Guardian Jobs in Alaska (NOW HIRING)

Job Description This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify. This position will be filled at either the Guardian ad Litem 1 or Guardian ad Litem 2 level, depending on the selected applicant's qualifications and job experience.

What You Will Be Doing As a non-attorney Guardian ad litem (GAL), you will be advocating for the best interests of children in court in a variety of cases, including child protection proceedings, delinquency cases, and divorce/custody cases. You will be advocating for children from many different communities in Alaska. You will be tasked with investigating your child clients' circumstances and making recommendations to the court about their best interests.

You will be appearing in court frequently with the child/ren or on their behalf. In addition, you will be advocating for the child in settings outside of court, such as with the child's school or service providers. Our Organization, Mission, and Culture The mission of the Child Advocacy unit of the Office of Public Advocacy's Fairbanks Civil section is to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are involved in the juvenile courts, taking into account each child's age, maturity, culture and ethnicity, and the public laws and policies regarding family preservation and timely permanency planning.

The Benefits of Joining Our Team This position is with the child advocacy office in Fairbanks. Our dedicated team is located in downtown Fairbanks near the courthouse and many shops and restaurants. Employer-paid parking is provided.

With experience, this position offers advancement from a GAL 1 to a GAL 2. The Working Environment You Can Expect The Fairbanks Civil section of OPA is located in downtown Fairbanks. The child advocacy team includes three non-attorney GALs, two attorney GALs, two support staff, and one coordinator for the volunteer Court-Appointed Special Advocate program.

Who We Are Looking For We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies: Advocacy: Develops and presents the client's, patient's, and/or customer's interests in all matters. Interpersonal skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences. Oral and written communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Minimum Qualifications Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications InstructionsThis job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class. Competency Description The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class

They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency's description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class. Guardian ad Litem 1 Minimum Qualifications (Range 19) Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in: Advocacy: Develops and presents the client's, patient's, and/or customer's interests in all matters. Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; rapidly adapts to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences. Stress Tolerance: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations). Equivalent to those typically gained by: Any combination of education, training, and/or experience in legal advocacy, child development, counseling, psychology, social work, social science, behavioral science, health science, public health, criminal justice, application of the Indian Child Welfare Act, or a closely related field.

Special Note: "Competencies" means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation. "Typically gained by" means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job. "Training" and "education" in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction.

It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs. "Progressively responsible" means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility. "Professional experience" means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.

Guardian ad Litem Minimum Qualifications (Range 20) Successful completion of a course of developmental training under a formally established Guardian ad Litem flexible staffing training plan with the State of Alaska; OR Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in: Advocacy: Develops and presents the client's, patient's, and/or customer's interests in all matters. Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving: Uses a logical, systematic, and sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one's knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary. Law: Knowledge of State and federal laws, including legal and court procedures, regulations, guidelines, precedents, admissibility of evidence, case preparation, and/or settlements for applicable areas of law practiced or supported.

Oral and Written Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise. Equivalent to those typically gained by: Post-secondary education and/or training in legal advocacy, child development, counseling, psychology, social work, social science, behavioral science, health science, public health, criminal justice, application of the Indian Child Welfare Act, or a closely related field; and progressively responsible professional experience representing children and/or youth as an objective, neutral party in a court system and advocating for their best interests in situations of child welfare and/or contested legal disputes.

Special Note: "Competencies" means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation. "Typically gained by" means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job. "Training" and "education" in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction.

It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs. "Progressively responsible" means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility. "Professional experience" means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.

Additional Required Information Please read the below information carefully. This applies to your application submission. THIS RECRUITMENT IS FOR ALASKA RESIDENTS ONLY Please be sure to check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

WRITTING SAMPLE Because this position must correspond with many different stakeholders and agencies, please bring a professional writing sample of no more than 5 pages to the interview. SPECIAL NOTES ABOUT THE POSITION Requires frequent court appearances, both in-person and via teleconference. Requires occasional travel within Alaska.

The Guardian ad Litem is required to certify to the court, upon filing an entry of appearance, that he/she has completed Guardian ad Litem training through OPA. CINA Rule 11 (a)(3). Valid Alaska Drivers License FLEXIBLY STAFFED This position is flexibly staffed.

This vacancy may be filled at either level, depending on the applicant's training and/or experience. The full range of salaries is listed above. Starting salary will be determined by the level of the position.

If filled at a lower level, promotion to the higher level will only occur upon successful completion of the probationary period and the required training, provided the applicant meets the minimum qualifications of the higher job class and receives final approval from the supervisor. EDUCATION To verify education is being used to meet and/or support the required minimum qualifications/competencies, you must fill in the Education section of the application If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials used to meet or support the minimum qualifications/competencies for a position and are required with each application (Unofficial is okay; please ensure the institution/URL name is listed on the transcripts) Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview; if not, transcripts will be required before employment. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable.

If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university

It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. WORK EXPERIENCE If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer's name, your job title, dates of employment, and whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met.

If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment. NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.

APPLICATION NOTICE You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via hardcopy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or any other database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hardcopy application to successfully apply. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" webpage, found here:http://doa.alaska.gov/dop/workplace/help/ EEO STATEMENT The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at: P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer

NOTICE If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email from the 'govermentjobs.com' domains. For information on allowing emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domains, visit the Lost Password Help page located athttps://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword. WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE Questions regarding application submission...