East Bay Family Defenders seeks a brave, compassionate, self-reflective Parent Advocate with relevant lived experience in the child welfare system who wishes to work within a legal defense team on behalf of parents threatened with the loss of their children to foster care.
East Bay Family Defenders (EBFD) will be opening our doors to clients on September 1,2018. Our mission is to keep families together and minimize the time children spend in foster care. We seek staff to join us by mid-August to build a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary family defense practice. We will provide innovative legal defense, social work support, and peer mentorship to all parents facing child welfare intervention in Alameda County who cannot afford to hire counsel. We will advocate for systemic change in Alameda County Juvenile Court and the local child welfare system to reduce system intervention in families and promote community-based preventive resources and restorative solutions that meaningfully strengthen families.
The Alameda County Juvenile Dependency Court will appoint our Staff Attorneys to represent parents in cases filed against them by the filed by the Department of Children and Family Services. Parents in these cases face allegations of child maltreatment, ranging from neglect to abuse. Our interdisciplinary teams provide dedicated, zealous client-directed legal defense while addressing underlying issues that brought the family into the child welfare system. We promote interdisciplinary collaboration within our staff and value diverse experience that equips staff for delivering the highest quality of representation to our clients. We will partner with a robust network of community-based providers and allied advocates, drawing upon their expertise to
address families’ complex needs.
JOB DESCRIPTION
This full-time Parent Advocate will be a founding staff member of East Bay Family Defenders, and will have great influence over the development of our growing interdisciplinary staffing. The Parent Advocate is a community professional with personal lived experience successfully navigating the child welfare system. The Parent Advocate has the skills, knowledge, and professionalism to work within an interdisciplinary team. The Parent Advocate and Social Work staff will collaboratively advocate for parents alongside EBFD Attorneys in our client-directed model. This will
entail advocating for clients in and outside of court, with the Department of Children and Family Services, and with service providers as needed. The Parent Advocate will provide guidance and advocacy to parents facing drug and alcohol addiction who, as a result, have had their children removed or are at risk of having their children removed by the Alameda County Department of Children and Family Services.
Roles and responsibilities include: participation in weekly individual and team supervision; participation in ongoing training and professional development; establishing, maintaining and documenting contact with clients; providing assistance to clients accessing needed services; attending meetings with clients; interfacing with service providers to proactively address challenges; supporting parent/child visits; conducting home visits as needed; and supporting clients at court hearings.
The Parent Advocate may also participate in systemic advocacy, outreach and community events, and engage in coalition-building efforts with community-based agencies. The Parent Advocate is expected to maintain updated case data and client contact documentation according to EBFD Program Guidelines.
QUALIFICATIONS
● Successfully completed Family Reunification with the Alameda County
● Department of Children & Family Services
● Prior dependency case that has been dismissed
● Experience with addiction and recovery
● Experience with community based social services
● Ability to engage with families from diverse communities
● Bilingual skills preferred
● Valid CA driver’s license
● Reliable transportation and proof of insurance
● Experience working with individuals from multi-ethnic communities
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging between $45,000 to $60,000. Competitive benefits package will include health, dental and vision coverage and generous paid time off.
HOW TO APPLY
Please email a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until positions filled.
East Bay Family Defenders is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in access and inclusion of multiple dimensions of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, and disability. We are committed to implementing equitable practices and promoting diversity at all levels of our organization.