United Friends of the Children empowers current and former foster/justice involved youth on their journey to self-sufficiency through service-enriched programs, advocacy, and consistent relationships with a community of people who care.

Founded over 40 years ago, United Friends’ is a leading provider of youth development services to current and former foster youth in Los Angeles County. Through its housing and education programs, the organization has helped thousands of young people imagine and actualize their own dreams and futures. United Friends’ programs focus on commitment, trauma-informed care, and empowerment by prioritizing a whole-person-development approach. Through a Social Justice Positive Youth Development (SJPYD) model, we center building relationships with youth over an extended period to achieve greater outcomes. Around those relationships, United Friends wraps an array of supportive services to help youth successfully transition to adulthood. As a result of services, United Friends alumni have greater housing and economic stability, higher educational attainment and a stronger sense of community and emotional wellbeing.

Position Overview

Starting as early as the 6th grade and following students through college graduation, UFC’s Education Program forges trusting relationships with youth as they navigate some of life's most pivotal moments. By building relationships with youth over an extended period while focusing on the whole person development of youth in foster care through a Social Justice Positive Youth Development approach, United Friends’ programs focus on commitment, trauma-informed care, and empowerment.

The College Counselor on the TAY Empowerment in Education (E2) Team carries a caseload of up to 40 current and former foster youth and juvenile justice involved youth. The youth are enrolled in higher education institutions nationwide (including community college, University, and non-profit vocational school). Some youth are unenrolled but are preparing to enroll in a higher education program. Utilizing a Monday to Friday work schedule, the Counselor builds meaningful relationships with his/her/their youth to ensure they receive the best possible guidance and support as they journey through college and/or vocational school and as they continue to grow as young adults.

United Friends currently implements a hybrid work environment - schedule is determined at the discretion of management and the needs of the program and/or agency. This position will work full-time hours, Monday-Friday. As needed the College Counselor will travel to various locations throughout the Los Angeles metro area to provide on-site visits to foster youth, and occasionally to the main office in Downtown LA. Some evening, weekend, and overnight work is required.

Duties and responsibilities

Case Management/Coaching

Build collaborative relationships with up to 40 young adults that nurture socio-emotional development, self-advocacy skills, and academic and career success.
Providing individual coaching to transition-age youth that focuses on positive youth development, social justice, and academic and career success.
Engage youth in career planning activities and conversations to build job readiness skills.
Conduct bi-annual assessments and goal planning with youth to support with overall youth development, goal setting, and achieving youths’ goals.
Support youth in the successful completion of career development opportunities.
Maintain consistent and frequent communication with students on caseload via phone, videoconferencing, email, and in-person to uphold the relationship-based model of services.
Provide quality, timely educational case management to youth, utilizing United Friends’ database to document efforts.
Monitor and encourage students’ progress to support their completion of college degree requirements.
Refer youth to campus and community-based support services as needed.

Group Coaching and Events

Support in planning and facilitating group coaching sessions
Support in planning and coordinating workshops or other program events
Attend community-building events to establish and maintain relationships with youth.

Advocacy and Navigation

Engage college staff, social workers, ILP workers, and/or Probation Officers, with youth consent, in order to advocate for youth and support youth in maneuvering systems in which they are involved
Cultivate relationships with and serve as a liaison/advocate among community partners to increase awareness of youths’ needs and to support youth success
Connect youth to UFC supportive resources as needed and when appropriate, such as tutoring, financial assistance, etc.
Connect youth with internship and job opportunities.
Connect youth to other opportunities for Contribution and Social Action as they are offered within UFC, with UFC partners, or with other organizations

Program Support

Analyze caseload outcomes and trends and work with Education team to improve program model and service delivery.
Continually expand and update professional and technical knowledge within the education, foster care, and case management fields.
Participate in Team and Department Meetings

Other

Other duties as assigned.

General UFC Responsibilities

Act as a role model within the organization to uphold and implement UFC’s organizational values:
Embrace program evaluation that leads to excellence and impact
Build effective and empowering partnerships with the youth, community, and each other
Create a fun and exciting environment that inspires learning and innovation
Communicate openly, honestly and with humility across all groups
Work together as one organization
Staff hold a commitment to:
A culturally responsive Trauma-Informed Approach to our population and client centered advocacy
- Strong knowledge of the communities served and centralize this cultural understanding into the work.
- Support in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
- Evaluating the completeness, accuracy and relevance of data to determine information value and improve client services.

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in a related field
3+ years of relevant experience, including 2 or more years of case management and/or positive youth development experience
Demonstrated experience working with foster youth, probation youth, juvenile justice youth, Transition-Age Youth, and/or underserved college students
Commitment to social justice and the whole person development of youth
Establishes and cultivates respectful relationships with people from diverse backgrounds
Strong problem-solving and crisis intervention skills
Balances multiple competing priorities
Conveys thoughts and ideas clearly, listens well, communicates in a solution-oriented manner, and incorporates others’ views into work
Holds self-accountable, sets high expectations for self and others, works both independently and collaboratively and relates tasks to organizational values
Trauma-informed and client-centered advocacy
Understand the communities served and centralize this cultural understanding into the work
Passionate about United Friends’ mission
Must have valid California Driver’s License and an insured and reliable vehicle

Preferred Qualifications

An understanding of and sensitivity to issues concerning youth formerly in foster care
An understanding of and sensitivity to issues concerning youth who experienced the juvenile justice system.
Demonstrated success in maintaining relationships through technology (e.g., phone, email, social media)

Organization Overview