NFHV Social Worker

ONLY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES IN THE TITLE AND THOSE THAT ARE REACHABLE ON THE SOCIAL WORKER CIVIL SERVICE LIST ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.

Division/Program Summary:
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is expanding home visiting in NYC and streamlining how providers, organizations, and community residents can access quality home-visiting services. The goal is to improve maternal and child health and well-being by matching families’ assessed risks to evidence-based (EB) or evidence-generating (EG) home visiting (HV) models that are most appropriate for them.

DOHMH’s New Family Home Visits (NFHV) program will serve families from pregnancy through the postpartum period. The NFHV builds on the success of the Newborn Home Visiting Program established in 2004 and supports a call to action by the Mayor’s office Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity (TRIE); these are neighborhoods and communities burdened by adverse maternal and child health outcomes. A pillar of this initiative is the development of the Family Connection Network (FCN) which includes an innovative Coordinated Intake and referral (CI&R) system and Provider Liaisons. Clients are screened and matched based on their needs, and to connect them to other resources as needed. Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities create disparate outcomes in certain neighborhoods as compared with the rest of the city and providing services beginning in the prenatal through postpartum period is vital to improving these outcomes. In addition, recent attention to inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality, especially in New York City, points to the need for more respectful maternity care and greater agency for people during childbirth, both of which the program’s staff will facilitate, in partnership with NYC doula organizations.

NFHV incorporates a strong mental-health and chronic-disease focus, including screening for diabetes, hypertension, maternal depression, and anxiety, along with referrals to needed services. The citywide program will continue to serve families residing in DHS shelters as well as families residing NYCHA and ACS who reside in TRIE neighborhoods.

We are seeking a candidate who is able to inspire, influence and enable others to achieve a specific mission and meet program goals.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Support home visitors to ensure appropriate assessment and referral for identified social and/or mental health needs of eligible families.
- Work on a multi-disciplinary team to identify appropriate resources, service gaps, engage stakeholders, facilitate internal and external trainings.
- Conduct independent home visits, complete observations to support monitoring and assessment of core components of program intervention are delivered including orienting, counseling, and training program staff on psychosocial assessment and interventions.
- Facilitate strategies designed to support successful engagement with eligible families to ensure connection to services and resources to support client self-sufficiency.
- Conduct mental health assessments with clients and connect them to the appropriate services.
- Assess, link and follow-up with referred families to ensure continuum of social support services through connection to interventions and support services.
- Identify citywide/community resources; establish and maintain linkages with community organizations and partners.
- Serve as social service and mental health/subject matter expert; provide technical assistance and training to program staff.
- Document client interactions and provide regular activity summaries using standardized program procedures and data collection tools.
- Represent Program during meetings with internal and external stakeholders.

Why you should work for us:

- Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:
o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund.
o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
o a tax-deferred savings program and
o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
- Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
- Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC. Our mission is to safeguard the health of every resident and cultivate a city where everyone, regardless of age, background, or location, can achieve their optimal health. We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice initiatives. As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!

Commitment to Equity:

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Sye-Eun Ahn, Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, at sahn1@health.nyc.gov or 347-396-6549.

SOCIAL WORKER - 52613