Educational Advocacy Specialist & Case Supervisor

Employer:    San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocate Program

Position:       Educational Advocacy Specialist & Case Supervisor

Status:          Full-time exempt; Hybrid Currently 50/50 In-Person/Remote*

Posted:         April 2022; open until filled

Organization Overview

The San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocate Program (SFCASA) recruits, trains and provides ongoing support to community volunteers serving as officers of the court to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the foster care system. Through sustained, personal attention, SFCASA creates positive change in children’s lives, providing children with hope, stability and opportunities to thrive in preparation for healthy, productive adult lives. More information can be found at www.sfcasa.org.

Position Overview

The Educational Advocacy Specialist & Case Supervisor has two primary responsibilities: oversight, development, and coordination of the volunteer court-appointed special advocate (CASA) Educational Advocacy Program; and supervision of a modified volunteer advocate case load. This position will also manage educational data collection and reporting and collaborate with development staff to fundraise for the Educational Advocacy Program. This position reports to the Program Manager. Qualified candidates must be available to complete core volunteer training, though may begin the position before doing so.**

* In-person/remote balance may change in response to needs of the position/organization

**Core volunteer training will take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm-9pm, July 19 – September 1, 2022. The training sessions will be hybrid 50/50 in-person/remote.

Responsibilities

Oversight, development, and coordination of the Educational Advocacy Program

• Oversee SFCASA’s Educational Advocacy Program and ensure program alignment with current educational information, California and federal state laws/policy and best practices pertaining to foster youth, juvenile justice involved youth and other vulnerable youth populations.
• Develop and promote key tenets of SFCASA’s youth-centered, rights- and strengths-based educational advocacy philosophy to be incorporated in SFCASA website and volunteer trainings and used to support SFCASA program team learning and development.
• Maintain, generate, and enhance education reports in program database and oversee program-wide educational data collection and reporting based on outcomes in SFCASA strategic plan.
• Collaborate with the Program Manager and Director of Programs to expand educational advocacy efforts to serve specialized youth populations, including special education, transition-age youth, juvenile justice-involved youth, unstably housed, undocumented youth and other vulnerable youth populations.
• Integrate up-to-date educational advocacy information and materials into core volunteer training curriculum and continuing education offerings; develop and deliver new curricula and continuing education trainings, as appropriate identify and partner with outside trainers to develop staff and volunteer advocate learning and disseminate relevant education-related updates.
• Identify volunteer CASAs who are appropriate candidates for the Educational Rights Holder (ERH) role and provide preliminary training, consultation to Case Supervisors, and record maintenance.
• Independently consult with SFCASA Case Supervisors, volunteer advocates and other relevant individuals (including but not limited to attorneys, social workers and parents/guardians) to review educational progress of individual client youth to provide counsel on educational issues, including technical guidance and advocacy strategies specific to educational services assessment requests, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 504 Plans, Functional Behavior Assessments, Behavior Improvement Plans, and school-based mental health services (e.g., Educationally Related Mental Health Services).
• Develop, maintain, and enhance education-based strategic partnerships on behalf of SFCASA, including acting as the primary organizational contact for school agencies and districts and representing SFCASA at relevant community educational meetings and/or workgroups
• Collaborate with the Program Manager, Director of Programs, Executive Director, Director of Development and Communications, Grant Writer and Data Specialist to design and implement Educational Advocacy Program metrics and continually enhance education related data collection and analysis as aligned with the organization’s strategic plan
• Collaborate with development team to identify funding opportunities, solicit funds and report on Educational Advocacy Program efforts, accomplishments, challenges and strategic opportunities via success stories, data and other information

Supervision, support and management of volunteer advocates and their assigned cases

• Maintain a modified volunteer advocate case load and keep organized, accurate and up-to-date case records in compliance with SFCASA protocols
• Support volunteer advocates in the completion of court-mandated duties
• Exercise discretion and independent judgment to assist advocates in creative problem solving, utilizing SFCASA and community resources and ensuring accuracy and consistency with dependency permanency planning law and best practices
• Facilitate and mediate relationships between advocates and professionals, family members, and others as needed
• Assess and strategically match advocates with cases in a timely manner
• Maintain monthly minimum contact with advocates, providing coaching and advice tailored to individual case and volunteer needs
• Identify and share information about specialized services and resources with advocates and staff
• Annually evaluate advocate performance in the fulfillment of their duties

