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 Social Worker who will be part of a multidisciplinary team, 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 specialist.

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 Social Worker in the Transition Age Youth office is an integral member of the legal team and will play a significant role in improving both the legal and life outcomes for youth exiting family regulation system. The TAY office, led by the Attorney in Charge, zealously represents and advocates for clients. The Social Worker partners with attorneys and other team members to prepare a client’s case and to get the best possible outcome for the client. Social work intervention occurs at all stages of both the court and advocacy process.

The Social Worker in the TAY will be expected to participate in regular supervision/meetings with the Director of Social Work for the Family Justice Advocates participate in statewide social work meetings and trainings, as scheduled. The Social Worker will report to the Attorney in Charge of the TAY.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, or other related degree, and one year of related experience, or an equivalent combination of skills, education, and experience;
• Experience working with adolescents and families, preferably in an outreach capacity;
• Insured, reliable, and available transportation, and a valid MA driver’s license; and,
• Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.

An ideal candidate will have a MSW/MA and a Massachusetts LCSW/LICSW, LMHC or LMFT license.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS

In addition, candidates will have:

• A commitment to serving a culturally diverse, low-income population;
• A commitment to fighting the racial and ethnic disparities in the family regulation system;
• Experience related to and knowledge of clinical issues regarding transition age youth, emerging adults, family separation, foster care, substance abuse, domestic violence, and related fields;
• Experience in the field of adolescence and child welfare;
• Knowledge of social, psychological, medical, economic, and legal factors that influence behavior;
• Skills and experience in interviewing clients, assessing their needs, case management, and service planning;
• Good organizational skills and the ability to track and monitor individual client cases;
• Skills and experience in interacting with persons of various social, racial, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds;
• Knowledge of public and private social services systems and programs;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and persuasively, both orally and in writing;
• Proven ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently; and,
• Foreign language skills a plus.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

Social Worker responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Visiting and interviewing adolescents, young adults, and their sibling clients, including home visits;
• Advocating for clients in a client-directed practice ;
• Performing needs assessments, developing service plans, referring clients to service providers, and making direct connections between clients and programs;
• Developing linkages with local government agencies and service providers;
• Helping attorneys and clients prepare for litigation;
• Advocating with DCF and other providers for appropriate services for clients and other family members;
• Providing social work perspective in the development of TAY practice materials, trainings, and support tools;
• Providing case consultation to legal defense teams; 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