Capacity

Economic Resource Navigator Scope of Work

Below is language managers can use or adapt to hire new staff or assign new scope to existing staff to cover Economic Resource Navigation responsibilities. Providers may staff this function as a dedicated Economic Resource Navigator (ERN) role or distribute responsibilities across existing child welfare roles such as Case Aides, Parent Advocates, and Family Workers.  In any case, the functions below must be covered.

Key Activities

ERNs primarily focus on screening families for public benefits, completing enrollments, conducting advocacy, and connecting families to other concrete resources. This scope of responsibilities is designed to flexibly complement different organizational structures, expertise, and ways of operating. Specific tasks may differ between providers, reflecting community-based organizations' ability to determine what work is necessary to meet the needs of families and young people.

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities could include and are not limited to:

Intake, Application, and Full-Cycle Support

• Respond to the economic priority areas of families and young people identified during Economic Security screening.
• Conduct comprehensive benefits assessments across the full list of Economic Security needs: food, clothing, public benefits (SNAP, Medicaid, SSI/SSD, etc.), housing, utilities, transportation, documents (birth certificate, social security card, etc.), health insurance, understanding taxes, education, employment, finances, other life needs, legal support. Assessments should be conducted at a pace set by the comfort and willingness of the family or young person. They should probe into the degree and recurrence of need, what the family or young person has already tried or applied for, and the obstacles they have encountered.
• Provide support across the entire application cycle: eligibility assessment, pre-application, application, application submission, application troubleshooting, application maintenance/recertification, and post-application support.
• Support timely processing of applications and payments.
• Manage documentation wrangling, including obtaining identication documents, uploading documents, and providing translation support for families and young people.

Expertise and Advocacy

• Develop expertise and assist families with available programs to support the full list of Economic Security needs, with particular knowledge and ability to navigate public benefits including SNAP, cash assistance, HEAP, housing assistance, health insurance, WIC, social security benefits, unemployment, IDNYC, and Fair Fares.
• Provide advocacy and follow-up assistance.
• Accompany families to benefits offices as needed to provide advocacy.
• Advocate for families and young people in administrative hearings.

Collaboration, Documentation, and Outreach

• Coordinate services and warm hand-off with social service, housing, employment, medical, and educational providers.
• Maintain accurate documentation of family and young person interactions and progress toward resource goals.
• Track family outcomes and application processes.
• Provide biweekly updates by email to referring ACS child welfare workers for the duration of the ACS case.
• Collaborate with child welfare workers to support family needs, as needed.

Required Qualifications & Skills

Qualifications

• At least one year of relevant experience in a social service environment is preferred
• Enrollment in a social work or human services program desired
• Knowledge of public assistance programs and familiarity with enrollment processes required

Skills

• Language fluency for common populations served by the organization required/strongly preferred
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Strong writing skills
• Ability to work independently, manage time, and achieve strong results while handling multiple priorities
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative, daily interactions with co-workers, supervisors, and school staff
• Effective communication with external organizations
• Ability to handle the emotional labor that is a big part of the work
• Strong sensitivity to cultural humility among staff and clients
• Strong belief in people's ability to grow and change
• Ability to support individuals in meeting their own goals rather than intervening or correcting their behaviors

Training and technical assistance (TA) on public benefits, housing programs, and economic resources are essential contributors to the work of ERNs.

There are two TA providers working with ACS on this initiative: Bronx Legal Services (part of Legal Services NYC) and the Benefits Plus Learning Center (BPLC). These TAs are here to equip providers with the essential tools to assess needs, identify barriers to accessing supports, and ensure that the families and young people they serve gain economic stability.

The TAs provide ongoing training, case consultation and support to individual providers, foster a collaborative learning community, bridge frontline providers and the initiative leaders, and support the goals of the initiative.  

The program's training and professional development structure  is comprehensive, iterative, and flexible.  It is designed to ensure that providers who are newer to the field have a baseline level of knowledge and that more experienced providers continue to expand their knowledge.

