Social Worker/ Social Services Advocate
About The Position
The Defender Association of Philadelphia seeks a Social Worker/Social Service Advocate in its Child Advocacy Unit (CAU). The mission of Social Services in the CAU is twofold: to strengthen individuals, families, and communities by promoting safety, permanency, self-determination, and community engagement; and to collaborate with attorneys in protecting the legal rights of dependent children while promoting their best interest, stability, well-being, and positive outcomes. The primary focus of this position is to explore the dependency issues that warranted the child and their family to become court involved and provide ongoing assessment of the child’s physical, emotional, educational, and social needs. This position serves as an active partner in the Defender Association’s efforts to provide high quality, client centered legal representation to dependent clients who range in age from birth to 21 years, advocate in court for the delivery of effective community based services for our clients and their families, and develop an appropriate permanency plan for every child and youth.
Requirements
- BSW or BA/BS in related Human Services field
- Must be able to work with diverse client population
- Must have good organizational and collaborative skills
- Must be able to handle a number of tasks simultaneously
- Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Must be able to travel to various courtrooms, clients’ homes and other community placements local and non-local as needed
Nice To Haves
- MSW OR MA preferred in related Human Services field
Responsibilities
- Manage a caseload of 50 dependent children
- Conduct client assessments in their home and/or dependent placements to determine their physical, social, emotional, and educational and treatment needs.
- Contact clients, caregivers, and service providers to gather information relevant to the case in preparation for court proceedings.
- Actively participate in case related meetings to assure appropriate services are provided to clients.
- Prepare a written court report for each case in preparation for court that outlines each client’s progress in regard to placement, services received, education, medical needs, visitation with family, and progress of family members in meeting goals and objectives as outlined in the Single Case Plan.
- Establish and maintain rapport with attorney teammates on cases and discuss client needs and legal and social service recommendations throughout the life of each case and provide court support
- Connect and support clients with services and resources
- Attend weekly supervision meetings, team meeting as needed and unit trainings
Benefits
- Affordable medical care options plus employer paid vision, dental, life and long- term disability insurances
- 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually, in addition to all federal holidays
- Dedicated, separate sick leave policy alongside organizational programming to support your physical and mental health
- 10 weeks of paid parental leave
- Generous retirement savings plan with Employer Match
- Free Septa All Access Key card
- This role is represented by a union
- We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer
- Meaningful, mission-driven work within a supportive, learning-focused, and collaborative environment.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
