Crisis Response Specialist (High School Networks)

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Safety and Security serves as the critical department to partner with school principals and other CPS staff members to ensure that all schools strive towards the goal of establishing a safe environment for our students.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Clinical Crisis Team Director, the Crisis Response Specialist will be a member of a care response team within the Office of School Safety and Security. The Crisis Response Specialist will interface with CPS departments, high school staff, and our community behavioral health services partners to meet the increased demand for school and community provider partnerships, ensuring the delivery of high-quality individual counseling and mentoring services and continuity of care for students.

Note: The Crisis Response Specialist role is a grant-funded position from December 31, 2022 to December 30, 2026.

The Crisis Response Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Crisis Team, Behavioral Health Teams and school-based teams and administrators, to assess levels of trauma and identify those impacted by an event to ensure crisis services are provided.
• Collaborate with Crisis Team to assign team members to critical debriefing areas and arrange for crisis team debriefings.
• Support schools with scheduling, conducting and leading debriefings before, during and after a crisis.
• Coordinate follow-up services for those in need with the Offices of Social & Emotional Learning and Student Health & Wellness staff, and assist with the development of communication plans after the crisis.
• Prepare crisis reports and complete report analyses.
• Address issues raised by supervisors, managers, and principals regarding departmental concerns.
• Provide immediate responses to crises that might occur during a regular business day, after hours, and on weekends and holidays; Plan and organize a crisis response with the Crisis Director and school administrators for the next day or when the school re-opens, in the event the school is closed during an intersession.
• Develop customized (school-level) presentations in accordance with school and inter-department requests and provide training as needed.
• Coordinate and collaborate with law enforcement, healthcare professionals and the school community to provide education and awareness of the crisis unit and support services.
• Ensure supporting agencies are informed of events and key meetings.
• Ensure CPS students and their families receive all benefits for which they are eligible; and assist them in accessing them if needed.
• Facilitate training for members of the CPS community, Safety & Security staff and external partners to address areas of concern such crisis protocols and procedures, Crisis Intervention Training (Chicago Police Department)(CPD).
• Attend conferences and staff development events to stay abreast of related professional development and to maintain current related professional skills.
• Provide group and individual intervention in response to school crises as requested by school administrators.
• Assist with the implementation of evidence-based interventions and strategies in response to crisis situations in schools district-wide.
• Coordinate professional development and provide technical assistance related to crisis management to schools district-wide.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Crisis Response Specialist must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Master's degree in Social Services Field (e.g. Counseling, Psychology, Social Work) from an accredited college or university is required
• Minimum of one (1) of the following clinical licenses is required: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Social Worker (LSW), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Experience Required:

• Minimum of three (3) years of professional work experience in mental health services or related field

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to develop and maintain partnerships with mental health organizations, crisis response managers, clinicians, and managers from CPS and CPD
• Knowledge of domestic violence policies and procedures
• Ability to meet deadlines, multi-task between projects and respond to work requests based upon priority, and complexity
• Dependability and flexibility to handle related, but dramatically varied duties to meet the needs of the unit
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Excellent communication skills (Interpersonal, Oral, Written)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Verify, and Impact
• Bi-lingual (English/Spanish) is preferred

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.