Education Advisor; Marion, IL EXTENDED

Position Summary, Requirements, and Qualifications

The Center for Child Welfare and Education ( CCWE ) at NIU , an Illinois Board of Higher Education ( IBHE ) center, promotes equity by connecting the university, state government, communities, and families. CCWE advances better outcomes for vulnerable populations through policy development, services that foster educational success, and stable family structures. CCWE also trains educators and social workers to improve equitable service delivery and provides data to help youth and families access opportunities to succeed.

The Marion, IL Education Advisor position will support the DCFS Marion Regional Office and children in foster care attending school in this area, furthering CCWE’s mission to improve well-being and outcomes for vulnerable families.

This position is Full time and will be working in Marion, IL; required to commute and work in Marion, IL.

The Education Advisor is responsible for providing the following: educational technical assistance to resolve individual youth issues, planning for youth’s educational needs to be identified and addressed, interdisciplinary training to build capacity in the field for meeting educational needs of youth in care, partnership development between and among educational institutions, child welfare agencies, and other organizations that impact youth in care, and systems intervention and strategic planning.

• Guides caregivers, youth in care, education personnel, child welfare professionals in Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Purchase of Service (POS) agencies, POS education liaisons, court personnel, community agencies in their roles in the intervention and resolution of educational issues.
• Resolves issues that affect the education of individual youth involved within the Illinois foster care system.
• Provides consultation on handling educational issues.
• Provides direction, support and resources in assessing and dealing with the youths’ educational needs to youth, caregivers and professionals including: child welfare caseworkers and administrators, school and district personnel (teachers, administrators, social workers, etc.), Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Guardian ad Litem (GAL), POS education liaisons, attorneys, community providers, etc.

• Engages in planning to ensure appropriate educational services for youth.
• Develops intervention plans to address behaviors that mitigate school engagement and educational achievement.
• Provides strategic education planning for youth relocating to new schools and/or school districts.
• Develops and coordinates appropriate education plans for children and youth transitioning from one education level to another (preschool, elementary, secondary and post‑secondary).
• Advocates for youth’s best educational interests in school planning teams, such as Individualized Education Programs, 504 Plans, etc.
• Provides educational expertise in non‑school planning teams such as Clinical Intervention Placement Preservation (CIPP), child and family teams, etc.
• Provides other guidance and recommendations to navigate educational issues and develop appropriate plans.
• Initiates and sustains collaborative relationships with local school staff and administrators and school district personnel that facilitate educational advocacy on behalf of youth in care.
• Promotes communication and fosters collaboration between caregivers and school.
• Fosters collaboration between caseworkers and school around youth’s education.
• Develops and implements collaborations to address the education of youth in care between DCFS and representatives from other state agencies (such as the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)), and between DCFS and medical facilities, community organizations, etc., as needed.
• Collaborates with early intervention and early childhood to provide successful interventions, resources, and enrollment for children in care.
• Supports DCFS in its efforts to monitor and improve educational outcomes through collaboration with DCFS administrators, Administrative Case…