Summer Internships for Current Scholars
Title: Outcomes Measurement Coordinator
Location: Hartford
Dates: We require a total of 35 hours per week* during our regular office hours (Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM), with the target start date any time after the close of the spring 2021 academic semester, for approximately nine weeks. Internship hours must be completed by September 1st, unless mutually agreed upon by CLC, the summer intern and ASF.
Hours: We are willing to work with the student intern in regards to his or her schedule and availability.
The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut seeks an American Savings Foundation intern for the summer of 2021 to assist with the implementation of its outcome measurement systems, documenting the efficacy of the Children’s Law Line service. The Children’s Law Line is a legal help-line providing information and referrals on topics related to family law and children’s rights. This is an ideal hands-on opportunity for students interested in pursuing careers related to law, social work, children’s issues, advocacy and/or non-profits. Confidentiality is required.
Our system to aid and protect children consists of a maze of agencies, courts, laws and resources that is often overwhelming even to the most experienced advocates, and simply not navigable to those of limited means. The Law Line is designed to be an accessible resource, with the majority of referrals coming from 2-1-1, Infoline, Statewide Legal Services, DCF, courts, attorneys, the internet and word of mouth. In 2020, the Law Line received a total of 757 calls regarding 1,081 children.
To measure the effectiveness of the Law Line, the organization contacts callers who have used the service. The callers are asked a brief series of questions designed to provide feedback regarding their level of satisfaction with the service and the assistance they’ve received. The intern will be fully trained and will be utilizing an established protocol when making phone calls. Interns need not be familiar with family law and will not be expected to dispense legal information to those persons with whom they speak. There will be ample opportunity to learn more about these topics during the course of the internship.
At the end of the research period, the intern will assist in compiling data and will produce a final outcome report of his or her findings, which ultimately will be used to provide data for future grants and programs that require statistical information regarding the Law Line. The report also will help measure the success of the service, indicate areas of improvement, and provide overall assessment of the program.
Safety of CLC staff and interns is paramount and CLC adheres to CT and COVID safety guidelines. As of Jan. 2021, most CLC staff works remotely with restricted public access to our physical office. If anyone is in the office, wearing a mask is required. As a result of COVID, if the intern's work can only be done remotely during the summer, our safety protocols may necessitate reduced summer hours but with an ability to complete the internship hours over a longer period of time (into the fall) with the consent of the intern & ASF. The intern will be able to access a Google drive folder where staff uploads work to be done that would be in addition to the Law Line Outcome measures, once that project has been completed. CLC will be as flexible as possible with the intern to provide work while keeping everyone safe in the process to enable the intern to complete all hours available through the internship.
Though the primary program to be evaluated is the Law Line, some time will be spent measuring outcomes for the Legal Representation program, as well. The Legal Representation Program provides court-appointed legal advocates for impoverished children in family court. The organization’s core program provides legal representation to indigent children in high conflict custody and divorce cases. Cases are often lengthy, contentious and complicated and involve families with compounded problems. This project will include reviewing case files, interacting with staff attorneys and tracking actions taken by the attorneys on behalf of their child clients. Examples include: motions to protect children from domestic violence, relocation out of state, or assisting a family in obtaining mental health services. By tracking these indicators, our organization documents how we mitigate the impact of parental conflict on the child.
Provided the intern stays up to date on assigned projects, the organization will offer other opportunities* to immerse him or her in the work of the Children’s Law Center, including observing trials, “shadowing” attorneys and assisting with development or public relations projects.
Including but not limited to: Criminal Justice, Political Science, Social Work
Interns should have an interest in the project, be reliable and well organized, and have basic computer skills (including the MS Office Suite). The intern’s schedule will be arranged individually around the availability of the professional staff and availability of workstations.