Job Description

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the public defender agency for Massachusetts, is excited to announce the opening of a Transition Age Youth Office, a new initiative in the Children and Family Law Division “conflicts office,” the Family Justice Advocates. We are seeking a Peer Support Advocate who is committed to improving representation and advocacy for the specific issues young adults and transition age youth face when caught up in the family regulation system.

The Transition Age Youth Office will open as a fully remote office until office space is procured. The final office location is expected to be in Framingham but may be located in other Metro West or Greater Boston area locations.

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.

Our Values

Courage • Accountability • Respect • Excellence

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MISSION STATEMENT

CPCS is committed to protecting the fundamental constitutional and human rights of our assigned clients through zealous advocacy, community-oriented defense, and the fullness of excellent legal representation. We are dedicated to building and maintaining strong professional relationships, while striving to accept, listen to and respect the diverse circumstances of each client, as we dedicate ourselves to meeting their individual needs. It is our CPCS mission to achieve these goals, and in furtherance thereof, we embrace and endorse diversity, equity and inclusion as our core values as we maintain a steadfast commitment to: (1) Ensure that CPCS management and staff members represent a broad range of human differences and experience; (2) Provide a work climate that is respectful and supports success; and (3) Promote the dignity and well-being of all staff members. CPCS leadership is responsible for ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion. The ability to achieve these goals with any level of certainty is ultimately the responsibility of each member of the CPCS community.

AGENCY OVERVIEW

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.

OFFICE OVERVIEW

The Transition Age Youth (TAY) Office is a new advocacy unit that provides multidisciplinary support in matters involving transition age youth across the state. We aim to address the varied and complex needs of a vulnerable population. In addition to case support and training, the defense teams provide limited direct client representation.

The TAY Office promotes and supports attorneys to provide holistic and high-quality representation of transition age youth throughout the Commonwealth. Attorneys in the TAY Office focus their advocacy on Care and Protection cases for children ages 14-22 and their siblings, Children Requiring Assistance, and Permanency for Young Adult (PYA) cases where youth are in DCF’s continued responsibility pursuant to G.L. c. 119, § 23(f). This new office will be comprised of an Attorney in Charge, trial attorneys, a social worker, an administrative assistant, and a peer support advocate.

The Transition Age Youth office is part of Family Justice Advocates (FJA), CAFL’s “conflicts trial office.” FJA provides legal representation to children and indigent parents and guardians in family regulation cases in which (a) a CAFL staff attorney in a non-conflict office has been appointed to another party to the case or (b) a conflict of interest prevents CAFL staff attorneys in non-conflict offices from representing any party in the case.

The Transition Age Youth Office will open as a fully remote office until office space is procured. The final office location is expected to be in Framingham but may be located in other Metro West or Greater Boston area locations.

The Peer Support Advocate in the Transition Age Youth (TAY) office is a key member of the legal team. They will play a big part in improving the legal and life outcomes for youth leaving the family regulation system (e.g., foster care). The Peer Support Advocate will work with attorneys and the social worker to prepare a client’s case and get the best possible results.

Peer Support Advocates are people who have been through the system themselves as children or youth. They use their unique experience and perspective to support young people who are "aging out of the system.” They work as part of a team with attorneys and social workers to help youth transitioning out of the care of the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Using Peer Support Advocates helps to level the playing field and reduce the power imbalance between system-involved youth and state agencies.

The Peer Support Advocates in the TAY office will report to the Attorney in Charge of the TAY and will also attend regular supervision meetings with the Director of Social Work for the FJA as well as participate in statewide social work meetings and training sessions as scheduled.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the Peer Support Advocate position must have:

• Personal, lived experience as a child/youth in the child welfare system;
• At least one year of full-time work experience, or equivalent part-time experience, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and skills;
• Access to reliable transportation in order to travel to courts, clients, and other locations that are not easily accessible by public transportation; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

Candidates will only be considered if they have been separated from DCF for at least 1-year by the time of their start date.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

• Strongly committed to preserving, strengthening, and uplifting families;
• Strict adherence to confidentiality as part of the legal team;
• Ability to learn and work independently;
• Highly organized and attentive to deadlines;
• Commitment to self-reflection and to sharing lived experiences with clients in a compassionate, motivating, and relevant way;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to interact effectively with diverse colleagues at all levels of the agency, and the ability to work as an effective team member;
• Strong communication, organizational, and detail skills;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite; and,
• Foreign language skills are preferred.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Meeting with Trial Attorneys and Social Workers as a three-person team to discuss case assignments and develop plans to engage youth;
• Interacting frequently and consistently with youth through face-to-face meetings, home visits, phone calls, text messages, and emails depending on client availability and preference;
• Effectively sharing their personal story to connect, engage, and motivate youth;
• Researching, sharing, and helping access community resources for youth;
• Supporting youth at critical meetings and appointments;
• Working with youth on skill building, such as communication, scheduling, and advocating with service providers;
• Collaborating with other professionals serving the youth such as caseworkers and treatment providers while maintaining the appropriate level of confidentiality for a legal team;
• Updating information on any interactions with the client through the case management program, Zelly on a regular basis; and,
• Other duties as assigned.

EEO Statement

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran or military status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable federal and state statutes and organizational policies. Applicants who have questions about equal employment opportunity or who need reasonable accommodations can contact the Chief Human Resources Officer, Sandra DeBow-Huang, at sdebow@publiccounsel.net