What is BF's staffing text line to accept/reject cases?
347-915-1112
Who are BF's staffing coordinators?
- Jamella Palma for BK, SI, & Queens (347-915-1112 ext 106)
- Petra Julien for Manhattan, BX, & Westchester (347-915-1112 ext 110)
What is a Service Coordinator (SC) and what is their role?
The SC coordinates service for the family. They are assigned to the family to 'connect the dots' by ensuring requests, services, resources, transitional programs etc are explained and secured for the family. Our staffers speak with several SCs daily (SCs that work for BF as well as SCs who work for other agencies). The SCs provide our staffers with case information so that they, in turn, seek out a provider like you who may be willing to provider a specific service for a child/family
What does SI/ABA/OT/PT/ST/FT/SW mean and what kind of certification/license do I need?
ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis: must be either a certified teacher (birth - 2nd grade, LMSW, or LCSW
SI- Special Instruction: must be either a certified teacher (birth - 2nd grade), LMSW, or LCSW
OT- Occupational Therapy: must be either an OTA or OT
PT- Physical Therapy: must be a PT
ST- Speech Therapy: must be either a ST or CFY
SW- Social Work: must be either LMSW or LCSW
FT- Family Therapy: can be any of the above certified/licensed professionals
For SW cases, what does the therapy consist of?
Please reach out to our Clinical Director, Dr. Loven Panaligan (lpanaligan.brightfuture@gmail.com) for specific guidance.
For FT cases, what does the therapy consist of?
Please reach out to our Clinical Director, Dr. Loven Panaligan (lpanaligan.brightfuture@gmail.com) for specific guidance.
How come the case is no longer available?
Cases are typically 'first come, first serve' meaning that another provider may have already requested the case or the SC for the case already staffed it with a different agency.
What can I do to increase my chance of securing a case?
1. Always respond as quick as possible to our staffer
2. Once our staffer calls you to give you the case details, call the parent immediately to secure a schedule with the parent.
3. Always inform our staffer whether or not you successfully secured a schedule with the parent.
What happens if the parent did not pick up the phone?
Leave a voicemail, follow-up with a text introducing yourself, and/or try calling again later. Always inform our staffer whether or not you were able to make contact with the parent. If the parent does not respond relatively soon, the staffer may be able to request/suggest a different number for the parent.
What happens if my schedule does not work out with the parent?
Let the parent know that another provider with their preferred schedule will contact them. Please provide our staffer with the parent's preferred schedule to better match a therapist for them. Also let our staffer know your preferred schedule so they may better match a case for you.
What if I have only a preferred area where I am able to work?
Please let our staffers know and they will attempt to accommodate/consider your preferred area.
What if a location is too far for me to commute/too far from my last case?
Always use Google Maps to check the distance and parking of an area prior to accepting a case. Once you are assigned a case, it is not acceptable to 'drop' the case because of commute/parking.
What if no cases are offered in my preferred area?
If there are currently no cases in your preferred area but you want a case right away, then it is best to accept a telehealth case or open up your area of preference. The wider your area of preference, the more likely you will have more cases offered and available to you.
What if the parent speaks a different language?
It is the parent's choice to decide if they'd like to work with a therapist who is able to speak their primary home language or not. If the parent's primary language is different from the therapist's primary language, but both parties are willing to 'make it work', please contact our Clinical Director, Dr. Loven, for further strategies on how to navigate therapy & embedded coaching.
What if I speak another language?
Please let our staffers know and they will mark it on your profile.
What if the parent prefers a therapist of a specific gender?
It is the parent's choice to decide if they'd like to work with a therapist of a specific gender.
Why was a higher rate offered for a particular case?
At times our staffers may offer higher rates for cases due to:
- specific schedule restrictions
- specific family requests
- specific language requests
- difficulty find parking in the area
- difficult area to travel to
- any reason that would make the case more difficult to staff
Can I ask for a higher rate for a particular case?
