Parent Advocate- Family Defense Practice (Queens)

Description

About CFR

The Center for Family Representation Inc. (CFR) is an award-winning, innovative law and policy organization that serves primarily Black and Brown families and youth in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island with an interdisciplinary legal defense model that serves more than 3000 clients every year. CFR was originally founded in 2002 to dramatically change the trajectory of indigent parents being prosecuted by the City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Our goal is to defend and protect our clients’ rights, reduce the harm of family separation and prevent or minimize the time any child spends in the foster system. CFR provides interdisciplinary family defense with a model that was unique at our founding and that is now being replicated nationally: we assign every client an attorney and a social work staff member, and teams have the support of parent advocates, who are parents with direct personal experience of being investigated and prosecuted by ACS. CFR’s Community Advocacy Project represents parents during a child protective investigation (to avoid court involvement where possible) and assists parents in clearing their names from state maltreatment records.

As an agency committed to securing justice for families, we built the Youth Defense practice (YDP) to defend youth at risk of family separation through incarceration. YDP uses the same interdisciplinary model to represent youth being prosecuted in Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx in Supreme Court Youth Parts, during Probation Adjustment and in Delinquency proceedings in Family Court. CFR’s Home for Good program provides legal and social work services to clients in immigration, civil legal services and criminal defense matters, to afford clients an efficient and well-coordinated one-stop solution to a range of issues that threaten family stability.

Recognized as experts in our fields, we annually train over 500 practitioners in the city, state and around the country on strategies to promote family preservation and interdisciplinary representation, and we provide community based “Know Your Rights” presentations to parents, youth and service providers. We advocate at the city, state and national level for policies that reduce the harm of family separation, and promote parent engagement and justice for youth and families.

Job Description

CFR is seeking a Parent Advocate to support CFR’s Family Defense Practice. This role will work under the supervision and guidance of CFR’s Parent Advocate Director or other members of CFR’s parent advocate management team. This role may also receive supervision or support from members of CFR’s Social Work Management Team as needed. CFR’s Parent Advocates are trained staff with direct experience of having been investigated for child maltreatment and/or prosecuted in family court. Parent Advocates provide support to clients, legal, and social work staff by drawing from their lived experience and connections to the communities CFR serves. Like all members of the Family Defense Team, Parent Advocates work in furtherance of objectives that include keeping children out of the foster system, shortening lengths of stay for children in the foster system, promoting quality visitation arrangements and ensuring that families receive services that are well-tailored to expedite safe and lasting reunification.

Primary Responsibilities

Under the supervision and guidance of CFR’s Parent Advocate Director, Parent Advocate Supervisor, Senior Parent Advocates, Social Work management team, the Parent Advocate’s primary responsibility will be to work collaboratively with attorneys and social work staff  representing parents in Child Protective (Article 10) and Termination of Parental Rights proceedings in Family Court as part of CFR’s interdisciplinary legal teams. The teams include attorneys, social workers and family advocate staff, paralegals and parent advocates. In addition to providing our clients with high quality legal defense and zealous advocacy, objectives of the teams include keeping children out of the foster system, shortening lengths of stay for children in the foster system, promoting quality visitation arrangements and ensuring that families receive services that are well-tailored to expedite safe and lasting reunification.

Parent Advocates receive ongoing supervision and mentorship from experienced staff, including the Parent Advocate Director, Parent Advocate Supervisor, Senior Parent Advocates, and Social Work leadership. They also participate in extensive, interdisciplinary training on:

• CFR’s Cornerstone Advocacy model
• Family Policing laws and policies
• Family Court procedures
• Effective client engagement and interviewing techniques
• Best practices in family advocacy

CFR is committed to continuous professional development, offering a range of training opportunities to strengthen advocacy skills and ensure Parent Advocates are equipped to make a lasting impact on the families they serve.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Direct Client Representation and Advocacy 

• Work as part of CFR’s interdisciplinary legal teams 

• Provide support and practical guidance to parents navigating the family policing system (child welfare system)
• Represent parents in key advocacy settings, including meetings with foster care agencies, ACS offices, public assistance agencies, housing providers, Medicaid offices, and schools
• Maintain accurate and timely case data, legal notes, and client files
• Attend Family Court appearances alongside legal teams to support parents throughout their cases
• With support from CFR’s Parent Advocate management team and Civil Legal Services team, offer staff and clients guidance on available public benefits and resources for parents

Community Engagement and External Advocacy

• Conduct outreach and presentations to community-based organizations about CFR’s advocacy model
• As with all CFR staff, in consultation with their supervisor and depending on workload, Parent Advocates have the opportunity to engage in CFR’s policy and community engagement work. 

Qualifications

Candidates for this role must have:

• A High School degree or GED OR relevant work experience, preferably the prior experience being with the NYC family policing system, education, housing or public benefits’ systems or other social justice experience.
• Been directly impacted by the family policing system (child welfare) either by having been investigated and/or prosecuted by a family policing agency (i.e the Administration for Children's Services) 
• Applicants who have had family policing  (i.e ACS) cases involving their own families should only apply if their case has been closed for at least three years
• Experience advocating for other parents—whether informally for friends, neighbors, or relatives, or in a professional capacity
• Familiarity with public benefits, housing, and/or immigration issues
• Familiarity with Google Suite and Microsoft Suite 
• A deep, demonstrated commitment to using their experience to support and empower parents navigating family policing and other carceral systems.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong critical thinking skills 

Ideal Candidates will also have: 

• A minimum of two (2) years of experience doing advocacy work
• Fluency in Spanish or another language other than English
• Familiarity with Article 10 of the Family Court Act 
• Experience working in an interdisciplinary environment with attorneys and social workers 
• Experience working alongside or in community based organizations, specifically those led by system impacted individuals  

Location: CFR is a primarily in-person workforce. This role is based in our Queens office located at 89-14 Parsons Blvd. Jamaica, NY 11432.

Travel:  CFR has a generous telecommuting policy that allows staff the flexibility to work from home when there are no in-person client or organizational obligations. This role is expected to travel in and around Queens but may need to travel throughout NYC to address client or organizational needs. 

Salary Range:  $65,800 (L2) - $78,800 (L12) (Annualized salary based on years of experience)

CFR offers a generous compensation package, including a competitive base salary as well as health, 403(b) and vacation benefits. The salary, benefits, and employment policies relevant to this position are governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between CFR and the CFR Union, part of ALAA (Association of Legal Aid Attorneys) UAW 2325.

CFR strives to create an inclusive and antiracist environment for all of its staff, and candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply; CFR is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Salary : $65,800 - $78,800