State Youth Ombudsman

State of Maryland•Baltimore City, MD

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Pursuant to Chapter 158 of the Acts of 2026 (House Bill 980 / Kanaiyah's Law), this high-level professional administrative and legal advocacy position serves as the State Foster Youth Ombudsman for youth experiencing out-of-home care statewide. Housed within the SSA Office of Family Advocacy, the incumbent operates with statutory independence to serve as a neutral, objective advocate for youth, caregivers, guardians, resource parents, and adoptive parents interacting with the Department of Human Services (DHS) and Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS). The primary purpose of this role is to enforce accountability and transparency within the state's child welfare infrastructure. The incumbent independently investigates complex complaints regarding the rights and safety of youth in out-of-home care, resolves systemic and individual service delivery gaps, interprets statutory obligations, and delivers executive-level recommendations directly to SSA and DHS leadership to drive statewide operational and policy improvements.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.
Six years of administrative staff or professional work.
Candidates may substitute 30 credit hours from an accredited college or university for each year up to four years of the required experience.
Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and two years of experience in administrative staff or professional work for the required experience.
Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master's degree from an accredited college or university for five years of the required experience.
Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer involving staff work related to the administration of rules, regulations, policy, procedures and processes, or overseeing or coordinating unit operations or functioning as a staff assistant to a higher ranking commissioned officer on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

Nice To Haves

One year of professional experience conducting legal analysis, providing legal representation, or collaborating with courts in child welfare, family law, or juvenile justice matters.
One year of experience preparing investigative reports, legal memoranda, policy analysis, and recommendations for executive leadership or government entities.
One year of experience representing or advocating for children, youth, and families involved in child welfare or juvenile justice systems.

Responsibilities

Executes all duties, investigations, and reporting mandates in strict accordance with the statutory requirements of House Bill 980 (Kanaiyah's Law).
Investigates complex, high-profile complaints and alleged violations concerning the rights, placement conditions, and safety of youth experiencing out-of-home care across all 24 Maryland jurisdictions.
Conducts Independent Fact-Finding Reviews to evaluate whether actions taken by LDSS or contractual providers conform to federal and state laws, COMAR regulations, SSA policies, and established child welfare practice standards.
Provides Authoritative Legal and Technical Expertise regarding child welfare, juvenile court jurisdiction, out-of-home placement restrictions (including the statutory ban on unlicensed settings), custody/guardianship matters, and due process appeal rights.
Establishes and Leads Statewide Outreach Strategies designed to inform youth in foster care, kinship caregivers, attorneys, and advocacy groups of the Ombudsman’s role, responsibilities, and mechanism for submitting direct complaints.
Engages Directly with Youth experiencing out-of-home care to ensure their voices, lived experiences, and rights actively inform SSA programmatic improvements and statutory recommendations.
Directs the Management and Tracking of the statewide Ombudsman case portfolio, ensuring precise, legally secure documentation of all inquiries, case activities, and final resolutions.
Performs Advanced Data and Trend Analysis to identify recurring systemic deficiencies, regional operational patterns, or gaps in service delivery that negatively impact youth stability.
Authors and Edits legally mandated annual, quarterly, and ad hoc public reports detailing Ombudsman activities, case statistics, compliance metrics, and actionable policy or statutory recommendations for the Secretary, the Governor, and the General Assembly.