Community Family Advocates

Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison – OCYF 

Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) 
Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) 

Position Overview 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison for the Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF), serves as the principal strategic bridge between OCYF and the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Family Division and Orphan’s Court. 

Under the authority of the OCYF Deputy Director, this position leads cross-system strategy, policy development, quality assurance, and practice alignment to improve legal outcomes for children and families, reduce unnecessary court involvement, and ensure that OCYF’s legal positions are consistent, equitable, data-informed, and legally sound. 

This is a senior leadership role that combines systems reform, policy strategy, stakeholder convening, data oversight, and managerial responsibility. The position operates with substantial autonomy and represents OCYF in high-level legal and interagency forums. 

I. Duties and Responsibilities 

A. Cross-System Strategy and Partnership Leadership 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Lead and steward strategic partnerships with the Family Division, Orphan’s Court, County Solicitor, dependency attorneys, and community legal partners to align legal practice, reduce unnecessary court involvement, and improve permanency and safety outcomes for children and families. 

• Develop and propose pre-petition diversion models, alternative legal pathways, and policy reforms — including recommended legislative changes — to reduce system penetration and racial disproportionality in dependency filings. 

• Serve as OCYF’s primary representative in cross-system legal planning initiatives. 

B. Countywide Court Presentation Model 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Design, implement, and maintain a countywide OCYF Court Presentation Model that standardizes how recommendations are developed, documented, and communicated to the Court via the County Solicitor in dependency, termination, and adoption cases. 

• Ensure all recommendations are: 

• Evidence-informed 

• Equity-centered 

• Consistent across regions 

• Legally defensible 

• Clearly tied to child safety and permanency outcomes 

C. Family Drug Court Design and Implementation 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Lead the design, planning, and implementation of a Family Drug Court model for OCYF-involved families in Allegheny County Family Division. 

• Develop eligibility criteria, practice protocols, cross-agency agreements, and performance measures in collaboration with judicial and legal partners. 

D. Data, Tracking, and Analytics 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Oversee the development of a system to track: 

• Entry into dependency 

• Legal pathways 

• Case duration 

• Court outcomes 

• Racial and geographic disparities 

• Partner with DHS Analytics to produce quarterly reports for OCYF leadership and the Court. 

• Use data to inform policy recommendations and continuous quality improvement. 

E. Crossover Systems Coordination 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Lead cross-system coordination on dependency matters intersecting with: 

• Juvenile Delinquency 

• Custody 

• Paternity 

• Protection from Abuse 

• Criminal, Civil, and Magistrate Court 

• Develop written protocols to clarify roles, reduce duplication, and prevent conflicting court orders. 

F. Step-Down and Prevention Strategy 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Develop and implement a countywide step-down framework for families exiting court supervision that connects them to prevention services, community supports, and voluntary services to reduce re-entry into the child welfare system. 

G. Senior Policy Advisory Role 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Serve as a senior policy advisor to the: 

• DHS Executive Director 

• OCYF Deputy Director 

• OCYF Assistant Deputy Director 

• Lead policy revisions related to: 

• Court practice 

• Permanency planning 

• Reasonable efforts findings 

• Family engagement 

• Legal risk management 

H. Supervision and Management 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Directly supervise and manage OCYF legal support staff, including: 

• Legal Liaison(s) 

• SWAN Paralegal program 

• Court documentation team (if applicable) 

• Oversee performance evaluations, workload management, and professional development planning. 

I. Stakeholder and Legal Partner Coordination 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Serve as OCYF’s primary liaison to: 

• Assistant County Solicitors 

• KIDS Voice 

• Juvenile Law Project 

• Conflict Counsel 

• Public Defender 

• District Attorney 

• CASA 

• Convene quarterly cross-system meetings to resolve practice conflicts and align policy. 

J. Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison will: 

• Lead Quality Assurance for all OCYF court-related work, including: 

• Petition quality 

• Permanency documentation 

• Reasonable efforts findings 

• Court compliance with timelines 

• Develop corrective action plans when gaps are identified. 

II. Level of Supervision 

The Senior Court & Systems Strategy Liaison operates with a high degree of autonomy, exercises independent judgment on complex legal and policy matters, and represents OCYF in cross-system forums. 

Work is reviewed through standing leadership meetings; the position is accountable for measurable system outcomes related to court performance, equity, and permanency. 

III. Qualifications 

A. Education 

• Master’s degree preferred in one of the following: 

• Social Work (MSW) 

• Public Administration (MPA) 

• Public Policy (MPP) 

• Law (JD) 

• Criminal Justice 

• Related field 

• Bachelor’s degree required in Social Work, Sociology, Criminal Justice, or related field. 

B. Experience 

• Minimum 7 years of experience in one or more of the following: 

• Child welfare 

• Family court 

• Dependency law 

• Juvenile justice 

• Systems reform 

• Preferred experience with: 

• Allegheny County Family Division 

• Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families 

• Program design, policy reform, or diversion models 

C. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

The ideal candidate will demonstrate: 

• Expertise in child welfare law and dependency court processes 

• Strong systems thinking and policy development skills 

• Ability to convene diverse stakeholders and resolve conflict 

• Experience using data to inform policy and practice 

• Commitment to equity and reducing racial disparities 

• Strong written and oral communication skills 

• Ability to manage staff and lead complex initiatives 

IV. Key Performance Measures  

Success in this role will be measured by: 

• Reduced unnecessary dependency filings 

• Improved permanency timelines 

• Reduced racial disparities in court outcomes 

• Improved quality of court documentation 

• Stronger cross-system coordination