Social Service Advocate, Defender Association of Philadelphia

Posted by on March 27, 2011

SOCIAL WORKER/SOCIAL SERVICE ADVOCATE–CHILD ADVOCACY UNIT

Posted on: March 17, 2011

Posted by: Defender Association of Philadelphia

Child Advocacy Unit–Social Worker/Social Service Advocate
The position involves assessment, service procurement and case management of an individual caseload of approximately 150 clients who are involved in pending dependent litigation. The candidate will conduct home and agency visits, testify in dependent court proceedings and write recommendations to be used in court proceedings and should possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.

The work provides active involvement with clients throughout the legal process, which includes consultations with attorneys, therapists, Department of Human Services (DHS) social workers, placement agencies, family and other support systems (beginning some time shortly after the Child Advocacy Unit’s appointment and ending at the point of discharge from dependency court).

Requirements
– BSW or BA/BS in related Human Services field;
– MSW OR MA preferred in related Human Services field;
– Must be able to work with diverse client population;
– Must be able to work well with others;
– Must have good organizational skills;
– Must be able to handle a number of tasks simultaneously;
– Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills.

– Conduct client assessments in their home and/or dependent placements to determine their physical, social, emotional, educational and treatment needs;
– Negotiate with family and community resources to service the needs of clients;
– Provide court testimony on behalf of clients when needed;
– Maintain well documented and dated files on all clients;
– Maintain a high level of collaboration with assigned and list attorneys to assure effective representation of clients;
– Collect hospital, school, placement agency and DHS records when necessary to assure effective representation of clients;
– Attend Family Service Plan (FSP) meetings and agency treatment planning to assure appropriate services are provided to clients;
– Utilize supervision to review and develop effective casework strategies;
– Participate in staff meetings;
– Other responsibilities as dictated by the needs of the clients and determined by the Director of Social Service and the Chief of the Child Advocacy Unit.

Submit Resume and Cover Letter to Human Resources, Defender Association of Philadelphia, 1441 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, fax to (215) 988-0208 or e-mail resume to hr@philadefender.org