ASSISTANT CHILD ADVOCATE MANAGER

Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners • Tampa, FL

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Child Advocate Manager position offers an extremely interesting and challenging, entry-level opportunity for job-seekers engaged in a career of social work and family service. It provides a great venue for increased professional growth and personal development. The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office is Florida’s award-winning, state-funded child advocacy organization that provides independent legal representation to abused, abandoned and neglected children in Florida’s dependency court proceedings. The Office assigns a multi-disciplinary team which is comprised of a guardian ad litem attorney, a child welfare professional, and hopefully a community volunteer or pro bono attorney, to represent each child the Office is court appointed to.

Requirements

• Must possess a valid Florida Driver’s License
• Associates degree from an accredited college or university with a major in sociology, social work, psychology, child development, education, juvenile justice, communications, or a related social science.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of the dependency system and one year of experience in a program focusing on child welfare, social service, counseling, preferred
• Self-motivated and achievement oriented
• Ability to take direction and work cooperatively as part of a team
• Strong desire to learn and pursue personal development
• Ability to effectively interact with and/or influence people of diverse backgrounds
• Ability to exercise discretion, respect privacy and maintain confidentiality
• Strong organizational/time management skills and ability to meet deadlines
• Excellent oral, writing and computer literacy skills
• Able to maintain a professional and effective demeanor in emotional or traumatic situations
• Knowledge of case management, social support services and concepts of child development
• Knowledge of the dynamics of child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health
• Knowledge of the Florida State Courts System
• Knowledge of Florida Statutes relating to child welfare and protection

Responsibilities

• Visiting children and youth in foster care or group care and assessing their safety and well-being
• Working with a local team or staff in other circuits to convey information about a child’s progress, verbally or in writing
• Contacting children, caregivers and service providers in other judicial circuits to determine progress of children placed outside their home circuit
• Gathering and documenting pertinent case information
• Providing recommendations and written reports to members of the advocacy team
• Tracking the status of case plan compliance, updating and retrieving files
• Conducting collateral contacts with schools, caregivers and service providers
• Attending internal and external case-related conferences, staffings and meetings
• Making regular contact with a variety of social service agencies and professionals
• Utilizing the organization’s database and reporting systems
• Participating in internal and external training, meetings and conferences

Benefits

• Paid holidays each calendar year
• Two paid personal holidays each fiscal year
• Paid sick leave days accrued within the calendar year
• Paid annual leave days accrued within the calendar year
• Multiple options for health care benefits
• FRS Benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Child Advocate Manager training and professional certification with the Florida Certification Board

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree