Social Services Advocate PDD Boston
Social Services Advocate PDD Boston
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Job Description
********************ALL APPLICANTS MUST APPLY DIRECTLY THROUGH THE CPCS iCIMS WEBSITE. IF YOU APPLY THROUGH MASS CAREERS AND DO NOT COMPLETE THE CPCS iCIMS APPLICATION YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION. PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO APPLY (CUT AND PASTE INTO YOUR BROWSER IF THE EMBEDDED LINK DOES NOT WORK): Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services the public defender agency of Massachusetts is seeking applicants for a full-time Social Services Advocate position in our Boston Office. As an integral part of the defense team Social Service Advocates work closely with attorneys investigators and other key defense players to obtain the best possible legal and life outcomes for our clients.
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 equityand 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
CPCSis 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 Public Defender Division Boston Office provides public defense services for Suffolk County. The Boston Trial Unit is conveniently located in the downtown area of Boston. It is accessible by MBTA subway and buses Amtrak Commuter Rail and ferry services. The Boston Trial Unit shares space with CPCS Administration and other divisions and units on two floors of a modernized office building. Other amenities include restaurants retail businesses and historic landmarks.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Social Services Advocate works as part of a multidisciplinary legal defense team to provide zealous advocacy to adult criminal defendants in order to achieve the best possible legal and life outcomes. As part of the defense team SSAs works collaboratively with attorneys investigators support staff retained experts law students and other interns. Working with the attorney on the pending legal case the SSA helps identify the social and clinical issues that preceded arrest and those that may result from court involvement. The SSA must adhere to the rules of confidentiality under the attorney-client relationship. SSAs work under the supervision of the Social Services Advocate Director with administrative direction provided by the Attorney in Charge.
The SSAs role includes bio-psychosocial interviewing and assessment social history investigation forensic case management advocacy for clients within court carceral mental health and social service systems fostering family interactions and intervention treatment and sentencing planning report writing testifying and making direct connections between clients and programs. Social services intervention occurs at all stages of the court process from the initial arraignment through resolution and post-conviction.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Social Services Advocate responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Maintaining close contact with clients over the duration of their case to build strong working relationships;
- Conducting both brief and in-depth interviews with clients respecting their individuality and with cultural humility to obtain client histories; connecting with and interviewing collateral contacts;
- Performing needs assessments developing treatment or service plans referring clients to service providers and making direct connections between clients and programs;
- Gaining comprehensive knowledge of statewide and local programming and services and working collaboratively with community-based services that support clients;
- Collaborating with defense counsel to develop defense strategies and dispositional options which demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of our clients whole lives;
- Preparing and presenting courtroom testimony to describe services and dispositional alternatives arranged for the client;
- Preparing detailed and persuasive written advocacy for sentencing and mitigation purposes;
- Advocating for clients in a client-directed practice to facilitate best possible outcomes; and
- Other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelors degree in a social service field and one year of related experience or an equivalent combination of skills education and experience;
- Must have access to insured reliable and available transportation and a valid MA drivers license; and
- Access to home internet access sufficient to work remotely.
A Masters Degree in Social Work Psychology or related field is strongly preferred.
Please submit a writing sample along with your application.
QUALIFICATIONS/ SKILLS
- Experience working with individuals and families of diverse racial ethnic cultural educational and economic backgrounds;
- Knowledge of social psychological environmental economic legal and medical factors that influence behavior;
- Understanding of social structures and institutional barriers that cause disparities such as systemic racism and poverty;
- Culturally appropriate skills in client interviewing assessment case management and treatment planning;
- Knowledge of public and private social services systems and resources;
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and persuasively orally and in writing;
- Proven ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team;
- Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within the office and the service provider community;
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple clients and responsibilities;
- Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends to meet with clients bring clients to programs attend meetings conduct collateral interviews and handle emergencies;
- Knowledge of defense practice the criminal legal system and/or corrections is a plus; and
- Bilingual abilities are a plus.
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
********************ALL APPLICANTS MUST APPLY DIRECTLY THROUGH THE CPCS iCIMS WEBSITE. IF YOU APPLY THROUGH MASS CAREERS AND DO NOT COMPLETE THE CPCS iCIMS APPLICATION YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION. PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO APPLY (CUT AND PASTE INTO YOUR BROWSER IF THE EMBEDDED LINK DOES NOT WORK): us about a friend who might be interested in this job.All privacy rights will be protected.
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Employment Type
Full-Time
