Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Program Manager

Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Program Manager

The Company: Pathways Vermont provides community-based mental health services and collaborative learning that centers people as the experts of their own lives. We strengthen our communities and the system of care by elevating the voices of lived experience.

Pathways Vermont is committed to a diverse workplace that reflects the communities we serve and is particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people interested in providing supportive social services to Vermonters including people with military experience, individuals with disabilities, and people of color.

The Program: Pathways Vermont’s Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) team is an evidence-based forensic adaptation of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) with over 40 years of research and evaluation. FACT is recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to be a promising practice that blends criminogenic risk management, substance use and mental health management, with a focus on improving social determinants and health equity. The goals of FACT are to reduce return to incarceration; increase time spent in the community; increase the time in-between returns to incarceration; decrease frequency and intensity of violations; decrease criminogenic risk and needs; reduce victim violence contacts/harassments; increase engagement in treatment/healthcare plan; reduce utilization of crisis services and hospitalization; and improve social determinants (e.g., employment, stable housing, prosocial social connection).  This Chittenden County Based team will support 40-60 individuals under the supervision of the Department of Corrections in collaboration with Burlington Probation and Parole. 

The Role: The FACT Program Manager is a member of a modified Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) team. The team is interdisciplinary and composed of staff who provide flexible, compassionate, community based services to individuals under the supervision of the Vermont Department of Corrections.  The team ends homelessness and institutionalization for Vermonters while supporting health, wellness and community integration goals. The FACT Program Lead supervises direct service staff, cultivates and maintains local service partnerships, and ensures excellent service delivery to local participants. The Program Manager provides overall leadership and operational oversight for the FACT program and is accountable for program quality, staff performance and development, grant and contract compliance, service outcomes, fiscal stewardship, and fidelity to the FACT model.

Working in collaboration with agency leadership, DOC, DMH, Housing First, funders, and community partners, the Program Manager establishes program priorities, resolves operational challenges, and ensures services are delivered consistently with Pathways Vermont’s mission, values, contractual requirements, and practice standards.

Available Positions: 1

Location: In-Person (Chittenden County. This position is based out of an office in Burlington, VT)

Schedule: Full-Time (35-40 Hours Weekly)

Supervised by: Director of Innovative Mental Health Services

Application Requirements:

A Cover Letter and Resume are required with your application.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the day-to-day program operations of the FACT team, including the internal team, relationships with clients, Housing First shared clients, and DOC/DMH program contacts.

• Hold primary responsibility for the quality, effectiveness, consistency, and sustainability of the FACT program.

• Develop, implement, and regularly evaluate annual program goals, priorities, work plans, and performance measures.

• Manage the FACT grant, including collaboration with Pathways agency staff to complete grant reports and present information at quarterly partnership meetings.

• Ensure compliance with grant, contract, Medicaid, documentation, confidentiality, incident-reporting, and other applicable program requirements.

• Manage the FACT program budget in collaboration with Finance and agency leadership, including monitoring expenditures, approving program expenses, identifying variances, and supporting annual budget development.

• Provide oversight and approval of incident reporting internally and to external parties, if applicable.

• Assess operational, safety, staffing, and service-delivery risks and develop or recommend appropriate responses.

• Maintain program policies and procedures and participate in the review, creation, and updating of agency policies.

• Lead the development, implementation, and regular review of FACT-specific policies, procedures, practice standards, and continuity-of-operations plans.

• Supervise members of the FACT team, including conducting weekly one-on-one supervision.

• Establish clear performance expectations, provide coaching and corrective feedback, complete performance evaluations, support professional development, and address performance concerns in collaboration with Human Resources.

• Make recommendations regarding hiring, promotion, compensation, corrective action, and termination in accordance with agency policies and applicable collective bargaining agreements.

• Hire and train for positions on the FACT team, including but not limited to a Service Coordinator, Forensic Peer Support Specialist, Supported Employment Specialist, Substance Use Specialist, and Nurse.

• Develop staffing structures, schedules, workflows, and coverage plans that support participant needs, employee sustainability, contractual requirements, and program outcomes.

• Engage in relationship and rapport building with clients and provide services from a choice perspective, as well as client-centered, harm- and risk-reduction, and strengths-based approaches.

• Facilitate daily FACT team meetings and participate in and oversee day-to-day operations of the team, including supporting staff and client scheduling to ensure appropriate coverage.

• Set team priorities, delegate responsibilities, support interdisciplinary decision-making, and ensure timely follow-through on identified participant and program needs.

• Identify and/or deliver training in conjunction with FACT team members to address the learning needs of staff, including crisis intervention and co-occurring disorders.

• Develop and oversee staff onboarding, ongoing training, coaching, and professional-development plans.

• Participate in and represent Pathways at community meetings, including regular monthly meetings with DOC FACT probation officers and other community partners.

