Dallas CASA is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children assigned to the Dallas County Courts due to abuse or neglect. Our mission is to protect children, restore childhoods, and help child victims of abuse and neglect achieve their full potential.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:     CASA Supervisor (Volunteer Management)

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY

The CASA Supervisor (Volunteer Mgmt.) will motivate, empower, guide and supervise CASA volunteers as they advocate for the best interest of child victims of abuse and neglect in protective care. Will assist and accompany volunteer advocates in performing their duties and will stand in for volunteers in their absence, as needed. At all times, will maintain a primary focus on the safety and well-being of children served by Dallas CASA and ensure that the CASA mission is carried out. When directly serving children in a case to which no volunteer is assigned, carries out the Case Supervision Duties.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Volunteer Supervision Duties

• Supervise volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates for children served by Dallas CASA.
• Coach and encourage advocates to become effective in the volunteer role, including preparing volunteer advocates for court hearings by reviewing and helping to write court reports, devise strategy and organize testimony.
• Ensure that advocates are aware of and in compliance with all current Dallas CASA policies.
• Accompany advocates to initial case events, such as first visits to children in placement and supervised parent-child visits or stand in for them as needed.
• Accompany advocates to visits with prospective placement providers and to court hearings and mediated settlement conferences or stand in for them as needed.
• Accompany advocates to interviews of family members, prospective kinship placements and other case events, or stand in for them as needed.
• Assist advocates in the identification and recommendation of resources and courses of action that promote safety, best interest, permanency, and well-being for each assigned child.

Case Supervision Duties

• Provide advocacy for youth served by Dallas CASA, working directly with youth in lieu of volunteer assignment.
• Ensure that Dallas CASA, Texas CASA, and National CASA/GAL Association requirements are met in each assigned case, and that required indicators of compliance are documented in an accurate and timely manner.
• Prepare and file court reports for all court hearings.
• Attend and participate in case-related events, including, but not limited to, placement visits (view children and their living arrangements) and supervised parent-child visits, family and extended family interviews, court hearings, parent-child visits, mediated settlement conferences, and other meetings.
• Identify and recommend resources and courses of action that promote safety, best interest, permanency, and well-being for each assigned child.

Agency Duties

• Maintain a professional demeanor that promotes community respect for Dallas CASA, as well as productive stakeholder relationships.
• Work collaboratively with team members and other staff, and offer support by covering hearings and other appointments, suggesting resources and perspectives, and participating in projects that promote agency morale and effectiveness.
• Participate in Dallas CASA’s pre-service training for advocates. At a minimum, facilitate or assist with two training sessions each year.
• Participate in Dallas CASA’s continuing education program for advocates.
• Promote, protect, and maintain confidentiality of child- and case-related information.

Professional Development

• Working with the supervising Team Lead, create and follow through with quarterly and other functions.
• Must be able to attend and support special events and attend staff meetings.
• In accordance with the Dallas CASA team philosophy, the incumbent may occasionally be required to carry out or assist with other tasks in addition to the duties listed on this job description.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field, required.
• Master’s degree in social work or related field, preferred.
• Two-three years of professional experience in a human service role, or extensive volunteer experience, required.
• Working knowledge of the juvenile and child welfare system or social services, a plus.
• Experience in staff or volunteer supervision.
• Demonstrated project management skills, required.
• Demonstrated ability to write clear and concise reports needed for court reports and correspondence.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of Microsoft Office, specifically with Word.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated openness, inclusiveness, and sensitivity toward those from different cultural backgrounds, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people.
• Ability to maintain highest levels of confidentiality when dealing with proprietary, volunteer, donor, client, and staff information as well as sensitive situations.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Spanish fluency is preferred.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position is responsible for supervising CASA volunteers.

TRAVEL

This position may require some travel. Must have reliable transportation with current valid Texas driver's license and state-mandated automobile insurance for travel to and from meetings and presentations.

PLEASE NOTE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. All job requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an “at-will” basis.

Please e-mail the cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to Mandi Navarro at mnavarro@dallascasa.org.