Pins Team Lead

The Office of Community Health & Safety (OCHS) works to address longstanding disparities in health outcomes and criminal legal systems involvement for people in Pittsburgh. Critical to OCHS's mission is the Continuum of Support, which utilizes social work staff and expertise to execute public health-informed strategies alongside public safety personnel to prevent and respond to crises, ensuring that Pittsburgh is a healthy and safe city for all.

Reporting to the Social Work Manager, the People In Need of Support (PINS) Team Lead supervises and implements collaborative programs between Continuum of Support personnel and the Public Safety personnel, particularly from the Bureaus of Fire and EMS. Focusing on direct supervision of PINS Community Social Worker (CSWs), this position will be integral to the success of programs, providing daily task supervision, coordinating assisted response paradigms, serving as a knowledge resource for direct reports, and building and maintaining collaborative relationships with Public Safety personnel. Daily responsibilities include reviewing referrals, assigning appropriate cases to CSWs, supporting CSWs working in the field, ensuring continuing education and training are available to CSWs, working directly with community members, and collaborating with referral partners and social service agencies to ensure participants receive quality care.

This position will also collaborate with the Social Work Manager and other OCHS leadership in project development. The successful incumbent will attend meetings with stakeholders that are relevant and/or important in this field that might include but is not limited to public safety personnel or mental/behavioral health experts, housing providers, in-home service providers, and drug and alcohol recovery providers. Additionally, they will work closely with the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) staff, Post Overdose Support Team (POST) staff, Reaching Out On the Streets (ROOTS) staff and other OCHS staff.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of harm reduction, a focus on empowering individual agency and choice, and experience in case management, crisis intervention, victim support, mental/behavioral health support, and supervision.

Department: Office of Community Health and Safety

Posting Type: Announcement

Salary: $71,905 per year.

Union: Non-union.

Civil Service Classification: Non-Competitive

General Application Requirements:

You must submit or show proof of all the following at the time of filing your application (unless otherwise indicated below) or your application will be disqualified.  Disqualifications based on any of these General Application Requirements are not subject to a Civil Service appeal.

• Applicants must submit a complete application including education, work experience, a resume (if applicable) and completed supplemental questions.

• Applicants must become residents of the City of Pittsburgh prior to employment and must remain a resident throughout employment.

• Click here to view a map of City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

• Applicants must comply with the City of Pittsburgh's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

• A current, valid Class C Pennsylvania Driver's License is required prior to appointment and must be maintained throughout employment. Written requests for accommodation based on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act will be considered by the Department of Human Resources & Civil Service on an individual basis.

NOTE:  The City of Pittsburgh, as a matter of policy, conducts pre-employment and promotional background investigations on all candidates being considered for positions. The background investigation includes but is not limited to criminal background, driver's license, and City of Pittsburgh real estate tax payments.  Candidates may be disqualified from consideration for employment based on the results of their background investigation (as it relates to the job for which the applicant is being considered).

NOTE: Candidates being considered for employment will be required to submit official transcripts to verify of their post-secondary education (college/university, trade school, etc.) prior to being hired by the City of Pittsburgh. Transcripts must be submitted at the time of any/each job interview you have with the City of Pittsburgh.

Qualifying Requirements:

Your City of Pittsburgh application will be reviewed, and your work experience and education/training will be evaluated to determine if you meet the qualifying eligibility requirements listed below for this position.  You will be sent an eligibility letter regarding your eligible/ineligible status.

• WORK EXPERIENCE: The application must clearly show four (4) years of full-time experience in direct practice. (Less than full-time experience will be calculated on a pro-rated basis.)

• EDUCATION/TRAINING: The application must clearly show a Master of Social Work (MSW) from a fully accredited institution and must be a Licensed Social Worker (LSW). (See NOTE under the General Application Requirements Section above regarding the verification of education/training.)

• EQUIVALENCY: None permitted for this position.  Therefore, no education/training and/or work experience may be substituted toward the qualifying requirements listed above.

If you meet the qualifying requirements listed above, you will be sent a letter of admission (when applicable) for the following examination(s).  You must pass the written and/or performance examination(s) in order to have your name placed on the official Civil Service eligibility list for this position.  Candidates who receive job offers must pass a medical examination (when applicable) prior to start date.

• Written:  None required for this position.

• Performance:  None required for this position.  .

• Medical:  None required for this position.

• Adheres to and practices OCHS values and principles, with a focus on harm reduction-based, person-first, crisis and trauma-informed principles.

• Takes a leadership role in the operationalization of all activities related to social work practice and the provision of social work services to program participants.

• Responsible for supervision of direct reports, primarily PINS Community Social Workers (CSWs).

• Communicates effectively with public safety liaisons regarding ongoing and in-development tasks, projects, and cases.

• Updates Assistant Director of OCHS regarding partnership and collaboration with Public Safety Personnel.

• Works with OCHS senior staff and Public Safety personnel to implement assisted response models and further develop the City of Pittsburgh's Continuum of Support, including participation in side-by-side multidisciplinary training.

• Self-assesses and listens to feedback from staff and partners regarding program efficacy, elevating to supervisor and OCHS leadership where appropriate.

• Aids in operational and strategic planning, highlighting deficits and strengths for future planning.

• Partners with Data Analyst and Social Work Manager to develop, execute, and refine Continuum of Support staff use of Julota, the software utilized to track engagement with program participants.

• Assigns cases to the CSWs, keeping track of the rates of open and closed cases, and identifying appropriate referrals made by the CSWs.

• Maintains case load.

• Assists with complex cases and supports team field work.

• Informs Social Work Manager regarding operational needs.

• Works in the field independently.

• Supervises interns when they're working PINS cases.

• Attends community events and meetings to communicate the progress of the Continuum of Support to community members and to integrate their feedback within the program development cycle.

• Collaborates with DHS teams in the necessary case conferencing and partnership meetings to develop holistic approaches to care.

• Responsible for the ongoing task supervision and evaluation of the PINS CSW social work team.

• Supports social workers in assessing the biopsychosocial status of all clients including people who are survivors, witnesses, and co-victims of crime to determine the types of referrals and services indicated.

• Supports social workers in conducting on-the-scene crisis intervention and intervenes when necessary.

• Records detailed documentation of client interactions and referrals in identified database system.

• Documents team efforts and presents progress in the form of weekly reports, presentations, or other mediums.

• Presents on program and outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.

• Performs other related tasks and duties as assigned or required.

Click here to view the full job description including knowledge, skills, and abilities and working conditions for this position. Locate and click on the position title to view the complete job description.