WRCAC Mental Health Specialist (Coordinator, Social Worker - Grants) - Evidence Based Practices

Job Title: Coordinator, Social Worker - Grants (WRCAC Mental Health Specialist) 

Position Status: Full-time (1.0 FTE), Exempt  

Reports to:  WRCAC Program Manager 

Location:  Remote 

WRCAC Mental Health Specialist  

Each year, more than 300,000 children across the United States find hope and healing through the trauma-informed services of Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). The Western Regional Children’s Advocacy Center (WRCAC) serves as a regional leader in training, technical assistance, and resource development to strengthen multidisciplinary responses to child abuse and neglect. Through strong partnerships, WRCAC supports state chapters, CACs, and multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) in advancing trauma-informed, effective, and evidence-informed practices. To support this work, we are seeking a Mental Health Specialist to join our training and technical assistance team and help expand access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health practices across the region. 

This position provides support and takes the lead on a range of complex activities related to the specific grant's goals and scope of work. This position plays a key role in developing collaborative relationships with strategic external individuals and organizations often on the state or national level. They will provide training and technical assistance and advocate on a state and national level on practices informed by the available research related to prevention and/or intervention. They also participate in creating key products and/or written materials related to grant deliverables and works with others on the team to meet reporting and monitoring requirements and grant required deadlines. This individual assists in planning, organizing and facilitating large-scale meetings and conferences with community, state and national stakeholders. It is expected that this individual will have advanced content expertise and will demonstrate the ability to communicate that expertise across multiple platforms, including public-speaking and collaborative partnerships on a local, state and national level.

About WRCAC  

WRCAC is one of four regional training and technical assistance centers funded by the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support the growth and development of children’s advocacy centers (CACs), children’s justice centers (CJCs), multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) and State chapters in the thirteen western states that comprise the western region. Since October 2016, WRCAC has operated as a project of the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s Hospital - San Diego.  

WRCAC partners with agencies funded through the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA), including Children’s Minnesota (Midwest RCAC), Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (Northeast RCAC), the National Children’s Advocacy Center (Southern RCAC), National Native Children’s Trauma Center (Native Child Advocacy Resource Center), National Children’s Alliance, and Zero Abuse Project. 

The WRCAC team includes the Project Director, four Training Specialists (including the Mental Health Specialist), a Training and Communications Coordinator, and a Communications and Quality Assurance Specialist. Together, they work closely with partners to deliver high-quality training and technical assistance to CACs and MDTs across the region and nationwide. 

 For more information about WRCAC, please visit www.westernregionalcac.org. 

More about the role 

The Mental Health Specialist will lead our mental health initiatives; providing training and technical assistance to State chapters and CAC/MDT professionals. This open position will manage a portfolio of work that includes supporting State chapters in the development of best practice mental health services in their states, to promote the utilization of telemental health (TMH), and to help address barriers to mental health and TMH implementation at the CAC and clinician level. The position includes managing WRCAC’s Telemental Health Resource Center. 

In general, the roles and responsibilities of the Mental Health Specialist are as follows.  

• Build and maintain strong relationships with chapter leaders and staff 

• Facilitate peer learning forums for clinicians, CAC professionals or Chapter Leaders  

• Design and deliver virtual trainings, conference workshop presentations 

• Provide technical assistance to CAC professionals and Chapters proactively (based on our grant deliverables) and in response to requests for assistance 

• Draft written documents and resources such as, issue briefs, newsletter articles, and project updates 

• Represent WRCAC, and at times lead, collaborative projects and workgroups involving other RCACs and VOCAA partners 

• Track trainings, TA activities, project efforts, and related performance measures through Salesforce 

• Serve as a content expert on mental health issues related to MDTs, CACs and Chapters 

• Participate in continuing education to ensure knowledge and skills needed to help Chapters support strong MDTs and CACs   

• Additional responsibilities as assigned 

Skills and Experience

• Experience working within a CAC, state chapter, regional CAC, or as a member of an MDT partner agency responding to child abuse; candidates with clinical experience are strongly preferred. 

• Extensive knowledge of the MDT/CAC model, and related NCA accreditation standards, for responding to child abuse 

• Knowledge of telemental health, evidence-based treatment and assessment for children and trauma, and other topics such as victim advocacy, trauma-informed care, resiliency and secondary traumatic stress 

• Exceptional project management skills and ability to balance multiple deliverables and follow through on projects within set timeframes 

• Strong organizational skills with high levels of attention to detail 

• Exceptional written, verbal and interpersonal skills, including meeting facilitation skills, public speaking, and diplomacy 

• Self-starter with ability to work independently and as a team member (through a telework arrangement) 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and capacity to learn new applications quickly 

• Proficiency in using web-based applications for virtual training and meetings (such as Zoom) 

• Ability and willingness to travel 

Education, Licenses, and Certificates 

• Master’s Degree (Preferred) 

• Licensed Social Worker (Preferred) 

• Marriage and Family Therapist (Preferred) 

• Marriage, Family & Child Couns (Preferred) 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

3 years of experience

A bachelor's degree in social services or related area

Established expertise in area covered by grant

Experience in Social Work, Psychology or other behavioral sciences and best practices for serving traumatized children and families

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Master's Degree

4 years of experience

Licensed Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist or Marriage, Family & Child Counselor

Previous experience in administrative social work and grants coordination

Location  

This position is based remotely through a telework arrangement from a home office. This position is expected to travel (within and outside the western region) approximately 6 to 8 times per year. The selected candidate must have a current driver’s license and have easy access to a major airport. 

How to Apply 

Visit Careers at Rady Children’s Health and search Job Code 100628 to apply. Please email wrcac@rchsd.org for more information or for assistance in applying. 

This position is casual grant-funded position through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) through September 30, 2026, and will renew upon receipt of continued funding by DOJ. 

The current salary range for this position is $30.96 to $42.57

Rady Children’s Hospital is committed to compensation that is externally competitive and internally equitable. We demonstrate this commitment by conducting regular market reviews to remain competitive with organizations of similar size in the nonprofit, healthcare sector. The range listed above does not represent the full salary range for the position but is the expected hiring range for qualified candidates. Compensation decisions consider a variety of factors including experience, education, licensure, unique skillsets, organizational need, and internal equity. This posting will remain open from the “date posted” until the hiring manager has determined there is a sufficient applicant pool or until the position is filled.