Director of Community Support and Mental Health
23 hours ago
Cayce
Job Description:\n\nDescription: Job Title: Director of Community Support and Mental Health FLSA Status: Full-Time/Salaried/Exempt Reports To: Chief Executive Officer Location: Hybrid Position Summary The Director of Community Support and Mental Health provides strategic, operational, and hands-on leadership for Growing Hope’s community-based support and mental health programs, including Leaphart Place, Behavioral Health Services, and Family Resource Connection and Preservation Services. This position is responsible for ensuring that programs are well-coordinated, trauma-informed, responsive, compliant, and aligned with Growing Hope’s mission and values. The Director oversees program operations, staff supervision, service quality, referral pathways, documentation expectations, community partnerships, risk management, and cross-program coordination. This role requires a leader who is both strategic and practical. The Director must be accessible, responsive, and willing to work alongside staff in the office and the community. The Director plays a key role in strengthening Growing Hope’s continuum of care across prevention, stabilization, housing support, behavioral health, and family preservation services. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Program Leadership and OversightProvide accessible leadership, consultation, oversight, and support for staff managing complex situations. Ensure assigned programs operate in alignment with Growing Hope’s mission, values, policies, service philosophy, and strategic goals. Develop, implement, and maintain clear workflows, procedures, service expectations, and accountability structures across assigned programs. Monitor day-to-day program operations and help resolve barriers that impact service delivery, staff effectiveness, or client and tenant outcomes. Ensure programs are trauma-informed, family-centered, culturally responsive, and grounded in dignity, respect, and accountability. Strengthen coordination between housing, behavioral health, family preservation, prevention, foster care, and other internal programs. Support program growth, service expansion, and improvements based on staff feedback, client and family needs, community needs, and organizational priorities. Participate as a member of the leadership team and contribute to agency-wide planning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Staff Supervision and DevelopmentProvide direct supervision, coaching, and support to assigned program managers, supervisors, and staff. Create a team culture rooted in accountability, trust, communication, responsiveness, and shared problem-solving. Ensure staff understand their roles, service expectations, documentation requirements, boundaries, and escalation pathways. Support onboarding, training, professional development, and ongoing skill-building for assigned staff. Conduct regular supervision meetings, team meetings, and case consultation as appropriate. Address performance concerns in a timely, fair, and supportive manner. Support staff retention by creating clear expectations, strong communication, and a healthy team environment. Identify training needs and coordinate internal or external training opportunities to strengthen staff practice. Promote reflective supervision and help staff process challenging work in a constructive and professional manner. Service Quality and Client SupportEnsure clients, tenants, and families receive timely, coordinated, respectful, and effective support. Monitor service delivery to ensure programs meet client, tenant, family, funder, and organizational expectations. Support complex case consultation and help staff navigate high-risk or high-need situations. Ensure appropriate follow-up occurs after referrals, screenings, intakes, assessments, visits, incidents, or service planning meetings. Promote clear and consistent communication with clients, tenants, families, referral sources, and community partners. Support internal care coordination when multiple Growing Hope programs are involved with the same individual or family. Help resolve barriers when communication breaks down between staff, families, tenants, or external partners. Ensure service planning reflects family voice, tenant needs, safety considerations, and realistic goals. Promote practices that support stability, connection, healing, and long-term wellbeing. Leaphart Place OversightOversee supportive housing operations in coordination with property management and program staff. Ensure tenant referral, screening, interview, onboarding, lease signing, and move-in processes are clear and consistent. Support staff in addressing tenant needs, lease violations, safety concerns, behavioral concerns, and service engagement barriers. Ensure tenant expectations are communicated clearly and consistently. Participate in tenant support meetings, treatment team meetings, corrective action planning, or non-renewal discussions when needed. Monitor tenant stability, service participation, incident trends, and housing-related risks. Ensure Leaphart Place balances compassion, accountability, safety, and community wellbeing. Coordinate with leadership when significant tenant concerns, safety issues, or lease enforcement decisions arise. Behavioral Health OversightOversee the operational structure of Behavioral Health Services. Support referral management, intake coordination, service access, internal communication, and documentation expectations. Collaborate with licensed clinicians, clinical supervisors, contractors, billing staff, and compliance staff to ensure services are ethical, organized, and compliant. Ensure behavioral health workflows support timely access to care and clear communication with clients and referral sources. Monitor documentation completion, service coordination, consent processes, and internal referral procedures. Support coordination between behavioral health and other Growing Hope programs when appropriate and permitted by consent. Help identify service gaps, access barriers, and opportunities to strengthen mental health support for children, adults, and families. Ensure behavioral health services remain aligned with trauma-informed care, confidentiality, ethical practice, and applicable regulatory requirements. Family Resource Connection and Preservation Services OversightOversee FRCPS services focused on prevention, stabilization, family support, and preservation. Ensure services are responsive to families experiencing crisis, instability, system involvement, or risk of disruption. Support staff in providing family-centered, strengths-based, and practical services. Monitor referrals, service plans, family engagement, visit quality, documentation, and follow-up. Ensure staff are supported in navigating complex home environments, family dynamics, safety concerns, and community needs. Strengthen partnerships with DSS, schools, service providers, courts, community organizations, and other referral sources. Support families in accessing