Organization Overview

The Boston CASA Program recruits, trains and supervises volunteers from the [Greater Boston] community who are appointed as guardian ad litems (GALs) for court-involved abused or neglected children. The focus of these volunteers is to protect and promote the “Best Interest” of their child clients. The Boston CASA Program is designed to aid the court in making difficult decisions regarding the needs of children in foster care and to ensure that these needs are consistently met. Please visit our website at www.bostoncasa.org to learn more about the organization.

General Description

CASA is recruiting a full-time Advocate Supervisor to help train and supervise volunteer GALs whose primary function is advocating for the best interest of abused and neglected children living in foster care. Applicants should have a strong background in working with teenagers who are transitioning to adulthood, working with at-risk youth and young adults and strengthening families who have experienced trauma. The Advocate Supervisor will assist in volunteer selection and training facilitation. He/she will support the volunteer’s day-to-day work, including collaboration with the Department of Children and Families, the Juvenile Court and Children and Family Law attorneys. The Advocate Supervisor may also assist volunteers and youth with adulthood transition plans to be implemented by the youth and the

Qualifications

The Advocate Supervisor should have the following skills and experience:

 Bachelors or advanced degree in human services or social service-related field and two years of experience in child welfare.

 Previous experience in case management, youth development, volunteer coordination, supervision or training is desired.

 The ability to communicate with, supervise, and empower volunteers to be effective in their roles; experience supervising or working with volunteers preferred.

 Strong verbal and written communication skills.

 The ability to work cooperatively with different types of personalities and successfully manage conflict.

 Knowledge and understanding of issues and dynamics within families in crisis related to child abuse and neglect, such as mental illness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and poverty.

 Familiarity with or previous training in social justice competencies.

 Commitment to Boston CASA’s mission and goals.

 Willingness to adapt to new and changing responsibilities and working cooperatively as part of a team.

 Motivated self-starter who desires to be part of a dynamic, growing organization and wishes to contribute to its success.

Experience working within communities served by the Program, including, but not limited to (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan), strongly preferred.

Bi-lingual in Spanish, a plus.

Key Responsibilities

 Complete National CASA certification and training in CASA Manager (case tracking database used by the Program).

 Assist in the recruitment, screening, and training of new volunteers.

 Assist in keeping all advocate and case information up to date in CASA Manager.

 Help develop initial case plans with volunteers and ongoing strategies for advocacy.

 Review, edit and distribute volunteer court reports in a timely manner.

 Maintain case files.

 Attend court hearings and track court dates.

 Provide regular assistance and consultation to volunteers.

 Assist in the coordination and facilitation of in-service trainings for active volunteers.

 Attend conferences/seminars/meetings as requested by the Program Manager.

 Participate as a contributing member of the team bringing new ideas to the organization in order to support the   achievement of Boston CASA goals and mission.

 Must have a commitment to maintaining confidentiality.

 A commitment to working cooperatively with the families of the children served by Boston CASA.

 Other duties as assigned by the Program Manager.

Hours

The position is a 40 hour a week position with some evening and weekend commitments.

Salary and Benefits

Salary: 40,000 – 46,000 DOE; Health Insurance; 120 hours PTO annually.

Application Instructions

Please submit a cover letter and resume by Friday, March 4, 2016 to Lisa Caissie, Program Manager at lisa@bostoncasa.org.

First interviews will tentatively be held during the week of March 14, 2016 with final interviews being conducted the following two weeks.

Boston CASA is an EOE and is committed to maintaining diversity within its staff, Board, and Volunteers.