Family Defense Social Work Practice Young Parent’s Social Worker

The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks a passionate Master’s level Social Worker with a commitment to social justice to fill a position as a social worker in our Family Defense Practice working with parents fighting allegations of child abuse and neglect in Bronx County Family Court.

The Bronx Defenders is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system, and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. BxD seeks thoughtful, creative individuals with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff. Our staff of over 400 includes interdisciplinary teams made up of criminal, civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, benefits specialists, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators, who collaborate to provide holistic advocacy to address the causes and consequences of legal system involvement. Through this integrated team-based structure, we have developed a groundbreaking, nationally-recognized model of representation called holistic defense that achieves better outcomes for the people we defend.

Each year, we defend more than 20,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, family, and immigration cases, and reach thousands more through our community intake, youth mentoring, and outreach programs. Through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing, we push for systemic change at the local, state, and national level. We take what we learn from the people we represent and communities we work with and launch innovative initiatives designed to bring about real and lasting change.

Family Defense Practice

Bronx Defenders’ Family Defense Practice (FDP) provides legal representation and social work support to parents charged with child abuse and neglect who are at risk of losing custody of their children. Our Family Defense Practice is at the forefront of a movement to provide holistic representation to parents in the Bronx while creating long-term solutions for the reunification and stability of families.

Challenges Facing Young Parents

Family Defense Practice Attorneys primarily litigate abuse and neglect cases, but occasionally appear in concurrent matters including custody, visitation, and termination of parental rights. Within this range of cases, young parents age 24 and younger facing an Article 10 case, and especially parents that are in the foster system themselves experience unique complexities in family court cases.

Young parents face an often condescending and patronizing attitude from ACS and Bronx Family Court. Their age is an immutable fact that is seen negatively by ACS and Bronx Family Court. Young parents in the foster system also often have open voluntary neglect or adoption dockets where they are the subject child while simultaneously being prosecuted as parents for their own children. Similarly, young parents who were raised by the foster system, but are now living independently and facing an Article 10 case, are particularly vulnerable to having their upbringing and lack of resources used against them by the same state that ostensibly raised them.

For young parents, foster status brings additional barriers to reunification, such as when a teen is not in “placement” (“AWOL”) or not “compliant” with the additional surveillance and rules of the foster system. A system that is designed to see them as children in need of protection simultaneously sees them as unable to make parenting decisions and have independence over their own lives. For youth and teens in the foster system, they are asked to do the impossible: buy into the state’s mandated “service plan” where that system has often been the biggest source of trauma and violence in their own lives. Young parents in the foster system are often parenting in isolation because of the state’s severing of their own family ties. Additionally, young parents who spent time in the foster system are at considerable risk of having their privacy rights violated due to the sharing of information between foster agencies and ACS.

Responsibilities

The Young Parent’s Social Worker will equip FDP attorneys and advocates with specialized knowledge to ensure high-quality representation for young parents. This role will develop expertise on the rights of youth in the foster system, including Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA), housing priority, independent decision-making abilities and resources specific to parenting youth.

This role will support young parent cases with a focus on cases where the parent is in the foster system, assist in developing trainings and advocate best practices, and provide practice-wide resources.

Direct Representation of Young Parents

• Advocate for young parents in Bronx Family Court, Criminal Court, Child Protection Services (CPS) proceedings, and with community-based programs 
• Inform young parents about the Family Court process and assist them in overcoming barriers while navigating the system
• Provide support to young parents during court appearances and at community-based programs 
• Assist young parents in accessing appropriate resources and services to restore or maintain full parental rights
• Conduct supportive counseling, crisis intervention, and case management throughout the pendency of legal cases  
• Advocate for young parents at Child Safety Conferences and Family Team Conferences 
• Engage in oral advocacy with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), prosecutors, and other court and program staff
• Assist with review of behavioral, medical, education, and other records 
• Prepare young parents for court-related assessments
• Collaborate with external behavioral health experts to interpret external assessments
• Maintain case records in Bronx Defenders’ information case management system 
• Cultivate relationships with community programs and social services and benefits providers, and provide case management support and advocacy 
• Maintain a system to track outcomes with an eye towards minimizing the state’s ability to prosecute young parents

Training & Development

• Build relationships and institutional knowledge of resources and service providers specific to teens and young parents
• Conduct trainings on best practices for supporting young parents and parents that are in the foster system
• Develop strategies and defenses against the sharing of information across agencies about young parents who were raised or are living in the foster system
• Meet regularly with young parents in Article 10 cases to uplift their stories and leverage them for narrative change through communications and testimony
• Provide mentorship to junior advocates
• Supervise and train interns
• Collaborate with the Training Director to facilitate in-house trainings on matters related to representation of young parents
• Participate in trainings within the office as well as, on occasion, external community events, conferences and webinars in which BXD is participating or presenting

Qualifications

To be eligible, candidates must have:

• M.S.W. from an accredited School of Social Work

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Commitment to directly defending young parents accused of abuse and neglect by organizations such as the Administration for Children’s Service (ACS) and Child Protective Services (CPS)
• Experience working in and with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities targeted by carceral systems
• Understanding of how systemic oppression affects marginalized communities and their experience in the criminal legal system
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers, and external service providers
• Commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of the people we represent
• Effective written and verbal advocacy skills
• Knowledge of substance use disorder, domestic violence, parenting, and mental health systems
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with external partners and service providers
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources while advocating in legal cases
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
• Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
• Commitment to raising one’s cultural consciousness and challenging oppressive practices on an interpersonal and institutional level

Preferred, but not required:

• Experience representing young parents
• Spanish language proficiency
• Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI) Certification

This is an in-person position subject to BxD’s hybrid work policies.

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 1-10 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be approximately $82,574 to $111,240. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; and a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy. More specific information about salary and benefits will be provided when and if an offer is extended. 

Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO). This position is within the bargaining unit. 

This position is exempt. By law, non-exempt employees are compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to over-time, whereas exempt employees are not.