resources that promote safety, stability, permanency, connection, and wellbeing. Use program data and staff feedback to strengthen service delivery and identify areas for improvement. Compliance, Documentation, and Quality ImprovementEnsure assigned programs comply with internal policies, funder requirements, licensing standards, accreditation expectations, and applicable legal and ethical requirements. Monitor documentation quality, timeliness, accuracy, and completeness across assigned programs. Participate in internal audits, file reviews, corrective action planning, and quality improvement efforts. Partner with compliance, finance, billing, human resources, and leadership to ensure program accountability. Develop and monitor program goals, outcomes, performance measures, and improvement plans. Use data to identify trends, risks, service gaps, staff needs, and opportunities for program improvement. Ensure incidents, grievances, safety concerns, mandated reports, and critical events are documented and escalated appropriately. Support preparation for audits, reviews, accreditation visits, funder monitoring, and internal quality checks. Cross-Program CoordinationStrengthen communication and coordination among Leaphart Place, Behavioral Health, FRCPS, foster care, prevention services, and agency leadership. Ensure internal referral pathways are clear, timely, and well-documented. Lead or participate in staffing meetings, treatment team meetings, tenant support meetings, leadership meetings, and case consultation meetings as needed. Promote shared responsibility while maintaining appropriate confidentiality, role clarity, and professional boundaries. Help resolve service barriers when multiple programs are involved with the same child, adult, tenant, or family. Ensure staff have clear guidance on what information can be shared, with whom, and under what consent structure. Promote a seamless client and family experience across Growing Hope’s continuum of services. Community Partnerships and OutreachBuild and maintain strong relationships with community partners, referral sources, funders, schools, housing partners, behavioral health providers, DSS, courts, and other service systems. Represent Growing Hope in community meetings, partner conversations, outreach activities, and collaborative groups. upport outreach efforts to increase awareness of Growing Hope’s services. Participate in warm handoffs with community partners to strengthen trust, engagement, or service connection. Ensure referral partners understand program eligibility, expectations, service pathways, and communication processes. Identify opportunities to strengthen the broader community continuum of care. Promote Growing Hope as a responsive, collaborative, and mission-driven partner. Risk Management and Crisis ResponseSupport staff in identifying and responding to safety concerns, crisis situations, behavioral health needs, family instability, tenant concerns, and high-risk dynamics. Ensure staff follow appropriate escalation procedures for urgent or high-risk situations. Support mandated reporting compliance and ensure reports are made when required. Partner with executive leadership, clinical supervisors, compliance staff, legal counsel, and external partners when significant risk concerns arise. Monitor program risks related to housing stability, client safety, staff safety, behavioral health needs, family preservation, documentation, and service compliance. Help develop proactive plans to reduce risk while maintaining a supportive and client-centered approach. Provide calm, steady leadership during incidents, crises, or periods of program instability. Salary Description $70,000 - $80,000 depending on experience Location and Work Environment Growing Hope (formerly Growing Home Southeast) delivers services across South Carolina and surrounding areas. This position is hybrid, with some travel to program sites for audits, training, or reviews. While this is not a traditional 9-to-5 role, it offers flexibility and the opportunity to make a meaningful, direct impact on organizational quality and accountability. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Growing Hope (formerly Growing Home Southeast) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status. Physical Demands and Work Environment The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform these functions. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee in this position. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. The requirements listed are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at-will relationship. Growing Hope (formerly Growing Home Southeast) is a drug-free workplace and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.Requirements: Key Qualifications Required QualificationsBachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, psychology, human services, public administration, nonprofit management, or related field required. Minimum of five years of experience in human services, behavioral health, child welfare, housing support, family preservation, prevention services, or related fields. Minimum of three years of supervisory, management, or program leadership experience. Experience working with children, youth, adults, and families impacted by trauma, poverty, housing instability, mental health needs, foster care, child welfare involvement, family instability, or other complex life circumstances. Experience supervising staff who provide community-based, field-based, or direct service support. Strong understanding of trauma-informed care, family-centered practice, and community-based service delivery. Experience with program operations, staff supervision, documentation expectations, service coordination, compliance, and quality improvement. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Strong organizational, problem-solving, and follow-through skills. Ability to respond calmly and effectively to complex, urgent, or high-stress situations. Preferred QualificationsMaster’s degree in social work, counseling, psychology, human services, public administration, nonprofit management, or related field. Licensed or license-eligible clinical background, such as LMSW, LISW-CP, LPC, LMFT, or related credentials. Experience overseeing behavioral health or community-based mental health services. Experience with transitional aged youth, supportive housing, or residential programming. Experience with family preservation, prevention services, child welfare, foster care, or DSS-related services. Experience with COA accreditation, Medicaid, state licensing, DSS contracts, behavioral health compliance, or other human service regulatory standards. Experience developing policies, workflows, dashboards, performance measures, or program improvement plans. Experience leading multidisciplinary teams. Experience supporting staff in the field during home visits, outreach, crisis response, or family engagement activities. Lived expertise as a former foster child and/or kinship, foster, or adoptive parent.