Shante Farley

Experience

• 

  Georgia Department of Corrections

  Jul 2007 - Mar 2017

  Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment. Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, and help them to develop insight into themselves and their relationships. Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, and tests. Act as client advocates in order to coordinate required services or to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations. Evaluate clients' physical or mental condition based on review of client information. Meet with families, probation officers, police, and other interested parties in order to exchange necessary information during the treatment process. Refer patients, clients, or family members to community resources or to specialists as necessary. Counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting clients or patients. Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs and clients' progress in resolving identified problems and moving towards defined objectives. Plan, organize and lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation and social activities for clients. Modify treatment activities and approaches as needed in order to comply with changes in clients' status. Discuss with individual patients their plans for life after incarceration. Show less Developed goals and performance measures for counseling activities and programs. Supervised education department, medical staff, and multi-function officers in the provision of individual and group teaching and counseling for a caseload of clients. Utilized knowledge of legal and professional service standards for counseling programs and to train staff. Utilized knowledge of correctional practices applicable to counseling services to coach others in goal accomplishments. Utilized advanced interpersonal, communication, problem solving and decision-making skills to make decisions in absence of Warden. Supervised and oversaw medical, counseling, mental health, chaplaincy, education, and vocation departments. Served as the Grievance Coordinator and the Classification Committee Chairperson. Completed Care and Treatment portion of the COMPSTAT report. Served as the Facility Sex Offender Point of Contact. Provided information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by phone, written form, e-mail, or in person. Show less Directed treatment staff in evaluating, planning treatments, and delivering therapeutic services. Penned and explained policies pertaining to initial assignments of offenders. Communicated with various department heads to determine institutional needs for detail assignments. Conducted classification committee hearings according to schedule and ensures appropriate staffs are present. Worked with the appropriate staff to ensure all classification actions are recorded in the Offender Management System according to policies and procedures. Interviewed new offenders before the classification committee one week after their arrival and assigns to appropriate detail. Served as the Grievance Coordinator, TOPPSTEP Coordinator. Served as a member on the classification committee and refer inmates to the necessary programs, educational testing, vocational testing, etc. Knowledgeable of local, state, federal laws in reference to grievance policies and procedures. Reviewed Compas Case Plans, and assisted with the completion of COMPSTAT report. Served as the Facility Sex Offender Point of Contact. Performed case management, and conduct ongoing individual counseling and group sessions. Provided information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by phone, written form, e-mail, or in person. Show less Assisted Superintendent with problem solving and decision making. Supervised staff, provided leadership to subordinates. Provided professional counseling services to offenders. Facilitated orientation and assessed assigned offenders, developed individual program monitored progress in fulfilling program plans. Performed case management for assigned caseload. Serve on classification committee (segregation hearing), disciplinary advocate, and Specialist. Conducted orientation for all new arrivals to the institution. Completed the PAST TPM report, developed spreadsheets to maintain accountability of multiple tasks. Monitored event activities to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations. (Family Day and Graduation) Arranged for post-release services such as employment, housing, counseling, education, and/or social activities. Show less

  • Counselor

    Feb 2016 - Mar 2017

  • Deputy Warden

    Sept 2013 - Feb 2016

  • Chief Counselor

    Apr 2011 - Aug 2013

  • Counselor

    Oct 2009 - Apr 2011

  • Correctional Officer

    Jul 2007 - Oct 2009
• 

  Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice

  Mar 2017 - Apr 2020

  Volunteer Resource Coordinator

  Meet with and recruit volunteers to provide services ranging from faith based ministries, mentoring, and general services (GED lessons, piano lessons, Girl Scouts, resume writing, enhancing soft skills). Coordinate internal and external training and recruitment activities.Screen and review applications and interview applicants as required.Conduct background checks on applicants.Identify and participate in continuous improvement initiatives.Assist in organizing internal team building events and community event.Evaluate recruitment or selection criteria to ensure conformance to professional, statistical, or testing standards, recommending revisions, as needed.Establishes and maintains a positive working relationship with area business community, internal and external agency customers, and other related contacts.Manages volunteer and other community outreach programs.Respond to routine inquiries about the organization by answering questions or directing them to the appropriate party; researches answers to questions. Show less

• 

  Spectrum Health Systems, Inc.

  Apr 2019 - Mar 2021

  Substance Abuse Counselor

  As a Substance Abuse Counselor for Spectrum Health Systems, my job duties are as follows: Responsible for conducting group facilitation services for parolees and probationers who are referred to and/or, by court order, assigned to Substance Abuse Aftercare Services. Provide the highest quality of services to individuals seeking treatment for substance abuse and/or mental health issues. Assist our clients in achieving sobriety, sustaining recovery, and fulfilling personal goals in order that they may lead healthier, more productive lives. Show less

• 

  Georgia Department of Human Services

  May 2020 - now

  Supervises and plans work of assigned staff.Accesses and records client and community resource information. Collects evidence, interviews witnesses and prepares necessary reports according to rules and regulations, state and federal laws. Compiles records and prepares reports; performs follow-up to determine the status of client's case. Conducts home-visit evaluations for information gathering to be used in assessments. Coordinates and monitors children in out-of-home placements and in-home interventions. Coordinates and monitors services, including comprehensive tracking of client's activities. Develops case plans that effectively utilize community resources to meet the needs of individual custodial client.Identifies placement resources for children within the foster care system. Initiates the legal process for guardianship, protective services, placement and/or adoption. Maintains required documentation and completes reports. Makes immediate assessments regarding safety of clients and responds according to established protocols and policies. Performs initial investigations of protective services referrals to determine the appropriateness of protective services intervention. Reviews, approves/disapproves or renders decisions on casework being performed by staff. Works in collaboration with legal system to ensure safety ad achieve desired outcomes. Show less Initiate timely, face-to-face responses to screened-in reports of alleged child maltreatment and conducts assessments that identify and address safety concerns. Address identified safety concerns by immediately developing and implementing safety plans. Conduct diligent search efforts to locate the child/family when unable to make contact. Implement Solution Based Casework (SBC). Partner with child(ren) and parents in the development and utilization of the Family Functioning Agreement, Action Plan, and Family Plan to achieve desired individual and family-level outcomes. Complete genograms to identify available family support network. Collaborate with community partners to create systems of support for children and families. Ensure that frequency and quality of visits with children and families are adequate to ensure safety, permanency, and well-being. Identify the physical, educational, and mental/behavioral health needs of children, parents, and foster parents and ensures identified needs were effectively addressed. Establish permanency goals for the child(ren). Ensure foster care placements and/or living situations are stable and in the best interests of the child(ren) and are consistent with achieving established permanency goal(s). Make concerted efforts to achieve permanency for children in a timely manner and consistent with regulations contained in the Adoptions and Safe Families Act. Ensure that siblings in foster care are placed together unless a separation is necessary to meet the needs of one of the siblings. Maintain child's connections to his or her neighborhood, community, faith, extended family, tribe, school, and friends. Show less

  • Social Services Supervisor

    Jul 2021 - now

  • Social Services Specialist 2

    May 2020 - Jul 2021