Case Manager Apprentice

Job Title:    Case Manager Apprentice
Setting:     Site-based, Los Angeles, CA
Dept:        Permanent Housing Services
Reports to: Program Manager
Status:        Non-Exempt (hourly), non-management

SUMMARY
The five-week Case Manager Apprentice program aims to provide learning and skill building to candidates who are interested in entering the field of social services, specifically working with people who are currently or recently unhoused. 

The Case Manager Apprentice will join the permanent supportive housing team for up to five weeks of training through educational sessions and site-based skills shadowing opportunities. With a foundation in evidence-based practices such as harm reduction, housing first, and trauma-informed care, the Case Manager Apprentice will learn how to engage Clients in interventions that support housing placement and stability, self-sufficiency, and community integration. Case Manager Apprentices will work to assess individualized client needs and coordinate multiple services to help clients meet goals. 

Supervision and evaluation will occur throughout the five-week program providing important feedback aimed at supporting professional growth and readiness for entering full-time case management positions following apprenticeship completion.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
1.    Collaborate with case management staff in building relationships with Clients with the goal of facilitating independence and maintenance of improved physical and mental health.
2.    Assist in the intake and enrollment of Clients including review of program consents and subsidy applications.
3.    Support biopsychosocial and functional needs assessments to guide individualized treatment planning.
4.    Learn about quarterly collaborative goal planning.
5.    Assist Clients in applying for and obtaining all benefits to which they are entitled.
6.    Learn to coordinate appointments, transportation, and follow-up services for Clients to improve access to primary health care, mental health care, substance use services, and other local resources.
7.    Observe and engage in teaching and modeling of life skills involved such as budgeting, housekeeping, meal preparation, appointment scheduling, health maintenance, and socialization.
8.    Review and practice time management strategies effective in community-based settings to support balance between client engagement and administrative responsibilities.
9.    Participate in weekly trainings, staff meetings, supervision, and evaluations.
10.    Contribute to work setting that emphasizes Client choice, harm-reduction, trauma-informed care, housing-first principles, and professional boundaries.
11.    Engage in training around crisis assessment and intervention skills and practice de-escalation.
12.    Build field safety skills necessary for community work including home visits, transportation, and accompaniment. 
13.    Practice writing accurate and complete progress notes in electronic databases.
14.    Review physical charts as guided by agency, department, and funder expectations.
15.    Maintain confidentiality of Client information per HIPAA and internal agency guidelines.
16.    Communicate effectively – both written and verbally – with Case Management Apprenticeship staff and other collaborators.

Qualifications/Requirements:
1.    High School diploma or GED, preferred 
2.    Minimum of one year experience in customer service role, preferred 
3.    Demonstrated knowledge of issues faced by a culturally diverse population
4.    Understanding of Outlook 
5.    Valid Driver’s license, reliable car, auto insurance, and an acceptable driving record.
6.    Willing and able to transport clients in your personal vehicle.

Work Environment:
1.    Field (may need to travel) and indoor office environment
2.    On occasion walk or drive to different local sites
3.    Regularly required to sit, stand, bend and occasionally lift or carry up to 35 pounds
4.    Will necessitate working in busy and at times loud environments
5.    Will be exposed to elements like cold, heat, dust, noise and odor
6.    May need to bend, stoop, twist, and sit throughout the day
7.    Able to thrive in a work environment emphasizing teamwork and collaboration

This is a 5 week training process, but, like with any job, this position can be terminated by either party with or without reason before the 5 week completion.  Poor performance, poor attendance and violations of policy are a few reasons why a trainee might be dismissed sooner than the 5 week completion.

Sick days, if you miss 8 hours of any Wednesday meetings, or any 16 hours of any other days during the cohort (Weds missed time counts as double for calculation), you will not be eligible to graduate from our program and you will need to apply for a future cohort to complete from the beginning.