About the role

Child Advocate Manager overseeing child welfare representatives at Guardian ad Litem Office. Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to advocate for abused and neglected children in court proceedings.

Responsibilities

The Child Advocate Manager serves as the child welfare professional on the multi-disciplinary team and is responsible for overseeing a team of guardian ad litem volunteers for which they assign to serve on individual cases.
Collaborate with the Guardian ad Litem Office multidisciplinary team, management, Department of Children and Families, contracted service providers, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Education, Law Enforcement, etc.
Overseeing the work of Guardian ad Litem Office volunteers.
Gathering and documenting independent pertinent case information.
Providing best interests advocacy recommendations to the Guardian ad Litem Office multidisciplinary team, to the court and to our child welfare partners.
Preparing written reports to the court.
Provide testimony to the court.
Attending internal and external case-related court hearings, depositions, case plan conferences, dependency mediations, staffing’s and meetings.
Visiting and contacting assigned children, parents, caregivers, schools and service providers.
Utilizing the organization’s database and reporting systems.
Participating in internal and external training, meetings and conferences.

Must possess a valid Florida Driver’s License
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in sociology, social work, psychology, child development, education, juvenile justice, communications, or a related social science is preferred but prior experience will be considered to meet the degree requirement
Experience could include time as Child Protective Investigator, Dependency Case Manager, Juvenile Probation Officer, Law Enforcement, Military, Educators, or other professional experiences working with children and families.
Two years of experience in a program focusing on child welfare, social service, counseling, teaching, managing people or supervising volunteers is desired but not required.
Experience with critical decision making, planning, organizing, coaching, leading, or supervising will be helpful to a successful candidate.
All individuals hired after February 1, 2020, must be able to obtain a Child Advocate Manager Certification offered by the Florida Certification Board within 12 months of hire date.
Maintain Child Advocate Manager certification during the duration of employment.

State of Florida Retirement package – Pension or Investment plan (3% employee contribution required)
State group insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options
Flexible spending account
Nine paid state holidays each calendar year
One paid personal holiday each fiscal year
13 paid sick leave days accrued within the calendar year
13 paid annual leave days accrued within the calendar year with an increase after five years
Life insurance of $25,000 is provided by the state at no cost to you for all FTE positions. Employees may purchase additional coverage
Public Loan Forgiveness Program
State tuition waivers
Child Advocate Manager training and professional certification with the Florida Certification Board
No State of Florida income tax for residents of Florida
No mandatory night/weekend/holiday scheduled work