Job Description
Title:
Mental Health and Disabilities Coordinator
Reports to:
Assistant Director
Supervises:
Behavior Support Staff
Employee Benefits and Wage: between $27.27/hr-$29.05/hr starting- 5 % increase after 90 days with review. Pay will depend on if you have the license listed below. Follows a 9 month academic school schedule. Summers off.
- 403(b)
- Generous 403(b) company contribution with no match necessary after 90 days of employment.
- Health insurance, dental and vision (eligible almost immediately-1st of the following month).
- Paid time off
- Sick Time
- Holiday Pay
- Professional development assistance
Purpose of Position:
To coordinate mental health and disabilities screening and services, including increasing parent/teacher awareness, identifying children who may need referrals, coordinating referrals, building partnerships in the community.
Below is an outline of the essential duties associated with this position. Other duties may be assigned as needed.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Provides the program with ongoing expertise and oversight in the area of mental health services for children.
- Oversees and monitors screening tools used in collaboration with each child’s parent and teacher, within 45 calendar days of enrollment that is linguistically and age appropriate to identify concerns regarding a child’s developmental, sensory, behavioral, motor, language, social, cognitive, perceptual and emotional skills. Incorporates developmentally appropriate social and emotional screening tools in order to better assess, communicate and report information, observations and /or concerns.
- Collects social emotional screens. Conducts developmental screens. Scores all screens for all Head Start students, enters data and facilitates related interventions.
- Discusses needs for referrals with teachers and parents and helps connect families to appropriate community supports as needed.
- Assists in providing assistance for children with atypical behavior or development, utilizing community resources, as needed.
- Provides guidance to staff regarding how to use the findings to address identified needs.
- Participates in the development and implementation of behavior support plans to be used in the classrooms in order to address behavioral and mental health concerns of a child or group of children. Completes coaching in the classroom, as needed.
- Collaborates with parents regarding soliciting information, observations, and concerns about their child’s mental health and planning and implementing any mental health interventions for their child. Supports parent’s participation in any mental health interventions.
- Coordinates resources, referrals and follow-up services for children with special needs in collaboration with their families.
- Coordinates obtaining and maintaining current records of professional diagnosis, IEPs (Individualized Education Plan, ages three and above), IFSPs (Individual Family Service Plan, for birth through age three), etc.
- Attends IEP-related meetings (student profile, IWAR, IEP) for students on existing IEPs or in the referral process.
- Serves as a liaison between all of the classrooms/environments and community support services.
- Provides opportunities to engage families formally or informally and build trusting relationships to promote mental wellness. Shares and exchanges information on child development and growth, appropriate responses to child’s behavior, and how to nurture and strengthen supportive environments in the home and in the program.
- Collaborates with education staff to monitor sharing of staff observations with parents regarding their child’s behavior and development and appropriate responses to behavior.
- Assists in securing training opportunities for both staff and families to learn social and emotional development, child development, temperaments, behavior and classroom management, guidance and discipline tools, domestic violence, and any other topic of interest.
- Collaborates with education staff to ensure day- to-day program practices that promote mental wellness through social and emotional curriculum enhancements, lesson plans, individualization, direct guidance and resources related to mental health education.
- Collaborates with Family Advocates and classroom staff to provide specific guidance on how to seek mental health services and/or make a direct referral. Keeps updated on community resources available to families for mental health services.
- Reports any observations that may be of concern, particularly as defined by the SENDCAA Child Abuse and Neglect plan.
- Respects each family’s cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity
- Maintains working knowledge of Head Start performance standards
OTHER DUTIES:
- Performs other duties as assigned or requested.
- Occasional travel to other sites.
Education/Training Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Family Relations, Early Childhood or other related field
- Licensed Mental Health Professional credentials preferred
- CPR and First Aid certified within the first 12 months of employment
Minimum Experience and Skills Required:
To perform the duties of this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below outline the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies that are required in this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Knowledge of modern office practices and protocol.
- Ability to communicate in a professional and appropriate manner with children, parents, and staff.
- Ability to work effectively with a diverse group of individuals, including clients and co-workers, and to maintain effective working relationships with SENDCAA clients and staff.
- Ability to perform work independently under general direction of supervisor.
- Supports team efforts, cooperates with others and actively learns from other team members.
- Ability to follow protocols, (e.g., chain of command, confidentiality) when communicating with others in the program, families, governing body, policy group, committees, and those in other community programs.
- Ability to carry out the duties of this position while helping to fulfill SENDCAA’s mission while adhering to policies, procedures and regulations.
Experience and Skills Preferred:
- Experience working with children with challenging behavior.
The working conditions and environment and the physical requirements/activities listed below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Working Conditions and Environment: While performing the duties of this position, the individual generally has good working conditions. The employee is often exposed to moderate noise from children.
Physical Requirements/Activities: While performing the duties of this position, the individual is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, balance, kneel, bend, stoop, crouch, reach with hands and arms, use hands to finger, handle, feel and use equipment/materials, push, pull, lift, twist, grip, and communicate (talk and hear). Intermittently, the employee is required to climb, jump and crawl.
Occasionally, the employee is required to exert up to 25 pounds of force and/or less than 25 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including a child. Infrequently, the employee is required to run, exert up to 60 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including a child. Specific vision ability required is close vision of 20 inches or less and distance vision of 20 feet or less.
Employee Benefits and Wage: Information provided in addition to position description.
The preceding statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel in this position.