• Serve as the primary operational contact for DOC, DMH, funders, Housing First leadership, and other key program partners.

• Represent the FACT program in agency leadership, planning, quality-assurance, and cross-program meetings.

• Build and maintain relationships with community partners to strengthen service coordination, address system barriers, and advance program goals.

• Provide direct services to persons enrolled in the FACT Program, including one-to-one support in the community related to life skills, substance use, mental health, and maintaining compliance with DOC.

• Provide direct participant support as needed to maintain engagement, address urgent program needs, model effective practice, and support continuity of services. The Program Manager does not ordinarily maintain a full direct-service caseload.

• Support the FACT Service Coordinator in the formulation and maintenance of comprehensive, Medicaid-compliant service plans that are reviewed and modified with clients at intake and on a regular basis.

• Support the review of clients’ status to plan and coordinate support activities accordingly.

• Assist clients with referrals to community agencies to ensure they have full access to services and resources they require, including entitlements, benefits, advocacy, and substance-use services.

• Coordinate and monitor referrals to community services, benefits, and entitlements; manage contacts with outside agencies; act as client liaison where indicated; and support clients’ self-advocacy and access to needed or preferred resources.

• Develop a working knowledge of relevant community resources in Chittenden County and demonstrate a willingness to explore new or unfamiliar resources as necessary.

• Maintain written and computerized records, compile reports, and complete other program documentation, including service notes, face sheets, statistics, letters, and petty-cash receipts.

• Monitor documentation quality, service utilization, participant outcomes, program data, and fidelity measures.

• Identify areas requiring improvement and develop, implement, and monitor quality-improvement or corrective-action plans.

• Complete administrative functions supporting FACT team members, including mileage, timesheets, reimbursement requests, petty cash, annual evaluations, and leave approval.

• Assure fidelity to the FACT model is followed.

• Regularly assess program fidelity and translate fidelity findings into concrete operational and staff-development priorities.

• Provide data and narratives for written reports as requested by city, state, or federal funding sources.

• Support the development of funding proposals, grant renewals, presentations, and other materials necessary to sustain, strengthen, or expand the program.

• Provide the Director of Innovative Mental Health Services with regular updates regarding program performance, staffing, risks, outcomes, fiscal status, and emerging needs.

• Bring recommendations regarding staffing, resources, policy, partnerships, and service-delivery changes to agency leadership.

• Regular attendance is a requirement of the position.

• Other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions/Physical Demands:

• Frequent exposure to outside environmental conditions for community-based meetings

• Often meeting with persons in the community and/or visiting different businesses

• Often meeting with clients in institutional settings such as correctional facilities and/or psychiatric hospitals 

• Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction at times when collecting paperwork, assisting with applications, etc.

• Extensive reading responsibilities

• Ability to ascend and descend stairs occasionally required (in instances when apartments, businesses and/or meeting places do not have an elevator)

• Regular operation of a computer and other office machinery,  including frequent typing

• Grasping. Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm such as stapling, completing hand-written forms, etc.

• Frequent talking and listening in participation of exchanging ideas through spoken word and occasional receipt and giving of detailed information through oral communication at normal speaking levels.

• Occasionally lifting and carrying up to 30 pounds, occasionally exerting up to 20 pounds of force and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently (opening doors at meeting places/businesses, etc.)

• Visual acuity to operate motor vehicles

• Exposure to high levels of noise and persons who are upset, angry or in an extreme state

Requirements:

• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to Pathways’ mission

• Human Services supervisory experience preferred

• Patience, creativity, flexibility, compassion, and sensitivity to diverse populations including people of color, persons with disabilities, individuals who have experienced trauma, and persons who have been oppressed

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment serving a population with complex needs

• Works under limited supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and 

independent judgment within Pathways Vermont standards.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills - the ability to network with area service providers, funders, and community stakeholders

• Excellent organizational skills

• Valid driver’s license, a reliable personal vehicle available for work purposes and current automobile insurance

• Lived experience of having been incarcerated, under supervision and/or in the criminal justice system will be considered a strong asset

• Personal experience of homelessness, mental health, incarceration, extreme states or other life challenges are considered an asset

Benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance

• Long Term Disability/Life Insurance

• Paid Time Off (accrual of 210 hours per year to start)

• 9 Paid Holidays Annually

• 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan

• Employee Assistance Program

• Longevity Recognition Rewards

• Access to a wide variety of Pathways facilitated trainings including Intentional Peer Support

Compensation:

• Full time, non-exempt hourly employee

• 35-40 hours per week

• Hourly range: $28-$30

It is the policy of Pathways Vermont that all employees and applicants shall receive equal consideration and treatment in employment without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, veteran status, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identification, or disability.