Our staffers *may* consider it only if they have no one else interested in the case or if, for some reason, there is a higher chance of 'losing' the case.
What basic information should I tell a parent when calling to secure a case?
Your introduction must include:
- your name
- your agency (BF)
- type of therapy you are offering
Example: Hi! May I please speak with ______? My name is Jaime Alleyne-Bermudez, an ABA therapist from Bright Future for the Children. Did you have a few moments to talk? I understood that your child is in need of ABA therapy for 10 hours per week, and I am calling to find out if we'd be able to work out a schedule together for the service.
IMPORTANT: If the case is a 'good fit', please inform the parent of the following:
- you must wait for your agency to provide you with the case authorization paperwork prior to starting any sessions
- they can expedite this by following up with their SC & requesting their SC to send the authorization to Bright Future
- you will call them back as soon as receive the authorization from BF to then schedule your first session with them
What misc information should I discuss with the parent prior to accepting to do the service?
If you have certain restrictions, allergies, sensitivities, etc, it is advisable that you ask parents if they have pets or anything that could pose an issue to your health/safety.
Should I schedule first session right away?
No. Never schedule or go in to have your first session until you are in receipt of your service authorization for the case AND review the 'start date' of that authorization. You can only start services as of the authorization's start date. Holding any sessions prior to the start date will be unbillable.
Notification of a service authorization is sent to your email by one of our casemanagers. If you accepted a case, please be on the 'lookout' for this email and check you spam folder too.
How long does it take for a service authorization to come in? What if its already been a few days? What if the parent calls me to start services but I haven't gotten the service authorization yet?
Timeline of paperwork/documentation varies greatly in early intervention. For service authorizations, they can sometimes come in immediately or sometimes take about 2 weeks.
It is strongly suggestions that you follow up with our staffers every few days to find out the status of a service authorization. All they can do is remind the family's SC to assign it to our agency. If the SC does not assign it to us, unfortunately there is not much we can do.
If the parent is calling you to find out why their is a delay, please inform them that BF is waiting for their SC to assign it to us. Encourage them to call their SC to urge their SC to assign the authorization to Bright Future.
How can I help ensure a case is secured for me after I spoke, introduced, and confirmed a schedule with the parent?
1. Always make sure you let our staffers know that you have accepted a case immediately (as they, in turn, need to inform the family's SC immediately)
2. Since our staffers will be offering you many cases that are serviced by external SCs (SCs who do not work for BF), it is very possible that the family's SC may have offered the case to other agencies in addition to BF. To ensure the SC does not mistakenly assign a different agency, it is highly advisable that you follow up with the parent every few days to remind them you look forward to starting service with their child as soon as their SC assigns the authorization paperwork to Bright Future
What if I want to transfer a case from a different agency to BF?
Please let our staffer know the details of the case. If you have the SC's information, the staffer will follow up with the SC to ensure they plan to assign your authorization to Bright Future. You are unable to start the case under Bright Future unless the SC assigns us the authorization. IMPORTANT - If you do not tell us about the case you are transferring, we may not know it is yours and may assign it to another therapist.
What if a parent asks me to become their therapist directly?
Please let our staffer know the details of the case. If the child is already in the EIP program, then either the parent can inform their SC to assign the authorization to Bright Future for we can call the SC directly to ensure they plan to assign the authorization to Bright Future. If the child is not already in the EIP program, additional steps may need to be taken. Call our staffer for further information.
What if a SC calls me to ask to take a case?
Please let our staffer know the details of the case. If you have the SC's information, the staffer will follow up with the SC to ensure they plan to assign your authorization to Bright Future. You are unable to start the case under Bright Future unless the SC assigns us the authorization. IMPORTANT - If you do not tell us about the case you are transferring, we may not know it is yours and may assign it to another therapist.
How can I actively get cases for myself?
Email brightfutureforthechildren@gmail.com to ask about our Outreach Representative program.