptitudes, support service’s needs, family and medical history, and individual development needs). 

• Create and maintain student files. 

• Assist students in attaining their goals by identifying and locating community resources for students and by making referrals to appropriate services both within and outside CAMBA. 

• Track student attendance daily. 

• Reach out to absent students (ie. phone calls, letters, home visits, etc.) daily. 

• Follow-up with students and with referral organizations regarding student contact and progress with referral organization. 

• Counsel students regularly either through meetings in CAMBA offices, by telephone and/or home visits.  

• Work with students to break through barriers to student goals and to assist students in advocating for themselves. 

• Recommend and implement strategies to persuade students to participate more fully in this process.  

• Follow-up at least two times with graduates for one year after graduation.  

• Reach out and market the program to the community in order to recruit students. 

• Enter all required data into CAMBA’s online internal database system Enginuity. 

• Create narrative case notes regarding student progress at each point of contact using Enginuity. 

• Keep an Excel monthly report spreadsheet of all services given. 

• Provide all required information for weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual reports. 

• May act as student liaison/student advocate with outside organizations regarding such matters as education, healthcare, housing, legal issues, etc. 

• May facilitate workshops (i.e - Life Skills, College Explorations, Work Exploration). 

• May prepare marketing materials for the program. 

• May prescreen students over the telephone/face-to-face for eligibility. 

• May assist families in obtaining health services coverage when eligible. 

• May assist students in completing applications for benefits and entitlements. 

• May assist students in completing all CAMBA intake applications and forms. 

• May review all documentation establishing student’s eligibility for program and make file copies. 

• Tasks may be modified, expanded and/or assigned over a period of time. 

Minimum Education/Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree (e. g., B.A., B.S.W.) in social work or a related field and applicable experience.
• Ability to adapt to the culture and environment of a public school. 
• Ability to write assessments, student goals, progress notes, weekly reports, and general correspondence related to students.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from supervisors, students, funders, other organizations, and the general public. 
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, decimals and percentages to practical situations. 
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.  
• To perform this job successfully, an individual must have knowledge of Word Processing software; Spreadsheet software; Internet software and Database software. 
• May have team and/or other coordination responsibility, but no consistent supervisory responsibility. 

Other Requirements:

• Must obtain Dept. of Education fingerprint clearance. 

• Ability to maintain fingerprint clearance throughout the duration of employment. 

• Bi-lingual Preferred.

Compensation: $47,740 annually

Status: Full-time (35 hours per week) Benefits: CAMBA offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, dental insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, paid time off (vacation, personal, and sick time), and paid holidays.

CAMBA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace. People of color, people with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are encouraged to apply. We consider all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, marital or veteran status, pregnancy status or sexual orientation.

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