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Summary Statement

The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) is an agency within the judicial branch, charged with safeguarding the welfare of Delaware’s children. It accomplishes this mission through advocacy, education, collaboration, and evaluation with a vision of safe and resilient children with supportive families. OCA’s Legal Services Division represents approximately 525 children that are experiencing foster care through Child Attorneys and Court Appointed Special Advocates with support from Program Coordinators. OCA’s legal services team, through the representation of children, furthers OCA’s goals to:

• Provide a voice for children to achieve permanency and justice, and to improve laws and policies that affect children and their families.
• Foster a communicative multi-disciplinary team that builds trust and respect amongst members with a shared goal of improving outcomes for children and families
• Ensure accountability by examining child welfare data, laws and policies.
• Develop quality training to increase professional expertise and public awareness. Facilitate access to resources and opportunities for youth.

The Chief of Legal Services is responsible for leading the Legal Services Division and supervising the 4 Deputy Child Advocates, 7 Contract Attorneys, and approximately 200 Volunteer Attorneys in their representation of children in DSCYF Custody Proceedings. The Chief of Legal Services is a crucial member of OCA’s Leadership Team.

Preferred Qualification

Applicants who do not possess the preferred qualification will still be eligible to compete for this position if job requirements are met.

• Knowledge of the Delaware child welfare system and Family Court proceedings.
• Experience supervising and supporting attorneys, staff and other professionals, with performance management and development.
• Experience engaging, managing, or supporting volunteers with a demonstrated ability to build meaningful relationships and provide effective oversight for legal advocacy.
• Experience developing and delivering training programs or presentations, particularly for legal professionals, advocates, or child welfare stakeholders.
• Experience in developing and implementing policies and procedures.
• Proficiency with case and data management systems.

Essential Functions

The Chief of Legal Services is a member of the OCA Leadership Team and leads the attorney representation of children with the following duties:

• Oversee and manage the appointment of a Child Attorney for every child experiencing foster care in Delaware, including case assignment and distribution
• Supervise, review, evaluate, coordinate, and prioritize the job duties of OCA’s Deputy Child Advocates in providing legal representation to children, including case direction, court observation, client interactions and legal strategies
• Contract, manage and lead OCA’s Contract Child Attorneys in providing legal representation to children including case direction, court observation, client interactions and legal strategies
• Recruit, manage and lead OCA’s volunteer Child Attorney pool in providing legal representation to children through individual attorney support, quality assurance and periodic case conferencing regarding matters including, but not limited to client interactions, case direction, permanency decisions and legal strategies
• Provide legal representation to children and youth in DSCYF Custody and Extended Jurisdiction proceedings
• Review for possible appointment all community referrals regarding at-risk children for legal representation in civil Family Court matters
• Develop and provide initial and advanced trainings to Child Attorneys regarding quality legal representation of children
• Develop and facilitate quarterly advanced training topics statewide to staff, contract and volunteer attorneys as well as developing virtual trainings on specific topics to be viewed by those attorneys as needed
• Develop training manuals and other documents necessary to support volunteer and contract attorneys
• Assist in delivering quality training programs for the various components of the child welfare system, including but not limited to the Children’s Department, the Attorney General’s Office, law enforcement, Family Court, educators and day care providers
• Analyze all child welfare proceeding orders that are sent from Family Court for legal challenges, case assignment, and quality assurance
• Perform a legal analysis of each DSCYF Custody petition and input the legal entry reason in the OCA database for all petitions sent from Family Court
• Review policies and procedures within the Department, the Attorney General’s Office, the court system, and law enforcement which impact the rights of children, and make recommendations for change and implementation of same
• Work with the various community resources, organizations and other interested groups to improve communication and education in the area of legal representation of children
• Create and provide recommendations for change regarding the procedures for investigating, overseeing, and achieving permanency for children of this State
• Represent the Office of the Child Advocate on committees and task forces regarding children’s rights, legal representation of children and the child welfare system in general
• Serve on Child Abuse and Neglect (“CAN”) Panel to provide Child Attorney perspective on cases being reviewed due to death or near death as a result of abuse or neglect
• Serve on various committees and workgroup within Delaware’s Court Improvement Program
• Participate or lead child welfare partner meetings with Family Court, the Attorney General’s Office and the Children’s Department to improve the delivery of legal and social services to children
• Develop policies, procedures and memoranda of understanding internally, and with child welfare partners, to improve the delivery of legal services to children and families
• Make annual recommendations on the DSBA Access to Justice Awards and other awards for volunteer attorneys who have represented children
• Assist the Child Advocate in staffing the Child Protection Accountability Commission as well as participating in the work of the Commission and assisting in the preparation of an annual report analyzing the work of the Commission and OCA
• Supervise the selection process for law clerks and provide guidance to staff attorneys who directly supervise them through the OCA internship program
• Complete other projects or representation as assigned by the Child Advocate

In addition to leading, directing and managing the attorney representation of children in Delaware as indicated above, the Chief of Legal Services is a member of the OCA Leadership team. In that role, the Chief of Legal Services is one of five leaders that establish all policies and procedures for OCA, manage all fiscal and personnel decisions, and develop mission, vision and goals for the agency. The Chief of Legal Services also represents OCA in countless child welfare partner committees, workgroups and policy meetings including the CPAC Child Abuse & Neglect Panel.

Job Requirements

Applicants must have education, training and/or experience demonstrating competence in each of the following areas:

• Licensed to practice law in the State of Delaware.
• Strong commitment to the essential needs and welfare of children.
• Substantial experience in the representation of a children, parents, or agencies in child welfare proceedings.
• Strong organizational, project management, and meeting planning skills.
• Ability to communicate through excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to form and manage strong professional and external relationships, develop and manage a team, and work with peers.
• Ability to travel throughout the State of Delaware representing the Office of the Child Advocate.

Additional Posting Information

This position is statewide and can be located at 900 King Street, Wilmington, 400 Court Street, Dover or 6 W. Market Street, Georgetown.

Conditions of Hire

• A satisfactory criminal background check and child protection registry check is required as a condition of hire.
• A satisfactory background check with the Delaware Office of Disciplinary Counsel is required as a condition of hire.
• Possession of a valid Delaware Class D driver’s license or its equivalent is required as a condition of hire.

Benefits

• Full time employees are eligible for FREE parking!!!
• To learn more about the comprehensive benefit package please visit our website at https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/

Selection Process

The application and supplemental questionnaire are evaluated based upon a rating of your education, training and experience as they relate to the job requirements of the position. It is essential that you provide complete and accurate information on your application and the supplemental questionnaire to include dates of employment, job title and job duties. For education and training, list name of educational provider, training course titles and summary of course content. Narrative information supplied in response to the questions must be supported by the information supplied on the application including your employment, education and training history as it relates to the job requirements.

Once you have submitted your application on-line, all future correspondence related to your application will be sent via email. Please keep your contact information current. You may also view all correspondence sent to you by the State of Delaware in the “My Applications” tab at StateJobs.Delaware.gov .

Accommodations

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. TDD users may request an auxiliary aid or service by calling (800) 232-5470 or by visiting delawarerelay.com . You may also call (302) 739-5458 or email DHR_ADAConcerns@delaware.gov for additional applicant services support.

The State of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity employer and values a diverse workforce. We strongly encourage and seek out a workforce representative of Delaware including race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.