Case Manager - Outpatient Services

Position Title: Case Manager Reports To: Program Manager – Outpatient Services Classification: Non-Exempt; Hourly; Full-Time Overview The Case Manager provides comprehensive care coordination, skills support, and service navigation to children, youth, young adults ages 5–25, and their families across the agency’s service array. Under supervision, the Case Manager partners with clients, caregivers, relatives, natural supports, and service providers to identify needs, strengthen protective factors, and connect individuals and families with resources that support health, wellbeing, stability, and successful functioning in the home, school, community, and other environments. The Case Manager engages children, youth, young adults, and caregivers in the intake, planning, and ongoing support process. Services may include care coordination, linkage to community resources, skills building, family support, advocacy, service navigation, support groups, respite coordination, and collaboration with other providers. The Case Manager works across service areas to promote continuity of care, reduce barriers to services, and support individuals and families in accessing services that align with their strengths, goals, and identified needs. This position requires strong collaboration with clients, families, schools, community agencies, and other service providers. The Case Manager may provide support in office, home, school, community, and other appropriate settings and uses a flexible, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to help children, youth, young adults, and families build skills, increase stability, strengthen natural supports, and improve overall functioning and wellbeing. VOA Alaska is a youth-serving organization providing prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery supports to youth and families struggling with mental illness and addiction. We are honored to walk with families during these times and provide support and hope through recovery. Our core values are connection, responsibility, courage, innovation, hope, and joy. We are looking for individuals who espouse these core values and align with this mission of services to the community. Essential Functions, Duties & Responsibilities The Case Manager provides strengths-based, relationship-centered support to children, youth, young adults ages 5–25, and their families. The position partners with clients and families to identify solutions that build on their strengths, relationships, resources, and community connections. The Case Manager promotes self-empowerment by helping individuals and families identify their goals, develop practical skills, navigate systems, access resources, and strengthen their ability to advocate for themselves and their families. Build and maintain positive, trusting relationships with children, youth, young adults, caregivers, families, and natural supports using a strengths-based, trauma-informed, family-centered approach that promotes dignity, participation, empowerment, and independence. Partner with clients and families to identify strengths, needs, priorities, and goals; develop practical solutions; strengthen natural supports; and build problem-solving, self-advocacy, communication, and other skills that increase their ability to address challenges and meet goals. Provide care coordination and service navigation to connect clients and families with resources that support health, safety, stability, education, employment, housing, basic needs, behavioral health, recreation, and overall well-being. Provide education, coaching, modeling, skills-building, and other family support services in settings appropriate to client and family needs, including home, school, community, and agency settings. Maintain a caseload and service activity level determined in collaboration with the supervisor. Manage scheduling, follow-up, referrals, service coordination, and ongoing contact with clients and families. Participate as a member of the integrated treatment team and collaborate with clinicians, schools, healthcare providers, community organizations, and other professionals to promote coordinated, person-centered care. Provide and/or facilitate support groups, educational workshops, family engagement activities, respite opportunities, and other structured services as assigned. Activities may include researching topics, preparing materials, facilitating activities, and incorporating evidence-informed frameworks such as the Strengthening Families framework. Develop and maintain knowledge of community resources, family support services, and, when applicable, kinship care, relative caregiver needs, and permanency options. Develop relationships with community providers and connect families with appropriate services and supports. Maintain timely, accurate, and complete documentation of client contacts, services, care coordination, groups, referrals, transportation, and other required activities in accordance with agency policies, Medicaid requirements, CARF standards, grant requirements, and applicable regulations. Participate in supervision, treatment team and staff meetings, trainings, professional development, required reporting, and other activities that support quality services and program operations. Seek opportunities to develop knowledge and skills related to case management and family support services. Contribute to program development, outreach, resource materials, family engagement activities, and continuous quality improvement initiatives as assigned. Travel within the community and, as needed, outside the Anchorage area for client services, meetings, family activities, community resources, and trainings. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities If VOA Alumni, discharged from active client status for 1 year. Group facilitation: Strong communication skills and planning ability, proficient with Zoom and related technology, and ability to teach in front of a group and individuals; Communication: Communicates in writing and orally with linguistic and cultural proficiency (e.g. using age-appropriate materials, incorporating images); Child Welfare Knowledge: Intermediate knowledge of child welfare regulations and regulatory agencies; Problem solving: Takes a systematic approach to solving problems rather than reacting to systems; Teamwork ability: Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job, to include community partners; Taking initiative: Identifying what needs to be done and executing it before being asked or before the situation requires; Empathy: The ability to listen efficiently and accurately enough to understand another’s situation and point of view; Creativity/Innovation: Fosters and initiates new ideas, methods, and solutions; Analytical thinking: The ability to tackle a problem using a logical, systematic, and sequential approach; Cultural sensitivity: Addresses the diversity of individuals and populations when implementing policies, programs, and services that affect the health of families, while being culturally sensitive to the needs of multi-cultural communities; Technology proficient: Proficiency with basic computer operations, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Zoom, and other similar systems; Flexibility: Ability to work flexible hours (including days, evenings, and some weekend hours). Job Requirements Bachelor’s degree in social work; or a similar field with experience in case management and coordination of services, or two years’ experience in social work or a similar field with experience in case management, coordination of services and community service. Experience using strength-based case management and either knowledge of Trauma Informed Care or willingness to be trained A current and valid driver’s license Can qualify for VOA’s automobile insurance and/or proof of vehicle insurance coverage Reliable transportation and ability to transport clients in personal vehicle High School Diploma or equivalent. Has qualifications to be a Qualified Addiction Professional or Peer Support Specialist as defined by the State of Alaska. If not current, can be achieved within 3 years of hire. Qualified Addiction Professional (QAP): Chemical Dependency Certification level II (CDC II) and/or National Certificated Addiction Counselor I (NCAC I) Peer Support Specialist (PSS): The ability to self-identify as someone who has lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or addiction. Working Conditions The work environment characteristics and physical demands described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Works in office area and in the community. Interacts with staff, consultants, and outside vendors. May be subjected to interruptions throughout the workday. While performing the duties of this job the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to lift up to 25 pounds. The vision requirement includes close vision. Acknowledgement Every effort has been made to identify the essential functions of this position. However, this job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you may be required to perform. The omission of specific descriptions of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or can be considered essential to this position.