Youth & Family Ombudsmen Outreach Intern; Fall

Office of Youth & Family Ombudsmen

The Office of Youth and Family Ombudsmen independently reviews and resolves complaints related to child protective services, foster care, and adoption. The office serves individuals, including youth in children services custody, by investigating complaints and offering guidance.

In this position, you will work closely with the staff across the office. This small, flexible team will provide opportunities to engage in constituent-centered outreach, strategic stakeholder engagement, and systemwide review of children services practice and public policy.

• Advance outreach priorities aimed to expand public knowledge of the Foster Youth Bill of Rights and support services offered by the Youth Ombudsman.
• Advance outreach priorities aimed to expand public knowledge of the Resource Family Bill of Rights and support services offered by the Family Ombudsman.
• Develop a social media education campaign; write copy and create graphics within brand standards.
• Collaborate with the ODJFS Office of Communications to execute the social media campaign.
• Collaborate with other organizations invested in child welfare to strategize and work towards shared goals.
• Attend a United States Ombudsman Association (USOA) Children and Family Chapter Meeting.
• Organize and provide presentations on Foster Youth Bill of Rights and/or the Resource Family Bill of Rights.
• Support the Resource Manager in public and private agency leader outreach.
• Attend a Youth Advisory Board meeting with the Youth Ombudsman or Assistant Youth Ombudsman.
• Conduct research of applicable administrative and revised code to inform investigative strategy on complaints.
• Shadow ombudsman staff on an investigative call or meeting.

• Introduction to Public Service
• Ethical and Professional Behavior
• Diversity and Difference
• Children Services System:
  Policy and Practice
• Ombudsman Standards and Best Practices
• Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect
• Legal Framework
• Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
• Stakeholder Engagement

One academic year, August 2026 – May 2027.

8‑10 hours per week, Monday‑Friday. Hours must be worked between 8 AM – 5 PM.

This position will be headquartered in an ODJFS Facility in one of the following cities:
Columbus, Akron, or Dayton. The determination will be based on proximity to the applicant’s home address.

• Columbus:
Rhodes State Officer Tower – 30 E. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215

• Akron: 172 S. Broadway Street, Akron, OH 44308

• Dayton: 6680 Poe Avenue, Dayton, OH 45414

Occasional travel within the state of Ohio.

• Interest in the fields of child protection, trauma-informed care, public policy, strategic communications, and system evaluation.
• Upper‑class undergraduate or graduate student.
• Lived experience in the children services system.

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited college or university and in good academic standing (proof of enrollment required upon selection).
• Completed one academic year of college.
• At least 18 years old at the start of employment.

Hourly rate is based on a student’s academic year, verified through unofficial transcripts, with progressive increments over time.

• Undergraduate (UG) Freshman: $14.00
• UG Sophomore: $16.00
• UG Junior: $18.00
• UG Senior+: $20.00
• Graduate 1: $22.00
• Graduate 2+: $24.00