Senior Social Services Coordinator At Kids in Need of Defense

About KIND:

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a global leader in the protection of unaccompanied refugee and migrant children. Launched in 2008, KIND champions a world in which every child’s rights and well-being are protected throughout their journey to safety. Since 2008, KIND has accepted over 23,000 referrals of children seeking legal representation in their immigration proceedings. KIND has welcomed more than 41,000 attendees to trainings since its founding, cultivating partnerships with over 670 law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and bar associations across the country.

KIND’s social services program ensures that migrant and refugee children – who have often endured trauma – receive counseling, educational support, medical care and other comprehensive services.

To address the root causes of child migration from Central America and strengthen protection of unaccompanied children, KIND advocates for policy changes and educates lawmakers, the media, and the broader public on the conditions that drive these children to flee their home countries. KIND supports children returning to their home countries by connecting them to essential support services and sponsors gender-based violence prevention programs in Central America to protect children in countries of origin and transit.

KIND is also building upon its expertise in the protection of unaccompanied children to encourage the development of pro bono initiatives across Europe in partnership with European NGOs.

Position Summary:

KIND seeks a Senior Social Services Coordinator to serve alongside the Social Services Management team. Senior Social Services Coordinators provide therapeutic support to high risk cases, clinical consultations, and contribute to the design and implementation of trauma informed outreach and training within KIND and to external partners.

Essential Functions:

• Support the development of programmatic framework for Social Services including metrics, logic models, and narratives, for grant applications and reports.
• Support fundraising and development efforts, as well as grant reporting for the Social Services team.
• Provide consultation on high risk and vulnerable cases across KIND offices.
• Create, update, and implement ethical policies, procedures, and guidelines to be implemented across all field offices and compiled in an updated Social Services Handbook.
• Create, update, and implement guidelines for the Social Services team in an interdisciplinary model pertaining to attorney-client and work-product privilege, federal and state confidentiality, and mandatory reporting laws.
• Create and implement guidelines on working with unaccompanied children working with pro bono volunteer attorneys with a focus on trauma informed care.
• Create guidelines and lead Social Services team on self-care, wellness, prevention of vicarious trauma and burnout, as well as appropriate professionalism in client relations.
• Maintain working partnership with local graduate program and provide supervision to graduate level interns from social work/mental health programs.
• Monitor and evaluate case activities, including client referrals, intakes, case strategy, and case closure through case rounds and regular check-ins of social service interns.
• Consult and work regularly with KIND staff to integrate holistic, trauma-informed, and client-centered services that consider both legal strategy and social service needs.
• Evaluate and provide expert consultation to the Social Services team and KIND attorneys on services referral, needs assessments, advocacy strategy, safety planning, and crisis management.
• Direct client work, technical assistance, therapeutic supports, training, and outreach.
• Work with small caseload of high-needs clients utilizing a range of therapeutic interventions with an emphasis on screening for trauma, establishing safety, building trust, increasing coping strategies, and providing in-depth support during legal proceedings.
• Conduct needs assessment with KIND’s U.S./Mexico Special Programs team to design and implement quarterly trainings for staff and PBAs. Trainings will include such topics as Trauma Informed Interviewing Skills and Culturally Responsive Practices with Indigenous Populations.
• Provide technical assistance and expertise to KIND staff and community partners with an emphasis on Trauma Informed interventions when working with UAC and refugee populations.
• Work with community partners to coordinate services and collaborate in efforts; with emphasis on include language access, mental health supports and avoiding re-traumatization.
• Assist with trainings and presentations.
• Represent KIND at local coalitions, courts, and agencies.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Graduate degree in social work or related field or 6 years of work experience, combined with Undergraduate degree in social work or related field, in lieu of advanced degree.
• Depending on location- at least 2 years of experience working with Tender Age children, foster care, at risk youth.
• 3-5 years of experience in social services or non-profit organizations; community organizing, or grassroots and partnership development experience preferred.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Suite including Outlook, Excel (including formula function), and Teams; competence with technology-related items including audio-video set-up and execution.
• Demonstrated commitment to improving and/or understanding issues impacting immigrants in the U.S.; preferred experience working with trauma survivors.
• Experience working with immigrant and refugee children and youth, LGBTQA communities.
• Ability to work independently, anticipate needs, and take initiative in a high volume, fast-paced environment.
• Experience supervising interns and volunteers; highly skilled at conducting outreach and managing external partnerships.
• Experience in data entry and/or data management; experience in case and document database navigation such as ShareFile and Legal Server, including running and interpreting reports.
• Ability to handle tech related responsibilities including management of digital calendars and video conferencing.
• Strong record of intercultural responsiveness, sensitivity and awareness, and cross-cultural communication skills, responsive practices, and a racial equity lens.
• Ability to effectively conduct trainings to diverse audiences in person and virtually.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary teams.
• Excellent organizational, time management skills, and attention to detail; ability to work collaboratively; excellent writing an oral communication skill.
• Ability to thrive in a high-volume workload with fast-changing deadlines and priorities.
• Advanced fluency in English and Spanish, spoken and written, required.
• Ability to travel as assigned.
• Ability to work within an office environment, have regular interaction via telephone, teleconference, IM and email with KIND’s team and have in-person meetings with clients.