FATHERHOOD ENGAGEMENT CASE MANAGER (50080069)

Job Role Summary

The Indianapolis Healthy Start (IHS) Fatherhood Engagement Clinician (FEC) position enables IHS to expand its capacity to provide direct access to male program participants to reduce barriers and help address health disparities to strengthen our clinical services to program participants and their families. The FEC is responsible for ensuring male program participants receive comprehensive wrap around case management and clinical services to assist in addressing the public health crisis of maternal mortality in our community. The FEC will work in collaboration with the Clinical Coordinator to identify the program participants who score over 10 on the Edinburgh Depression screen to ensure they become connected to comprehensive medical care, which also includes counseling and psychiatric services. FEC will implement evidenced based treatments, such as Circle of Security intervention and other father inclusion focused curriculum. The position allows for oversight and direct support to fathers and male program participants, while working under the supervision of IHS Clinical Coordinator. The FEC will work toward offering clinical expertise to connect program participants to medical and/or psychiatric providers as needed, as well as provide referrals to appropriate services. FEC will work to ensure the delivery of comprehensive medical care, behavioral health and anything else needed for program participants to reach a level of optimal mental health and overall physical well-being. Additionally, review of active cases will occur to ensure that the best therapeutic care is provided for each program participant’s circumstances (domestic violence, chronic mental illness, and suicidal ideation) etc. 

Essential Duties

• Demonstrate Friendly Access by supporting corporate values: Community, Leadership, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect (CLEAR).
• Provide a strengths-based and solution focused intervention model to male program participants and/or male partners by conducting counseling sessions in home based settings, clinical setting and community based setting as needed. 
• Ensure all active male program participants are screened for depression using the Edinburgh Depression Screening tool or other evidence based screening tool implemented by the clinical team to provide clinical support to clients needing additional mental/behavior health services.
• Seek opportunities to provide education to male program participants in the resources/options available to assist and guide them in decision making and problem solving skills to improve in overall family health and wellbeing.
• Facilitates evidence based curriculum group psycho-education intervention to program participants. 
• Develops an active role in the IHS Catchment area, and other locations where behavioral health service interventions may be relevant to preconception, pregnant, postpartum and parenting women and their male partners.
• Provides input and assists with writing HRSA and IHS reports including, but not limited to, monthly, quarterly and annual. 
• Provides hands-on support with staff as needed with home visitation shadowing, role plays, and ongoing client support to assist in effective collaboration with male program participants.
• Collaborate with clinical team to implement couples retreats and/or any other community events which may be beneficial to program participants, partners and/or families to strengthen the family unit and promote healthy relationships. 
• Ensure compliance with policies and procedures established by HHC/MCPHD and IHS.
• Process new enrollees into the program by conducting risk assessment for all clients with the high-risk assessment tool, and ensuring high risk clients are referred to the appropriate clinical care to reduce bio-social risk factors.
• Develop supportive relationships with program participants to ensure appropriate staff follow up based upon client’s risk level as needed with the resources available to get medical, social, psychological and any other supportive services during and beyond pregnancy to support families in need. 

Associated Job Duties

• Trained at the appropriate National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) level.
• Attend training with subsequent implementation of an evidence based curriculum to address the unique mental health needs of fathers. 
• Participates in a minimal of two HOPE events, totaling a minimum of 8 hours annually.
• Participates in public health emergency preparedness exercises in response to public health emergencies, as directed.
• Serves on appropriate committees and taskforces as assigned.
• Participates in public health emergency preparedness exercises and in the response to public health emergencies, as directed.
• Participates in a minimum of two H.O.P.E. events totaling a minimum of four 4 hours annually.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Inform clients of IHS and community education classes inclusive of parenting, relationships, prenatal care, smoking cessation, drug and alcohol abuse, appropriate weight gain, SIDS, breast-feeding, folic acid/nutrition, immunizations, Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis Treatment (EPSDT), Early Signs & the importance of healthy behaviors.
• Attend and present at workshops and conferences that will enhance professional development and improve services to IHS program participants and the community.
• Collaborate with community partners and faith based communities to expand services for male program participants.
• Inform clients of available resources and make referrals to address medical and social needs.
• Provide services in a coordinated and culturally sensitive approach by providing guidance in how to access and coordinate support resources and health services (as needed) to advocate for family’s needs.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in the following: Marriage & Family Therapy, Human Development, Social Relations, Women’s Studies, Social Work, Nursing, Psychiatry or other Behavior Health related field. 
• 1-3 years’ experience as a Case Manager, Family Therapist, Behavior Health Counselor, or Clinical Social Worker.

Licenses/Certifications Required

• Professional Licensure eligible within 2 years. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of evidence based behavior health clinical practice.
• Knowledge of case management, home visitation and health education practices.
• In depth knowledge of community resources.
• Judgment required in problem-solving/working with internal/external personnel from multiple organizational levels.
• Attention to detail in documentation of client encounters.
• Knowledge of quality improvement and ability to demonstrate the ability to apply to practice.
• Knowledge of program evaluation.

Working Environment

• Frequent local travel to perform in-home therapeutic visits.
• Some physical effort associated with filing, carrying of supplies for health fairs, travel between office and meetings/ home visits.
• Required to travel both in-county and out-of-county for the coordination of program initiatives.