Child, Youth, and Family Engagement Specialist

Child, Youth, & Family Engagement Specialist

Status: 32 hours Monday - Thursday; benefits eligible; overtime exempt Pay Range: $40,000 - $44,000 (80% FTE) Location: In office, North side of Madison, Wisconsin

Turn compassion into impact.

Do you want your work to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children, youth, and their families? Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center is seeking a compassionate, organized, innovative, and grounded professional to help create a safe, welcoming, and trauma-informed environment for a diverse, multicultural population of children and families who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma.

As a Child, Youth, & Family Engagement Specialist, you will play a vital role in helping children feel supported, respected, and safe during their visit to the center and beyond—while building meaningful experience in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.

This role is ideal for someone who brings strong emotional awareness, sound judgment, and the ability to respond thoughtfully in high-stress situations involving children and families.

Position Summary

The Child, Youth, & Family Engagement Specialist plays a vital role in ensuring children and families experience a safe, welcoming, and trauma-informed environment throughout their time at the center. This position serves as a primary point of contact and works directly with children and families who may be experiencing acute stress, trauma responses, or crisis situations. The specialist must be able to recognize emotional and behavioral cues, respond appropriately in the moment, and exercise sound, professional judgment to maintain safety and support.

Key Responsibilities:

Trauma-Informed Reception

•Serve as the first point of contact for children, families, and visitors

• Create a welcoming, respectful, and culturally responsive environment

Child & Youth Engagement

•Supervise and engage children who have experienced trauma, abuse, and crisis

•Provide developmentally appropriate activities that promote safety, comfort, and emotional regulation

Client Intake, Family Engagement & Follow-Up

•Support intake processes

•Provide clear, culturally responsive guidance to caregivers and youth

•Assist with appointment reminders, coordination, and referral tracking

Core Competencies

•Trauma-Informed Practice – Strong understanding of how trauma impacts children and the ability to respond with sensitivity and care

•Crisis Awareness & Judgment – Ability to remain calm, assess situations, and make thoughtful decisions in emotionally complex or high-stress moments

•Child Development Awareness – Uses developmentally appropriate strategies to support emotional regulation

Qualifications

•Experience working with children, youth, and families impacted by trauma, abuse, or crisis required

•Demonstrated ability to respond appropriately in emotionally intense or crisis situations

•Bilingual English/Spanish preferred

•Associate or Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred

•Experience in nonprofit, social services, or client-facing roles preferred

•Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills

•Commitment to trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and child-centered care

•Ability to work independently and collaboratively

Our clients come from a wide range of backgrounds, and we believe our team should reflect that same depth and diversity. We welcome applications from people of color and LGBTQIA individuals, as we know that a diversity of lived experiences strengthens our team and deepens the care we provide.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being, and sustainability of our team. This includes health and dental insurance, a flexible spending account, and a 403(b) retirement plan with a 2% employer contribution, along with short- and long-term disability coverage, life and accidental death insurance, a wellness stipend, flexible scheduling, and generous paid time off. We are committed to a supportive team environment and provide regular, integrated support to address the impacts of vicarious trauma.

Join Our Team

If you are passionate about supporting children impacted by trauma and have the judgment, empathy, and resilience to show up in difficult moments, we encourage you to apply.

Please submit a cover letter and resume to: Emily Oler, Operations Manager, EmilyD@safeharborhelpskids.org. Please feel free to reach out with any questions about the position.

Priority given to applications received by Apr 22, 2026

Safe Harbor is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other unprofessional conduct based on age, color, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, or any other characteristics that may or may not be protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance or regulation that make our employees and clients unique.