Child Advocacy Specialist

One Family Illinois; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO / Paid time off

Bonus Plan for Child Welfare Specialis

Employee Referral Bonuses

Competitive Health plans

Vision/Dental/Life Insurance

Flexible PTO

Employee Assistance Program

403b Retirement Savings Plan

Student loan forgiveness

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development

Job summary

One Family Illinois seeks a Child Advocate Specialist to provide trauma-informed support for youth in the Safe Haven Emergency Foster Care Program. You will collaborate with case managers, foster parents, and DCFS to ensure voices are heard and needs met across health, education, and legal areas.

Hybrid/flexible work options and a comprehensive benefits package support your wellbeing as you advocate for safety, stability, and family connections for youth in care.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with DCFS caseworkers to assess and address the individual needs of youth in care.
• Partner with DCFS caseworkers to ensure timely, coordinated services that meet the comprehensive needs of children in care.
• Engage with DCFS caseworkers to develop and implement care plans that support the safety, stability, and well-being of youth.
• Collaborate with DCFS caseworkers to assess and address the individual needs of youth in care, including health, behavioral health, educational, and enrichment services.
• Support the coordination and follow-up of referrals to internal and external providers.
• Participate in Child and Family Team meetings, court hearings, and Administrative Case Reviews (ACRs) to advocate for youth-centered decisions.
• Help identify and address gaps or delays in service delivery.
• Establishes and maintains an environment that promotes integrity and accountability, innovation and collaboration, and a commitment to providing the highest quality of care possible.
• Maintain timely, accurate, and confidential documentation in SACWIS, AirTable, and the agency's internal systems.
• Track advocacy efforts and service outcomes to inform program improvements and compliance reporting.
• Support incident response and documentation as needed.
• Remain knowledgeable of DCFS rules and youth rights under the Foster Youth Bill of Rights.
• Participate in required training, including trauma-informed care, emergency response, and mandated reporting.
• Support caregiver orientation and staff training related to youth advocacy and protective factors.
• Collaborate with the agency's behavioral health, education, and housing teams to ensure holistic care coordination.
• Performs on-call and all other duties as needed and assigned.

Job description

Description

At One Family Illinois, we uphold compassion, inclusion, integrity, and adaptability as the core values guiding our work with each other, children, families, and the community.

At One FamilyIllinois (Formerly SOS Children's Villages Illinois) we are committed to keeping brothers and sisters in foster care together by providing safe, stable, and loving homes. We do this by offering an innovative approach to traditional foster care. Our model of care provides a private, single-family home, access to a community center, and support from professionally trained Foster Parents and staff. With this, the children we serve benefit from the stability of remaining with their siblings as well as the support of neighboring One FamilyIllinois Foster Parents and the entire community.

Work for an impactful organization with a purpose.

Corporate culture that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Hybrid/flexible work options to help balance work and life.

PTO (paid time off in the form of personal days, sick time, vacation days, and paid company holidays).

The Role

The Child Advocate Specialist will serve as a dedicated support for children and youth placed in the Safe Haven Emergency Foster Care Program at One Family Illinois (OFI). This role ensures that each childs voice is heard, and their physical, emotional, educational, and legal needs are met. The Specialist will collaborate with case managers, foster parents, behavioral health staff, and external partners to ensure timely and trauma-informed services are delivered.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with DCFS caseworkers to assess and address the individual needs of youth in care.
• Partner with DCFS caseworkers to ensure timely, coordinated services that meet the comprehensive needs of children in care.
• Engage with DCFS caseworkers to develop and implement care plans that support the safety, stability, and well-being of youth.
• Collaborate with DCFS caseworkers to assess and address the individual needs of youth in care, including health, behavioral health, educational, and enrichment services.
• Support the coordination and follow-up of referrals to internal and external providers.
• Participate in Child and Family Team meetings, court hearings, and Administrative Case Reviews (ACRs) to advocate for youth-centered decisions.
• Help identify and address gaps or delays in service delivery.
• Establishes and maintains an environment that promotes integrity and accountability, innovation and collaboration, and a commitment to providing the highest quality of care possible.
• Maintain timely, accurate, and confidential documentation in SACWIS, AirTable, and the agency's internal systems.
• Track advocacy efforts and service outcomes to inform program improvements and compliance reporting.
• Support incident response and documentation as needed.
• Remain knowledgeable of DCFS rules and youth rights under the Foster Youth Bill of Rights.
• Participate in required training, including trauma-informed care, emergency response, and mandated reporting.
• Support caregiver orientation and staff training related to youth advocacy and protective factors.
• Collaborate with the agency's behavioral health, education, and housing teams to ensure holistic care coordination.
• Performs on-call and all other duties as needed and assigned.

Benefits

• PTO (paid time off in the form of personal days, sick time, vacation days, and paid company holidays).
• Bonus Plan for Child Welfare Specialists.
• Employee Referral Bonuses.
• Competitive Healthcare plans through BCBS for you and your dependents (eligible the first of the following month after 30 of FT employment).
• Vision/Dental/Life Insurance offerings.
• Flexible PTO.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• 403b Retirement Savings Plan (nonprofit version of 401K). Able to contribute immediately upon full-time employment. In addition, the organization will contribute 4% to your savings plan after 12 months of full-time employment regardless if you are contributing.
• Part of the federal student loan forgiveness program.
• Access to financial advisors and financial education tools.
• Tuition reimbursement options.
• Opportunities for further education as well as time to attend trainings/workshops/etc. for personal/professional development.