Overview:
The Bronx Defenders – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks a passionate advocate with a commitment to social justice to fill a position as Family Defense Practice Social Work Training Associate.
The Bronx Defenders is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system, and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. BxD seeks thoughtful, creative individuals with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff. Our staff of over 400 includes interdisciplinary teams made up of criminal, civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, benefits specialists, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators, who collaborate to provide holistic advocacy to address the causes and consequences of legal system involvement. Through this integrated team-based structure, we have developed a groundbreaking, nationally-recognized model of representation called holistic defense that achieves better outcomes for the people we defend.
Each year, we defend more than 20,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, family, and immigration cases, and reach thousands more through our community intake, youth mentoring, and outreach programs. Through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing, we push for systemic change at the local, state, and national level. We take what we learn from the people we represent and communities we work with and launch innovative initiatives designed to bring about real and lasting change.

• Develop, review and revise the training curriculum for FDP social workers in consultation with the Training Director(s)
• Coordinate onboarding and legal training for new advocates and FDPSW
• Collaborate with the Recruiting and Hiring Team to recruit and pair FDP summer interns and Social Work Interns
• Coordinate onboarding and relevant legal training for interns
• Create and implement a first-year training program for new social workers and advocates, including an onboarding series geared towards new Training Team attorneys. This includes, but is not limited to:
• Ongoing communication and collaboration with the Recruiting & Hiring Team and Director of Family Defense Social Work for new hire planning and onboarding
• Curriculum development and implementation of practice-specific and cross-practice new staff onboarding and trainings for advocates, social workers and attorneys
• Scheduling implementation of said curriculum
• Provide FDP attorneys and FDPSW advocates with continuous training and professional development opportunities to sharpen their advocacy skills and parent-centered representation, and ensure they stay up to date on developments in family defense social work and practice
• Develop substantive best practices and strategy guides to support ongoing learning and practice
• Identify and encourage participation in external training opportunities appropriate for FDPSW
• Maintain and develop an organized resource of high-quality training materials, strategy guides, and service providers resources
• Maintain an active shadowing calendar to support social work advocate observations of members of the practice
• Create, develop guidelines for and implement comprehensive professional progression standards for FDPSW advocates
• Meet with the FDP Training Director and Social Work Training Director on a regular basis to discuss practice goals and professional development of staf