About PCCY
Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives and chances of children within the Philadelphia region through thoughtful and informed advocacy.
Position Summary
The Behavioral Health Policy Coordinator is a dynamic, seasoned and innovative leader. This position will help build and advance PCCY’s ability to increase child wellness in Philadelphia, particularly for children of color, through extensive collaboration and critical and substantial system change. The Behavioral Health Policy Coordinator will take the lead on building a highly functioning and smoothly operating system for children to gain easy access to quality behavioral health care in their public schools.
Key Duties:
Program Management
- Oversee and direct all aspects of PCCY’s school-based behavioral health and alternate method of qualifying children for care initiatives.
- Identify best practices in 21 high need schools that have outreach and referral teams to connect students to services (STEP programs) and advocate for their replication in 20 additional high needs schools and to the extent other school models are highly functioning identify those best practices.
- Convene partners to consider how to apply lessons learned in the school-based behavioral health care system and conduct further research to plan and execute the creation of an infrastructure/system that utilizes an alternative method of qualifying students for mental health services in traditional outpatient settings.
Outreach & Communications
- Take the lead in identifying and recruiting stakeholders for two cross-sector, public-private work groups: 1) the School-Based Behavioral Health work group comprised of district leadership, contracted MH agency staff, teachers, principals, parents, students, CBH and child advocates, and 2) Early Behavioral Health Care work group comprised of staff from the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health, CBH, state Medicaid administrators, parents, youth and staff at private behavioral health and primary care agencies, childcare staff and representatives from the school work group.
- Regularly convene and facilitate the two work groups.
- Build relationships and regularly engage with key staff in the school-based STEP programs and an additional 20 high needs schools and any other school-based models’ leaders where access to services is showing promise.
- Oversee the design, development and implementation of an on-going communications plan to raise awareness about school-based services and access to early care for children with low-level behavioral health issues targeting school staff, parents, primary care providers, child care providers and other child-serving organizations.
Research
- Conduct research an alternative method for qualifying children for services by studying the outcomes of the School-Based Behavioral Health program and similar initiatives in other cities or states and by talking with mental health and Medicaid experts to identify best practices and pitfalls – with sensitivity to not over-identify children of color and children from low-income families.
- Write up our findings on alternative qualifying methods and publish a policy brief making the case. Document practices and outcomes in 21 high need schools that have outreach and referral teams to connect students to services and identify best practices and advocate for their replication.
Evaluation
- Guide the School-Based Behavioral Health work group to develop metrics for an evaluation tool to monitor school-based referrals, access, user satisfaction and quality – including referrals for students without diagnoses.
- Guide the Early Behavioral Health Care work group to create an evaluation tool to measure and monitor referrals, utilization and child outcomes for children with low-level behavioral health issues who qualify for care by an alternate method.
- Other responsibilities as required.
Qualifications, Education, Experience & Skills:
- Master’s degree in social work, public administration, public health, education or related fields.
- Five plus years’ experience managing complex policy and organizational change efforts with strong project management skills.
- Deep familiarity with city, state and federal resources and policies in the areas of health insurance, behavioral health care and public schools.
- Understanding of financial management and organizational structure of public agencies and the non-profit sector.
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
- Experience convening groups and ability to work with a diverse set of stakeholders, both internal and external.
- Experience with program and system evaluation .
- Strong interpersonal relationship skills; ability to be a great team member and to work independently as appropriate.
- Values and encourages diversity of thought, background, and perspective.
- Tech savvy with experience and fluency in office software programs.
Reports To: Health Policy Director
Salary: This is a 3-year grant funded position (potentially renewable) and pays $75,000 plus benefits. Candidates who prefer to do this work as a consultant/private contractor are also welcomed to apply.
Apply: Resume and cover letter to info@pccy.org