Through training, case support and technical assistance, the TAs equip ERNs to:

• Screen for benefits eligibility, support, and complete application processes through successful receipt of benefits/resources.
• Work with families and young people to overcome challenges to securing economic security through a commitment to advocacy with public agencies.
• Support timely recertification throughout the case.
• Support families and young people in gathering and submitting documentation, preparing and completing eligibility interviews, and understanding of how to use online benefits tools and systems.
• Provide benefits maintenance assistance and advocacy.
• Provide referrals to other services and supports, both within and outside the ACS system.
• Understand and determine the initial and ongoing evolving needs of families and young people served.

TA-led efforts are designed to be interactive and responsive to providers’ needs. ACS has delineated requirements for providers to participate in trainings, case consultations, and other learning opportunities. Provider staff are encouraged to ask case questions, share their knowledge, contribute to the naming of systemic issues to bring about change, and support the initiative’s efforts to build a strong network of providers serving ACS-involved families and young people in NYC.

Trainings

Trainings are offered on public benefits, housing programs, child care, ACS supports, and other resources for families and young people. Trainings also include relevant topics such as integrating economic security into child welfare and youth justice practice, eligibility determination for economic security support, completing and managing successful applications through receipt of benefits and resources, recertification, and advocacy for families and young people with city agencies. Training sessions will continue to be offered on a recurring basis based on specific needs that providers are currently seeing in the field. Training are mostly offered virtually; a few might be in-person. Most trainings are recorded and available to ACS-contracted providers in the initiative on the GoTo Channel, along with supporting materials. BPLC courses are approved for continuing education for licensed social workers (LCSW, LMSW), licensed mental health counselors (LMHC), and OASAS accredited (CASAC)

If you are interested in requesting credit, please reach out to BPLC for more information prior to attending the course.

Publications and Resource Materials

• All participating providers have access to the BPLC Benefits Plus Online manual, with information on over 80 public benefits and housing programs.  Online, there are also Benefit Tools with additional resources. All participating providers have access to the full catalog of trainings available through Legal Services NYC’s training program called the Justice Learning Center. Register for an account with your nonprofit email address. If you run into issues, please reach out to learningcenter@lsnyc.org.
• The GoTo Channel has links to previous Economic Security trainings and corresponding materials.

Ongoing Case Support

• Weekly Office Hours for Case Consultations and Benefits Updates: The TAs hold hour-long weekly office hours to support ERNs with questions and case review to address benefits questions and case challenges. Periodic mini-trainings will be offered during this time. In addition, once a month, the training will last 90-minutes to allow for longer-format benefit/resource sharing. A weekly recap email is shared with participating providers. Office hours allow providers to bring up issues that they see when working with families and young people, allowing ACS and the TAs to discuss systemic problems and work toward a solution.
  • Disclaimer: Your TA may be a mandated reporter who is required to report instances of child abuse or neglect that the provider believes have reasonable cause. As social service professionals, we are committed to helping children, youth, and families thrive. These consultations provide a space to learn from one another, share resources, and strengthen the support we provide to families and young people. Because sensitive information may be discussed, we ask all participants to respect confidentiality, safeguard family and young person privacy, and follow their agency's policies and legal obligations regarding information sharing and mandated reporting.‍
• ‍Consultation: Participating staff are invited to email the TAs for benefits questions and case support: ‍Bronx Legal Services at Bronx-NYCBenefits@lsnyc.org and BPLC at BPLC@cssny.org. Agencies will be informed which TA they should connect with.

• Chat: Each TA has selected a platform for ongoing communication which allows them to post announcements about meetings and benefit updates. The chat also allows participating providers to post questions to the group (no specific family or young person information) for input.

Scope of Technical Assistance Providers

The TAs are committed to providing expert technical assistance across a wide array of benefits, housing, and child care needs. TAs will not provide help or assistance on the following broad issues:

• Safety planning and safety assessments
• Child abuse neglect, maltreatment, or abuse
• Family, domestic, or intimate partner violence, except as related to benefits eligibility

Please consult your own internal agency policies on these issues, as well as considering reaching out to ACS for additional support or assistance.

Disclaimer: Your technical assistance provider may be a mandated reporter who is required to report instances of child abuse or neglect that the provider believes have reasonable cause.