Family Advocate Internship

The Children’s Legacy Center (CLC) is seeking a Family Advocate Intern to join our Advocacy Department and support children and families impacted by trauma. This internship provides hands-on experience in advocacy, case management support, and multidisciplinary coordination alongside our Behavioral Health Clinicians, Forensic Medical Team, and MDT partners. The intern will learn best practices for family-centered, trauma-informed support while assisting with referrals, follow-up, documentation, and client navigation under the supervision of an experienced advocate/case manager.

This is an ideal opportunity for a student or emerging professional who brings curiosity, humility, kindness, and a desire to learn how a child advocacy center supports families from initial contact through follow-up.

Requirements

• Current enrollment in a Bachelor’s or Master’s program in Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, Human Services, Criminal Justice, or related field
• Availability to complete internship during CLC business hours (e.g. Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM), with scheduling coordinated in advance
• Interest in working with children/adolescents and families impacted by trauma

• Strong communication skills (written and verbal)
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries
• Comfortable learning database entry and documentation standards

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior volunteer/work exposure to advocacy, social services, or community-based settings
• Familiarity with trauma-informed care principles

Role and Responsibilities

• Observe and assist with intake and needs assessments and help gather information for service planning
• Provide caregiver support during/around forensic interviews and forensic medical exams (as appropriate), including help with understanding next steps, referrals, and follow-up
• Assist advocates with referrals to community resources (counseling, victim services, basic needs supports, etc.) and track outcomes
• Help coordinate with internal teams and external partners (MDT, DA Victim Advocates, etc.) by preparing materials, scheduling, and documenting communications
• Support crisis response activities by alerting supervisor, helping with resource connection, and participating in debriefing/learning (intern will not be primary crisis responder)
• Maintain thorough and accurate documentation in accordance with CLC standards
• Routinely input data and case tracking information into the database
• Participate in training, shadowing, case review, group facilitation, and supervision meetings

Note: This internship does not include providing expert testimony or serving as a primary advocate for court proceedings. Intern participation in legal-system-related activities (e.g., observing court) may occur only with supervisor approval and appropriate training.

Learning Objectives

• Experience with trauma-informed, culturally responsive advocacy
• Understanding of Child Advocacy Center workflows, MDT collaboration, and referral pathways
• Skill-building in documentation, case tracking, and professional communication
• Exposure to forensic interview and forensic medical exam support processes (within intern scope)

Supervision & Support

• Intern will receive regular supervision from a designated Family Advocate/Case Manager
• Training plan includes shadowing, observation, progressively increasing responsibilities, and ongoing feedback
• Emphasis on staff wellbeing, debriefing, and supportive team culture

Who We Are:

The Children’s Legacy Center has now been in development for the last five years. However, the nature of our work is a start-up culture. Although each of our team joined with a specific job description, we are all collaboratively working to develop and expand our organization. We value the health and wellbeing of our team members more so than the average organization. The nature of this work is incredibly difficult so supporting each other is vital. In short, we’ve got each other’s backs. We strive daily to create an inclusive environment in which all people feel safe, heard, and valued. The Children’s Legacy Center celebrates the cultural differences and similarities among all employees, volunteers, families we serve, and members of our partnering agencies.