Outreach and Engagement Specialist

WestCoast Children's Clinic, located in Oakland, California, is a non-profit community psychology clinic that provides mental health services to Bay Area children, youth and families. Working at WestCoast Children's Clinic means being part of an organization that is client-centered, trauma-informed, collaborative, and committed to justice and equity.

We are currently seeking a highly skilled Outreach and Engagement Specialist to be a vital part of Project AWOL, an innovative initiative dedicated to empowering these young individuals to reach their full potential.

As a Outreach and Engagement Specialist, you will be on the frontline, providing essential outreach and support to youth who have left their foster or group homes. Collaborating closely with our esteemed clinical staff and child welfare workers, your primary mission will be to engage with these youth and identify their unique needs, connecting them with the vital services they require. We are looking for an exceptional individual who can build strong connections with distrusting youth, demonstrating empathy and understanding. Serving in the communities of Oakland, Alameda County, and neighboring areas within a 90-mile radius, you will be a beacon of hope, offering crucial services where they are needed most.

Flexibility, initiative, discretion, and independent judgment are at the heart of this role. As an ideal candidate, you will leverage a strengths-based approach to support and empower abused and neglected children, making a lasting impact in their lives.

Project AWOL is a collaboration between WestCoast Children's Clinic and Alameda County's Department of Children and Family Services. Together, we are on a mission to enhance the placement stability of Alameda County dependents by reducing the number and duration of AWOL episodes. By providing outreach and engagement services, as well as intensive clinical case management services, we are dedicated to helping children and young adults, ages 0-21 years, cope with the traumas of abuse and neglect, while minimizing the emotional impact of separation from their family, home, and community.

How the Outreach and Engagement Specialist makes an impact:

• Provides community-based outreach and engagement services to youth in the foster care system.
• Assesses the reasons that result in youth running away from their foster or group home and supports youth in returning to an appropriate foster home, group home, or home of a relative.
• Assists youth in engaging with clinical case management services provided by the Project AWOL Clinician and community resources.
• Identifies unmet needs, services, and resources the youth.
• Facilitates youth attaining and maintaining Medi-Cal coverage.
• Provides psycho-education about trauma and advocacy services.
• Understands and complies with policies and procedures regarding documentation, paperwork, and billing. May involve adhering to both EPSDT Medi-Cal guidelines as well as other policies and procedures set up with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care and the Department of Children and Family Services.
• Meets service hour requirements as set by the agency.

The ideal candidate has:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Criminal Justice, or a related field.
• Master's or doctoral degree in Psychology, Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, or Social Work preferred.
• Minimum of three years of experience working with at-risk youth.
• Experience working with foster youth, the child welfare system, and engaging with the community in various settings such as homes, schools, neighborhoods, and other agencies.
• Preferred experience in de-escalation techniques to handle challenging situations effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to work compassionately with clients facing multiple diagnoses, complex trauma histories, substance abuse, and attachment/trust difficulties.
• Proficiency in clinical/case management and crisis intervention skills.
• Strong cultural competency, with a deep understanding of race, class, and ethnicity issues.
• Excellent efficiency, interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills.
• Knowledge of or a willingness to learn Medi-Cal reimbursement procedures and billing.
• Proven ability to work independently with a high level of discretion, while also fostering collaboration within a multidisciplinary team.
• Familiarity with Alameda County resources for youth.
• Possession of a clean CA DMV record and current car insurance as travel is required for the role.

**Note that this position is not remote and will require onsite work at the Assessment Center in Castro Valley, CA***

About the Assessment Center:

STAT is a mental health screening and assessment program, located at the Alameda County Assessment Center. When a child is taken into protective custody by Alameda County Child Protective Services or the police, s/he is brought to the Assessment Center, a child friendly receiving center located at a confidential site where the child can comfortably wait until placement with a relative, foster home or group home is found.

Position Details and Compensation:
This is a full-time position reporting to the STAT Assistant Program Director. Hourly rate $31.25 per hour ($65,000 per year), plus a 10% bilingual Spanish language differential, if applicable. Includes competitive benefits package, 403(b) plan, and performance-based compensation.

Why work here?

• Be part of a compassionate, driven team that is social justice-focused: We have Staff Affinity Groups such as Staff of Color, LGBTQ+, Equity and Inclusion, Health and Wellness, and more
• Make a difference for the Bay Area's most vulnerable populations: We serve hundreds of vulnerable kids and their families each year to create positive changes in their lives
• Access a growth-oriented learning community: As a Joint Commission Accredited agency, we are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care, and offer extensive clinical trainings and seminars led by field experts. Some of our trainings include:
  • CSEC and CSE-IT
  • Child and Adolescent Development
  • Complex Trauma/Trauma-Informed Care
  • Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)

We also offer:

• Bilingual pay differential for qualified candidates (10% of yearly salary)
• Quarterly and yearly incentive compensation and retirement plan contribution
• 403b retirement contribution and performance-based compensation
• 100% Employer paid medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-term disability coverage
• Flex-spending account options - Medical, Dependent Care and Commuter Plans
• 15 days paid time off per year (pro-rated for less than full time), 14 Paid Holidays, Self-Care Leave, and additional PTO accrual with years of service.
• Professional development stipend
• Weekly supervision and case conference
• CEUs for trainings
• Monthly wellness stipend

Join us and make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families in the Bay Area.

WCC is passionate about leading and encouraging open conversations around race, gender, power, and privilege and how these impact community mental health. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diminishing the influence of privilege and discrimination in our field and our workplace, whether due to differences concerning age, citizenship, color, disability, marital or parental status, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.