The Arthur Gochman Child & Family Advocacy Fellowship

June 2024 – June 2025

Children’s Rights honors the lived expertise of people impacted by the child welfare system and recognizes that they are best positioned to inform and lead system-level change for children and families. We are seeking applicants for our Arthur Gochman Fellowship, a one-year fellowship for individuals who have lived experience in the child welfare system and an interest in a career in child and family advocacy. The Fellowship includes a formal training and mentoring program to enhance professional and personal development, and gain broader exposure to the field of children’s advocacy, including through exposure to impact litigation.

As a member of our team, the Fellow will help develop Children’s Rights’ advocacy agenda for the upcoming year, co-design strategies and project plans to effect systemic change, lead one or more advocacy projects, including conducting research and strategy implementation, as well as engage with national and local partners. The Arthur Gochman Fellow will also have the opportunity to collect data, research and analyze key policy issues, and prepare reports, articles, and other written materials. The Fellowship is a full-time position, with a preference for in-person presence in our New York City office at least two days a week.

Responsibilities:

The Arthur Gochman Fellow reports to the Director of Advocacy & Policy and:

· Engages with internal staff and external partners in active advocacy and policy campaigns, development of new advocacy campaigns, and coalition meetings

· Explores opportunities to further our strategic advocacy in the topic areas listed below, with the opportunity to focus on one or two issue areas, according to the fellow’s advocacy interest

· Assists in the development and implementation of policy projects, including conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, interviews, and literature reviews

· Develops presentations on child welfare and other system issues for local and national conferences

· Contributes to reports, articles, white papers, and other written materials on children’s policy issues

· Tracks relevant federal and state legislation

Qualifications:

· Prior personal involvement in the child welfare system as a child, adolescent, or young adult

· Applicable work, educational experience, and/or demonstrated interest in one or more of the following areas: child welfare, mental health, LGBTQ equity, racial justice, immigration, and youth justice

· Research, writing, communication, and analytical skills

· Ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a team

· Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a variety of professionals and partners

· Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite

For more information, please visit our website: www.childrensrights.org.

Salary/Benefits:

The salary is $53,000. Children’s Rights offers an excellent benefits package, including generous PTO, medical, dental, life insurance and health reimbursement account.

Children’s Rights

Children's Rights is a national advocacy organization that leverages advocacy, policy, and litigation to achieve lasting changes for youth harmed by failing state systems. Our advocacy footprint is extensive and includes child welfare and juvenile justice reform, disrupting structural racism in child welfare, ensuring that children are receiving physical and mental health services, protecting the rights of system-involved LGBTQ youth, eliminating the unnecessary institutionalization of children, and advocating for unaccompanied immigrant youth. We are particularly looking for candidates who, through lived expertise, can assist in furthering our work in any one of these areas.

Our Advocacy and Policy Department

The Children's Rights Advocacy & Policy Department has developed a reputation for producing careful research and policy analysis on pressing issues, including institutional racism, LGBTQ discrimination, child mental health, and deinstitutionalization.

We work in partnership with our staff as well as other advocates, experts, policy analysts, and government officials. On a national level, we are working with various coalitions to identify and maximize opportunities to support and strengthen children, families, and communities. Throughout this work, we are committed to partnering with individuals with lived experiences to catalyze policy and practice changes that protect children and uphold family integrity.

Application Instructions

To apply, please save your cover letter and one recent writing sample as one file and upload to the cover letter upload field and upload your resume to the resume upload field via childrensrights.bamboohr.com/jobs by May 15, 2024. If you have any additional questions regarding this position, you may send an email to mgiovanelli@childrensrights.org. Due to the high volume of submissions, only applicants of interest will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.

Children's Rights is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and women, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.