Additional Responsibilities

• Demonstrate leadership in interactions with colleagues, including making contributions to the organization’s alignment of staff deliverables with strategic planning objectives
• Provide assistance with the recruitment, screening, and training of new advocates and the continuing education and retention of established advocates
• Establish and maintain effective, collegial working relationships with SFCASA staff, board and volunteers, as well as with representatives of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, San Francisco Unified School District, the dependency court attorney panel, education service providers, Foster Family Agencies, relative and non-relative caregivers and support team members, county social workers, juvenile probation officers, and other community service providers and entities
• Other duties as assigned; non-essential job duties, non-related responsibilities and other tasks as required by the Program Manager, Program Director, Executive Director and Agency may be assigned from time to time – SFCASA is a small non-profit organization requiring flexibility from its staff

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in education, social-service or legal related field (advanced degree preferred)
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in education, with a strong preference for ancillary experience in youth development, and/or volunteer management
• Demonstrated knowledge of general and special education services (early childhood, K-8, secondary and/or post-secondary) and the educational rights of children, youth and their parents/guardians
• Minimum of 3 years of demonstrated experience advocating for educational assessments, resources and legal support services (e.g., Individualized Education Programs, 504 Plans, Educationally Related Mental Health Services, school discipline) for a diverse population of vulnerable students
• Demonstrated enthusiasm, ability and initiative-taking to independently research and access knowledge, resources and opportunities in order to respond to changing client needs, legal requirements and best practices.
• A passion for youth-centered volunteerism
• Strong working knowledge of community resources and partners engaged in educational advocacy and policy work
• Deep commitment to engage and evaluate the impact of relationship-based advocacy through data integrity and continuous learning for SFCASA to ultimately improve experiences and outcomes for youth and young adults
• Must complete SFCASA Volunteer Advocate Core Training
• Must pass a comprehensive background check (after offer)
• Strong written communication skills (including editing skills) and excellent oral communication skills, including the ability to calmly evaluate and  make mindful, strategic decisions in emotionally-charged situations and in the absence of complete clarity
• Competence in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook programs and comfort learning new software programs required and demonstrated ability to utilize CRM/database programs for outcome measurement, with a strong preference for Salesforce experience
• Flexibility with hours, including some evenings and weekends, with an ability to independently manage one’s workload and schedule
• Demonstrated respect of all people regardless of socioeconomic background, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and disability and experience working with culturally diverse populations
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise diplomacy and discretion in communication with others, including taking a strengths-based approach
• Spanish-English bilingual and BIPOC candidates strongly encouraged to apply
• SFCASA is committed to centering and supporting the voices of former foster and juvenile justice involved youth
• Applicants with lived experiences of the dependency system, juvenile justice system and/or other system involvement, as well as individuals with extensive experience with system-involved youth, are highly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates should be prepared to provide a writing sample upon request and demonstrate technical educational advocacy knowledge and experiences

Salary & Benefits

Competitive salary based on experience. SFCASA offers a robust benefits package including health, dental and vision insurance; a 403(b) retirement savings fund; flexible spending plans for medical, dependent care, and commuter expenses; and generous vacation, sick leave and paid holidays. Employees in their first year accrue 15 vacation days and 12 sick days annually and receive 16 paid holidays per year, including their birthdays off.

To Apply

Send a cover letter, resume and 3 references in one PDF file via e-mail to resumes [at] sfcasa.org with “Educational Advocacy Specialist” in the subject line. Please, no phone calls or site visits. This position will remain open until filled; complete applications will be reviewed as they are received.

SFCASA is committed to workforce diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status. Qualified applicants will receive full consideration without regard to age, race, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status. SFCASA will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

San Francisco CASA is an equal opportunity employer.