State Foster Youth Ombudsman - Remote Advocate

Maryland; Baltimore (MD); Presencial; USD 90.000 - 130.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Health insurance

Dental and vision plans

Personal Leave

Annual Leave

Sick Leave

Parental Leave

Holidays

Pension

Telework

Descripción de la vacante

The Maryland Department of Human Services seeks a State Foster Youth Ombudsman to independently investigate rights and safety concerns of youth in out-of-home care across all jurisdictions. The role enforces accountability, conducts complex inquiries, and delivers executive-level recommendations to SSA and DHS leadership.

It requires navigating statutory frameworks and safeguarding confidentiality while championing youth voices to drive systemic improvements.

Formación

• Juris Doctor degree or equivalent degree from an accredited school of law.
• Five years of experience as a practicing attorney.
• Current Maryland Bar membership is required.

Responsabilidades

• Executes all duties, investigations, and reporting mandates in strict accordance with the statutory requirements of House Bill 980 (Kanaiyah's Law).
• Investigates complex, high-profile complaints and alleged violations concerning the rights, placement conditions, and safety of youth experiencing out-of-home care across all 24 Maryland jurisdictions.
• Conducts Independent Fact-Finding Reviews to evaluate whether actions taken by LDSS or contractual providers conform to federal and state laws, COMAR regulations, SSA policies, and established child welfare practice standards.
• Provides authoritative legal and technical expertise regarding child welfare, juvenile court jurisdiction, out-of-home placement restrictions (including the statutory ban on unlicensed settings), custody/guardianship matters, and due process appeal rights.
• Interprets and applies complex legal frameworks, consent decrees, and agency directives to determine appropriate resolutions for aggrieved youth and stakeholders.
• Formulates formal corrective recommendations based on investigative findings and consults directly with SSA Executive Leadership, Local Department Directors, and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to resolve sensitive or high-risk systemic non-compliance issues.
• Ensures absolute statutory compliance with strict confidentiality boundaries, HIPAA, mandated reporting protocols, and disclosure exemptions during all investigative and advocacy operations.
• Establishes and leads statewide outreach strategies designed to inform youth in foster care, kinship caregivers, attorneys, and advocacy groups of the Ombudsman’s role, responsibilities, and mechanism for submitting direct complaints.
• Engages directly with youth experiencing out-of-home care to ensure their voices, lived experiences, and rights actively inform SSA programmatic improvements and statutory recommendations.
• Represents the Office of Family Advocacy on high-level interagency workgroups, legislative committees, and task forces regarding child welfare reform and accountability.
• Collaborates with System Partners, including juvenile courts, panel attorneys, the Office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman, and local social work staff to mediate deep-stated disputes and drive positive case-level outcomes.
• Directs the Management and Tracking of the statewide Ombudsman case portfolio, ensuring precise, legally secure documentation of all inquiries, case activities, and final resolutions.
• Performs advanced data and trend Analysis to identify recurring systemic deficiencies, regional operational patterns, or gaps in service delivery that negatively impact youth stability.
• Authors and edits legally mandated annual, quarterly, and ad hoc public reports detailing Ombudsman activities, case statistics, compliance metrics, and actionable policy or statutory recommendations for the Secretary, the Governor, and the General Assembly.

Educación

Juris Doctor degree

Descripción del empleo

The Maryland Department of Human Services seeks a State Foster Youth Ombudsman to independently investigate rights and safety concerns of youth in out-of-home care across all jurisdictions. The role enforces accountability, conducts complex inquiries, and delivers executive-level recommendations to SSA and DHS leadership.

It requires navigating statutory frameworks and safeguarding confidentiality while championing youth voices to drive systemic improvements.