State Youth Ombudsman; Administrator IV

Introduction

When you join the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS), you join a team of more than 5,000 employees across the state dedicated to positively changing the lives of more than 1 million Marylanders each year. We do this by providing economic support, preventive services, and caring for children and adults. We aim to deliver services so that we more quickly meet the needs of the people we serve.

At DHS, we grapple with hard questions to find new ways to foster a culture of bold innovation. We do this to ensure that in Maryland, we leave no one behind.

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MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES SOCIAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 25 S. CHARLES STREET BALTIMORE, MD 21201

Pursuant to Chapter 158 of the Acts of 2026 (House Bill 980 / Kanaiyah's Law), this high-level professional administrative and legal advocacy position serves as the State Foster Youth Ombudsman for youth experiencing out-of-home care statewide. Housed within the SSA Office of Family Advocacy, the incumbent operates with statutory independence to serve as a neutral, objective advocate for youth, caregivers, guardians, resource parents, and adoptive parents interacting with the Department of Human Services (DHS) and Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS).

The primary purpose of this role is to enforce accountability and transparency within the state's child welfare infrastructure. The incumbent independently investigates complex complaints regarding the rights and safety of youth in out-of-home care, resolves systemic and individual service delivery gaps, interprets statutory obligations, and delivers executive-level recommendations directly to SSA and DHS leadership to drive statewide operational and policy improvements.

Executes all duties, investigations, and reporting mandates in strict accordance with the statutory requirements of House Bill 980 (Kanaiyah's Law). Investigates complex, high-profile complaints and alleged violations concerning the rights, placement conditions, and safety of youth experiencing out-of-home care across all 24 Maryland jurisdictions. Conducts Independent Fact-Finding Reviews to evaluate whether actions taken by LDSS or contractual providers conform to federal and state laws, COMAR regulations, SSA policies, and established child welfare practice standards.

Provides Authoritative Legal and Technical Expertise regarding child welfare, juvenile court jurisdiction, out-of-home placement restrictions (including the statutory ban on unlicensed settings), custody/guardianship matters, and due process appeal rights. Establishes and Leads Statewide Outreach Strategies designed to inform youth in foster care, kinship caregivers, attorneys, and advocacy groups of the Ombudsman’s role, responsibilities, and mechanism for submitting direct complaints. Engages Directly with Youth experiencing out-of-home care to ensure their voices, lived experiences, and rights actively inform SSA programmatic improvements and statutory recommendations.

Directs the Management and Tracking of the statewide Ombudsman case portfolio, ensuring precise, legally secure documentation of all inquiries, case activities, and final resolutions. Performs Advanced Data and Trend Analysis to identify recurring systemic deficiencies, regional operational patterns, or gaps in service delivery that negatively impact youth stability. Authors and Edits legally mandated annual, quarterly, and ad hoc public reports detailing Ombudsman activities, case statistics, compliance metrics, and actionable policy or statutory recommendations for the Secretary, the Governor, and the General Assembly.

Applicants must meet all minimum (and selective)…