Social Work Field Placement Internship

Who We Are

Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC. As an organization, we envision a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures. A key part of our mission is to challenge and reduce ways in which racism and other biases – structural and interpersonal – prevent each of us, our organization and the systems in which we work from providing children a strong foundation from which to thrive.

Our greatest assets are our people. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our community. Staff members at Children’s Law Center advance the organization’s mission through their leadership, result-oriented mindset and commitment to cultural humility. We are looking for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference in their community. Children's Law Center's continued success depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and exemplify these attributes.

Program Description

Children's Law Center (CLC) hosts a comprehensive, hands-on internship program. All positions are unpaid and can be taken for credit. Hours are flexible. Generally, spring positions are posted in October, summer positions are posted in November and fall positions are posted in May.

CLC utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to its legal practice with clients.

CLC social workers primarily support the work of Guardian ad Litem Attorneys (GALs) who are appointed to represent the best interest of children in the District of Columbia child welfare system.  Pursuant to Superior Court practice standards, the role of the GAL is to advocate for the client’s safety, well-being and best interests.  As part of this role the GAL must investigate and ensure all relevant facts are before the court, ensure the court has all available options before it and advocate for options that preserve the client’s best interests.  In determining what is in a client’s best interests, a GAL must conduct a full and efficient investigation with all service providers to assess the client’s circumstances.  CLC social workers play an essential role in that investigation.

CLC social workers engage in case consultation and an array of social work services, including assessments of children and families to determine the needs and goals of families, interviews with children and families, assistance in permanency and/or custody planning, reviews of case plans, and interaction with service providers. CLC social workers attend court hearings and case related meetings at the child welfare agency, schools, with mental health providers and otherwise. CLC social workers also complete family visitation and education-setting observations among other clinical activities.  CLC social workers assess and work to strengthen the child welfare team in an effort to achieve better outcomes for our clients.  Additionally, CLC social workers provide training for attorneys and are available for consultation on other matters.

Position Description

CLC accepts students from both clinical and macro programs who are interested in learning about and developing skills in the micro, mezzo, and macro areas of practice.  Students will work side-by-side with CLC social workers on some of the GALs most clinically complex cases and will offer a variety of supportive clinical assessments, recommendations, therapeutic tools and advocacy.  For CLC social workers, the “client” may be conceptualized as the young person in foster care, the biological family, the GAL, or a multidisciplinary team depending on the needs of the case.   Interns work with the CLC social work team to grow their skills in areas including, but not limited to, individual and systemic assessments, advocacy, best practices in the treatment of trauma and attachment disruption, and the intersection of policy and clinical social work practice.

CLC accepts students who either are in their “advanced” year of a CSWE accredited MSW program or in their foundation year with prior relevant experience. On some occasions, CLC will accept a bachelor’s level social work student in their senior year of college.  Qualifications include strong interpersonal skills, excellent critical thinking ability, cultural humility, flexibility, and initiative.

Application Instructions

Students should submit a letter of interest that entails why they wish to conduct their field placement with CLC, the start and end date of their field program; their resume; and point of contact at their social work program.  CLC will conduct interviews of students who meet the program qualifications. There are limited intern positions at CLC. When CLC receives multiple applications for students, the application packet and the interviews will assist in determining which student is best suited for the field placement opening at that time.

To apply, please submit the requested materials as one PDF file via CLC's website (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/law-clerks-and-interns/) (<https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/law-clerks-and-interns/>).

Children’s Law Center is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. If you believe that you need accommodation to search for, or apply for, one of our positions please send an email to Jobs@ChildrensLawCenter.org (mailto:Jobs@ChildrensLawCenter.org). In your email, please include the accommodation you are requesting and the job title you are applying for. It may take up to three business days to receive a response to your request.

Hybrid Working Conditions

Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule. Social Work employees are required to work in-person from Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week and are therefore in the office on Wednesday and Thursdays. Social work interns will determine their specific schedules with their field supervisor but generally are expected to be present on Thursdays for group supervision. Additionally, there may be in person and in the community work on other days. The hybrid work schedule is subject to change based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and safety. Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role responsibilities.

Background Checks

Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.

EEO

Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.  We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our company and our career opportunities (<https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/>).

Our Commitment

Children’s Law Center is dedicated to building a world that is inclusive in approach and has equal opportunities and equitable outcomes for all. Our organization is committed to developing and supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist community, where all members can create and feel a sense of belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts, we work toward racial and social justice for children and families in DC.