Social Services Advocate - PDD Boston Central & PDD Boston Metro

Commonwealth of Massachusetts•Boston, MA

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the public defender agency of Massachusetts, is seeking applicants for full-time Social Services Advocates positions in our Boston Metro Office and the newly created Boston Central Office. As an integral part of the defense team, Social Service Advocates work closely with attorneys, investigators, and other key defense players to obtain the best possible legal and life outcomes for our clients. We fight for equal justice and human dignity by supporting our clients in achieving their legal and life goals. We zealously advocate for the rights of individuals and promote just public policy to protect the rights of all. CPCS is the state agency in Massachusetts responsible for providing an attorney when the state or federal constitution or a state statute requires the appointment of an attorney for a person who cannot afford to retain one. The agency provides representation in criminal, delinquency, youthful offender, family regulation, guardianship, mental health, sexually dangerous person, and sex offender registry cases, as well as in appeals and post-conviction and post-judgment proceedings related to those matters. The clients we represent are diverse across every context imaginable and bring many unique cultural dimensions to the matters we address. This reality creates a critical need for CPCS staff to be culturally competent and able to work well with people of different races, ethnicities, genders and/or sexual orientation identities, abilities, and limited English proficiency, among other protected characteristics. The Public Defender Division Boston Metro Office provides public defense services for Boston Municipal and District Courts and Superior Court in Suffolk County. The newly created Public Defender Division Boston Central Office provides public defense services for the Boston Municipal Court, Central and Charlestown Division, as well as the Superior Court in Suffolk County. Both offices are conveniently located in the downtown area of Boston. They are accessible by MBTA subway and buses, Amtrak Commuter Rail, and ferry services. The Boston offices share space with CPCS Administration, and other divisions and units on two floors of a modernized office building. Other amenities include restaurants, retail businesses, and historic landmarks. The Social Services Advocate works as part of a multidisciplinary legal defense team to provide zealous advocacy to adult criminal defendants in order to achieve the best possible legal and life outcomes. As part of the defense team, SSAs works collaboratively with attorneys, investigators, support staff, retained experts, law students and other interns. Working with the attorney on the pending legal case, the SSA helps identify the social and clinical issues that preceded arrest and those that may result from court involvement. The SSA must adhere to the rules of confidentiality under the attorney-client relationship. SSAs work under the supervision of the Social Services Advocate Director, with administrative direction provided by the Attorney in Charge. The SSA’s role includes bio-psychosocial interviewing and assessment, social history investigation, forensic case management, advocacy for clients within court, carceral, mental health, and social service systems, fostering family interactions and intervention, treatment and sentencing planning, report writing, testifying, and making direct connections between clients and programs. Social services intervention occurs at all stages of the court process, from the initial arraignment through resolution and post-conviction.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a social service field and one year of related experience, or an equivalent combination of skills, education, and experience
Must have access to insured, reliable and available transportation, and a valid MA driver’s license
Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely
Experience working with individuals and families of diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, educational, and economic backgrounds
Knowledge of social, psychological, environmental, economic, legal, and medical factors that influence behavior
Understanding of social structures and institutional barriers that cause disparities, such as systemic racism and poverty
Culturally appropriate skills in client interviewing, assessment, case management, and treatment planning
Knowledge of public and private social services systems and resources
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and persuasively orally and in writing
Proven ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within the office and the service provider community
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple clients and responsibilities
Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends to meet with clients, bring clients to programs, attend meetings, conduct collateral interviews, and handle emergencies

Nice To Haves

A Master’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology, or related field is strongly preferred
Please submit a writing sample with your application. Examples of writing samples include: redacted biopsychosocial assessment or client history, redacted clinical assessment, advocacy letter, or academic paper.
Knowledge of defense practice, the criminal legal system, and/or corrections is a plus
Bilingual abilities are a plus

Responsibilities

Maintaining close contact with clients over the duration of their case to build strong working relationships
Conducting both brief and in-depth interviews with clients respecting their individuality and with cultural humility to obtain client histories
connecting with and interviewing collateral contacts
Performing needs assessments, developing treatment or service plans, referring clients to service providers, and making direct connections between clients and programs
Gaining comprehensive knowledge of statewide and local programming and services, and working collaboratively with community-based services that support clients
Collaborating with defense counsel to develop defense strategies and dispositional options which demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of our clients’ whole lives
Preparing and presenting courtroom testimony to describe services and dispositional alternatives arranged for the client
Preparing detailed and persuasive written advocacy for sentencing and mitigation purposes
Advocating for clients in a client-directed practice to facilitate best possible outcomes
Other duties as assigned