Human Services Community Liaison

CITY OF SOUTH SALT LAKE

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Description: Human Services Community Liaison

Department: Police

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Position grade: 21

Supervisor: Police Lieutenant

Effective date: April 2024

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POSITION SUMMARY

The Human Services Community Liaison partners with city departments to address the needs of city-identified high-utilizers of mental health services. The position aims to:

• Decrease or eliminate the time first responders spend in response to a situation involving social and mental health service needs.
• Provide a more effective response through the addition of clinical-informed support and an enhanced community resource knowledge base.
• Ensure timely and streamlined connection to resources to address their needs.
• Navigate individuals from further involvement into the criminal justice system.

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ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Provides crisis assessment and interventions to homeless or other persons who may be experiencing a mental health crisis whether on the streets, in the homeless shelter, or their home.
• Responds to first responder referrals made because of an emergency response.
• Provides social service screening across multiple domains to identify mental health/substance use, and/or housing support needs.

• Assists with the location and sharing of resources identified in social service screening.
• Completes and/ensures completion of social service referrals to needed resources.
• Works with Homeless Resource Officers to provide follow-up care to high-utilizers of emergency services for up to 60 days to ensure social service, treatment/resource/support engagement with community-based resources has been established.
• Collaborates with Pamela Atkinson Resource Center staff, Salt Lake County, and other Human Service agencies as appropriate.
• Participates in team meetings held by the Police, Fire, and other key partners.
• Participates in training as required.
• Participates in educational presentations with first responders as related to the Community Liaison Initiative and as requested/schedule allows.
• Documents referrals, dates, times, types of intervention, description/content of intervention, duration of services and communications as prescribed.
• Performs court-ordered assessments as needed.
• Assists with aggregate outcome data collection as prescribed including, but not limited to, number of requests for social service responses received, time from response requests to outreach, and phone responses/outreach with individual, diversion volume, and linkage to services information.
• Performs other related tasks as required.

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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, CERTIFICATIONS, AND LICENSES

• Current Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) certificate for clinical practice in the State of Utah.
• 2+ years of experience within social services
• 2+ years of experience in crisis interviewing, verbal de-escalation, working with individuals who experience severe and persistent mental illness, and other at-risk populations.
• Must possess and maintain a valid Utah Driver's License with periodic verifications by the City.

NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of best practices related to homelessness and other at-risk populations.
• Skill in working with individuals of diverse backgrounds who have differing objectives and priorities.
• Skill communicating directly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Skill leading effective meetings and conversations with stakeholders, partners, and the public.
• Skill collecting and analyzing data and using it for monitoring outcomes.
• Ability to work in a variety of settings indoors and outdoors and in stressful, hazardous situations.
• Experience in the delivery of Crisis Services is desirable.
• Ability to pass a background check.

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PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met or will be encountered by an employee while successfully performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to stand, walk, and use hands to operate objects, tools, or controls. Talking, hearing, and seeing are required in the normal course of performing the job. Common eye, hand, finger dexterity is required to perform essential functions. Mental application utilizes memory for details, verbal instructions, emotional stability, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. Periodic local travel required in course of performing portions of job functions.

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The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. The job description is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.