Agency
Dept of Health and Human Services
Division
Child and Family Well Being
Job Classification Title
Human Services Program Consultant II (NS)
Position Number
65042602
Grade
NC15
About Us
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is one of the largest, most complex agencies in the state, and has approximately 17,000 employees. It is responsible for ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all North Carolinians, providing human service needs for special populations including individuals who are deaf, blind, developmentally disabled, and mentally ill, and helping poor North Carolinians achieve economic independence.
Description of Work
The Early Intervention Program is in the Early Intervention Section of the Division of Child and Family Well-Being, Department of Health and Human Services and is the largest section within the Division. The Program is governed by the federal Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and is also called the Part C Program or the North Carolina Infant Toddler Program. The North Carolina Early Intervention Section serves as the state lead agency to carry out Part C of IDEA. The federal legislation was reauthorized in late 2004 and has been renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act.
The Early Intervention Section (EI Section) is within the Division of Child and Family Well-Being (DCFW). The Early Intervention Section works in concert with other programs for women, children, and families, and has a particular focus on very young children (infants and toddlers under the age of three years) who have developmental disabilities or delays or have established conditions that are very likely to result in developmental delay. This focus positively impacts collaboration with the Maternal and Child Health focus on children with special health care needs, as well as on the many initiatives that are preventive in nature, particularly those that are preventive of developmental delays or disabilities.
The program has more than 650 employees who are directly employed through the EI Section, DCFW. EI Section office staff work in DCFW offices at Six Forks Road, Raleigh, and regional EI Section office staff are located in the program's local lead agencies: Children's Developmental Services Agencies (CDSAs). Most employees are Early Intervention Section CDSA-level staff, and there are an additional 200+ staff in four contract CDSAs. The function of these local lead agencies is to ensure that early intervention services are provided to eligible children. The work of the Early Intervention Section is to provide oversight, monitoring, and federally required general supervision to the provision of direct services to children who have been referred to and/or enrolled in early intervention. Employees of state Children's Developmental Services Agencies (CDSAs) are employees of the EI Section and must follow all federal regulations and state policy for the Section, as well as all Division and Department policies and procedures and all rules, regulations, policies, and procedures for state employees.
Effective fiscal year 2005-2006, the EI Section had to provide a State Performance Plan to the federal granting agency. This requirement includes a multi-year plan with annual goals and reporting on performance and compliance areas, as well as continued partner input into planning, goal-setting, and results. Indirect and direct support to the state Interagency Coordinating Council, as well 89 Local Councils is required. Partner input is primarily obtained through these Councils, the Commission for Children with Special Health Care Needs, and the Commission for Health Services as the rule-making body for the program. The policy issues are complex in their impact on the infants and toddlers, who are referred to and/or enrolled in the program, and their families. The management of multiple and ongoing public commenting processes has both ethical and legal implications for the management of the program in addition to evidence-based practice and quality issues for the staff employed or contracted within the program, including the more than 700 community based early intervention service providers.
The State Performance Planning and Annual Reporting is required to take place within the context of interagency collaboration. The Early Intervention Section is required by federal law to engage with other state and local agencies, and is required to have an advisory board, the State Interagency Coordinating Council. Membership on this State Interagency Coordinating Council is set by the federal legislation, and members are appointed by the governor. The program is responsible for the State Interagency Coordinating Council both fiscally and through the provision of staff time and management skills to the work of the Council. Therefore, the EI Section not only has the responsibility of monitoring its Children's Developmental Services Agencies, but also of informing State and Local councils and other partners and ensuring performance change in response to requirements at local, state, and federal levels.
The primary purpose of this position is to:
Clearly, concretely, and frequently communicate information within and outside of the Infant-Toddler Program to engage various partners, including parents, in the work of the NC Infant Toddler Program. This includes communicating on general program issues, the work of the Interagency Coordinating Council, and Section/Division/Department directives and policies. This also includes attending, leading, presenting to, training, various partner workgroups to educate, collaborate, solicit feedback, as well as coordinating and recruiting partners to help assist with NC Infant-Toddler Program initiatives. This position will coordinate our Family engagement initiatives, including assisting with recruiting and training family leaders, to incorporate family participation, voice, and feedback in all program initiatives. This position will report to the Early Intervention Comprehensive System of Professional Development Manager and will coordinate and assist in developing and providing both internal and external partner training initiatives.
The position must be able to integrate the planning and implementation of its work with other positions within the Early Intervention Section office, without role confusion. The position must maintain, at a high level, communication on a variety of routine and potentially controversial issues with the state Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) and do so within the mission and goals of the Early Intervention Section. For example, this position has a primary responsibility for coordinating the activities of and planning public comment processes and collaborating with the EI Data Manager to ensure public reporting of data with the ICC. The ICC is a federally mandated, primary advisory group of the NC Infant-Toddler Program.
As the coordinator of the ICC and its activities, this position will develop, implement, and evaluate the portion of the Early Intervention Section's work that involves various other interagency collaborative activities with the ICC including supporting and training our council members as well as supporting and training our Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICC) statewide.
The position must be able to present information, facilitate discussion, and have in-depth knowledge and expertise regarding the early intervention program and its intra- and inter-agency partners. The position must have detailed and integrated knowledge of all the activities of the section, in order to appropriately provide this representation. Public awareness activities through the work of this position decide the state's fate in comparison to other states and territories regarding child find efforts, which are required under both state and federal laws.
Knowledge Skills and Abilities/Management Preferences
Salary Range: $53,164.00-$93,038.00
Candidates now meet the minimum qualifications of a position if they have the minimum education and experience listed on the vacancy announcement.
The following Management Preferences are not required, but applicants that possess these skills are preferred.
• Knowledge of early childhood and early intervention systems, including agency operations, federal grant requirements, and related governmental practices.
• Strong communication skills-both written and verbal-with internal leadership, external partners, and cross-agency stakeholders.
• Ability to manage public information, outreach, and program awareness with accuracy and timeliness.
• Skill in interpreting early intervention program information, particularly related to infants and toddlers with disabilities.
• Experience leading work groups, delivering trainings, and presenting information across diverse audiences
• Position is funded 100% through federal funds.
• Position is Time- Limited for 36 months
• *Position is eligible for a hybrid-teleworking schedule to include weekly onsite work hours**
Posting closes at 11:59 p.m. the night before the end date
Minimum Education and Experience
Some state job postings say you can qualify by an "equivalent combination of education and experience." If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the Education and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.
Master's degree in a discipline relative to the program from an appropriately accredited institution and three years of related experience; or Bachelor's degree in a discipline relative to the program area from an appropriately accredited institution and five years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
EEO Statement
The State of North Carolina is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free from all forms of unlawful employment discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The state provides reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants with disabilities; known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and for religious beliefs, observances, and practices.
Recruiter:
Charlene Michele Moore
Email:
[email protected]