Introduction
Join a dedicated team leading USAID’s efforts to promote, fund, and support the most vulnerable children who are, or are at risk of, living outside of family care by promoting, funding, and supporting nurturing, loving, protective, and permanent family care.
What you'll do
USAID’s Children in Adversity team coordinates implementation of the “Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity – A U.S. Government Strategy for International Assistance 2019-2023. Working around three core pillars - 1) Build Strong Beginnings; 2) Put Family First; and 3) Protect Children from Violence - the second objective works to strengthen the social service workforce, prevent family separation and reunify children to family.
An intern will be of great value in helping to support the second pillar - Put Family First.
A child thrives when surrounded by consistent, nurturing, loving, and protective care from parents and other family caregivers. This provides a foundation necessary for a child to develop essential, life-long intellectual, social, and physical capacities. Having a positive relationship with a parent or other caring adult family members is a consistent protective factor for children against a variety of negative health and social outcomes. A family provides critically important connections for cultural learning, social integration, and economic opportunities, as well as support in difficult times.
The integrity of a family is threatened if it cannot meet the basic needs of its children. Challenges such as extreme poverty; inadequate access to education, health, and basic social services; armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies; violence; alcohol and substance abuse; and inadequate support to address disabilities can cause children to enter residential care settings; live on the street; or leave them vulnerable to exploitation, including human trafficking. Particular attention needs to be provided to children with disabilities who are over-represented in residential care settings, and are even more vulnerable to violence than other children in these settings. Disability considerations should be a core part of all care reform and services that aim to prevent family-child separation and support the placement of children back into their families or other family care.
The social service workforce is a critical element to support vulnerable children and families and strengthening the social service workforce is a key priority of the U.S. Government Strategy.
People with lived experience are also central to inform our policies and practices to better serve children at risk of separation or separated from their families. This includes young people with lived experience of the care system, parents and caregivers of children (including foster, kin and adoptive parents) and people with disabilities.
The following activities are envisioned for this internship: Support the council of young people with care experience in close collaboration with the Better Care Network and keep track of deliverables; Support the U.S. Government inter-agency social service workforce including planning monthly meetings and developing resources and communication materials; Work with the Communication Intern for commemorative days including social service workforce week and social workers month communication materials; Support the technical team on activities focused on disability and children at risk of being separated or separated from their families. This includes working closely with the disability inclusive team, conducting research on best practices and organizations of people with disabilities engaged in care reform; Conduct research on relevant topics and develop knowledge management materials; Liaise with USAID technical specialists to draft and edit communications materials (blogs, fact sheets, etc.); Ability to pursue own projects of interest, provide communications recommendations, and contribute creative ideas for how the team can highlight and expand USAID’s social service strengthening and care work; Other activities as assigned.
Students pursuing a degree in human development, social work or other relevant fields or with experience in this area are encouraged to apply.
What you'll learn
Best practices and policies related to care reform, disability inclusive approaches, strengthening the social service workforce and engaging people with lived experience.
Skills: Editing and Proofreading, Writing, Research, Marketing, Social Work
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Virtual Student Federal Service, you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be a high school graduate enrolled in a degree-seeking program in an accredited college or university
- Be an Undergraduate, Graduate, or Doctorate Student for the duration of the internship/academic year
- A student is an individual who is enrolled in a degree-seeking program in an accredited college or university
- An individual is still considered a student if he/she has been out of school, between semesters or school years, for not more than five (5) months and has plans to return to school within five (5) months or less
- An individual enrolled in school and receiving credit toward their degree for participating in the Student Internship Program is also considered a student
- A student must be returning to school immediately following the internship in order to qualify for the program. In addition, the student must attach an official or unofficial transcript to their application confirming current student status.
- You are eligible to apply for this program if you have not yet completed your registration at a college or university for graduate or post-graduate studies (including law school) or are awaiting an admissions determination for graduate or post-graduate studies (including law school). However, if selected for an internship, you must provide proof that you have registered, or have been accepted for enrollment for studies in the semester or quarter immediately following the internship before you can begin your internship.
Who we are
USAID’s Children in Adversity Team, within the current Inclusive Development Hub of the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI), coordinates the whole-of-Government response to Public Law 109-95, the Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005, and houses the U.S. Government Special Advisor on Children in Adversity. The Special Advisor leads U.S. Government Interagency Partners in their implementation of the Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity Strategy. The Center also oversees the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF), which finances programming for vulnerable children worldwide and works actively to identify opportunities for collaboration across sectors. Visit https://www.childreninadversity.gov/ for more information on this important work.