Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison

Community Family Advocates•Pittsburgh, PA

21d

About The Position

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison for the Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF), serves as the principal strategic bridge between OCYF and the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Family Division and Orphan’s Court. Under the authority of the OCYF Deputy Director, this position leads cross-system strategy, policy development, quality assurance, and practice alignment to improve legal outcomes for children and families, reduce unnecessary court involvement, and ensure that OCYF’s legal positions are consistent, equitable, data-informed, and legally sound. This is a senior leadership role that combines systems reform, policy strategy, stakeholder convening, data oversight, and managerial responsibility. The position operates with substantial autonomy and represents OCYF in high-level legal and interagency forums.

Requirements

Master’s degree preferred in one of the following: Social Work (MSW), Public Administration (MPA), Public Policy (MPP), Law (JD), Criminal Justice or Related field
Bachelor’s degree required in Social Work, Sociology, Criminal Justice, or related field.
Minimum 7 years of experience in one or more of the following: Child welfare, Family court, Dependency law, Juvenile justice or Systems reform
Expertise in child welfare law and dependency court processes
Strong systems thinking and policy development skills
Ability to convene diverse stakeholders and resolve conflict
Experience using data to inform policy and practice
Commitment to equity and reducing racial disparities
Strong written and oral communication skills
Ability to manage staff and lead complex initiatives

Nice To Haves

Preferred experience with: Allegheny County Family Division, Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families or Program design, policy reform, or diversion models

Responsibilities

Lead and steward strategic partnerships with the Family Division, Orphan’s Court, County Solicitor, dependency attorneys, and community legal partners to align legal practice, reduce unnecessary court involvement, and improve permanency and safety outcomes for children and families.
Develop and propose pre-petition diversion models, alternative legal pathways, and policy reforms — including recommended legislative changes — to reduce system penetration and racial disproportionality in dependency filings.
Serve as OCYF’s primary representative in cross-system legal planning initiatives.
Design, implement, and maintain a countywide OCYF Court Presentation Model that standardizes how recommendations are developed, documented, and communicated to the Court via the County Solicitor in dependency, termination, and adoption cases.
Ensure all recommendations are evidence-informed, equity-centered, consistent across regions, legally defensible, and clearly tied to child safety and permanency outcomes
Lead the design, planning, and implementation of a Family Drug Court model for OCYF-involved families in Allegheny County Family Division.
Develop eligibility criteria, practice protocols, cross-agency agreements, and performance measures in collaboration with judicial and legal partners.
Oversee the development of a system to track entry into dependency, legal pathways, case duration, court outcomes, and racial and geographic disparities
Partner with DHS Analytics to produce quarterly reports for OCYF leadership and the Court.
Use data to inform policy recommendations and continuous quality improvement.
Lead cross-system coordination on dependency matters intersecting with Juvenile Delinquency, Custody, Paternity, Protection from Abuse, Criminal, Civil, and Magistrate Court
Develop written protocols to clarify roles, reduce duplication, and prevent conflicting court orders.
Develop and implement a countywide step-down framework for families exiting court supervision that connects them to prevention services, community supports, and voluntary services to reduce re-entry into the child welfare system.
Serve as a senior policy advisor to the DHS Executive Director, OCYF Deputy Director, and OCYF Assistant Deputy Director
Lead policy revisions related to Court practice, Permanency planning, Reasonable efforts findings, Family engagement and Legal risk management
Directly supervise and manage OCYF legal support staff, including Legal Liaison(s), SWAN Paralegal program and Court documentation team (if applicable)
Oversee performance evaluations, workload management, and professional development planning.
Serve as OCYF’s primary liaison to Assistant County Solicitors, KIDS Voice, Juvenile Law Project, Conflict Counsel, Public Defender, District Attorney and CASA
Convene quarterly cross-system meetings to resolve practice conflicts and align policy.
Lead Quality Assurance for all OCYF court-related work, including Petition quality, Permanency documentation, Reasonable efforts findings and Court compliance with timelines
Develop corrective action plans when gaps are identified.