Paralegal

About Us

Our agency began in 1999 by pioneering a model that is nationally recognized. We believe every child deserves a safe, nurturing permanent home—with a caring and supportive family that makes it possible to grow and thrive. A pioneer in new approaches to achieving permanency for children in foster care, we employ specialized knowledge and a continuum of services to help agencies expedite adoptions and keep families together.

With our partner Diakon, we co-administer the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) program for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Paralegals perform work for the SWAN Legal Services Initiative (LSI), a program created to address barriers within the legal process that delay permanency for a child in the child welfare system. LSI paralegals work out of every county's children and youth office, assisting counties with all aspects of the legal process to ensure children are in safe and permanent homes.

Responsibilities

• Draft legal documents for solicitor review, including petitions, orders, motions, and stipulations
• Participate in county court hearings and pre-hearing conferences
• Assist with all aspects of lay and expert witness preparation for testimony
• Facilitate and/or train on approved LSI training topics
• Support county best practices
• Conduct diligent searches to locate parents, relatives, or other potential permanency resources or connections for children who are receiving services from, or are in the custody of the county, and collaborate with caseworkers regarding all search results

Requirements

• General knowledge or work experience in legal or child welfare
• Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree, or paralegal certificate is preferred
• A minimum of 5 years of related experience will be considered in lieu of degree and/or certification
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic and collaborative work environment

Schedule

Monday–Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Benefits

• Health insurance with medical spending accounts (employer contribution to the HSA if electing HDHP)
• Dental, vision, long-term disability, and accident insurance
• Three employer-paid benefits: short-term disability insurance, life insurance, and Employee Assistance Program
• Employer contribution equivalent to 6% of your salary to your 401(k)
• 10 paid holidays (including one floating holiday)
• 18 days of PTO in the first year of employment
• Qualified employer participating in Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)