Summer 2012 Internships- 5 Positions Available

Purpose of Internships at CSSP

• To provide interns with work experiences by contributing to one or more of CSSP’s areas of work
• To expose interns to learning opportunities regarding systems reform, public policy and community change
• To support interns to apply skills learned from college and graduate school to policy and practice work

Organization Overview

For more than 30 years, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), a nonpartisan Washington, D.C. nonprofit, has been working with state and federal policymakers and communities across the country. Focused on public policy, research and technical assistance, CSSP's mission is to create new ideas and promote public policies that produce equal opportunities and better futures for all children and families, especially those most often left behind.

Using data, extensive community experience and a focus on results, CSSP’s work covers several broad areas, including promoting public policies that strengthen vulnerable families; mobilizing a national network to prevent child abuse and promote optimal development for young children; assisting tough neighborhoods with the tools needed to help parents and their children succeed; educating residents to be effective consumers securing better goods and services; reforming child welfare systems; and promoting, through all its work, an even playing field for children of all races, ethnicities and income levels.

General Information

• Internships are unpaid, though a stipend may be available based on funding availability.
• The application period closes March 30, 2012.
• Internship areas: Public Policy, Neighborhood Investment, Child Welfare (2), Constituents Co-invested in Change

Public Policy Internship
CSSP seeks an intern that is available to work full or part-time on the policy team to help support its work on public policy. The public policy intern will participate as a member of a team charged which helping federal and state elected officials develop policies and funding to achieve better results for children and families; including PolicyforResults.org, a leading national resource for result-based policy and funding strategies. The position offers the opportunity to explore a wide range of policy issues, including child welfare, poverty, health care, higher education, and economic policy. The participant will have the chance to sharpen research and writing skills while working with a dedicated and rigorous staff. He or she will also have an opportunity to learn about the public policy process by attending internal strategy meetings, hearings on Capitol Hill and with partner organizations, as well as exposure to local government. The candidate will also assist with research, writing and PolicyforResults.org content update. Click here for more information on CSSP’s public policy work.

All applicants must:

• Currently be pursuing a graduate degree in public policy, social policy or a related field, or pursuing an undergraduate degree with experience in public policy development and analysis
• Have a demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of CSSP
• Possess strong analytical skills and the ability to communicate orally and in written form
• Understand public policy at the state and federal level

Additional qualifications: Some content management system experience is preferred.

Specific duties may include:

• Conducting policy research
• Assisting in the preparation of reports
• Website maintenance and updates
• Social media activities (blog, Facebook, Twitter)

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and writing sample, no later than March 30, 2012, to:

The Center for the Study of Social Policy
c/o Megan Martin
1575 Eye Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
megan.martin@cssp.org with the subject line “Public Policy Intern”

Neighborhood Investment Internship
CSSP seeks an intern to be part of the Neighborhood Investment Team, which provides technical assistance and support to communities working to build the infrastructure and capacity needed to achieve, bring to scale, and sustain better results for all children and families. For more information about CSSP’s Community Change work and Neighborhood Investment work.

Specific duties may include:

• Tracking fiscal and public policy developments at the federal, state and/or local levels that could impact neighborhood based community change efforts;
• Conducting research related to improving outcomes for children and families through innovative policy and financing strategies at the neighborhood level; and
• Assisting in the preparation of reports and other written content, such as fact sheets, white papers and blog content.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and writing sample, no later than March 30, 2012, to:

The Center for the Study of Social Policy
c/o Kirstin Noe
1575 Eye Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Kirstin.Noe@cssp.org

Child Welfare Internships (2)
CSSP seeks two (2) interns, one for our New York office and one for our Washington, D.C. office, to help carry out our child welfare work focused on improving outcomes for all children and families at risk of, or already involved with, child protection systems. This work may include assisting state and local child welfare agencies to work more effectively with families and community stakeholders, striving to reduce racial disparities that contribute to poor outcomes for minority children in the care of child welfare agencies, helping states use class-action litigation as a less adversarial tool to bring about positive change in child welfare systems and analyzing and recommending improvements to state and national child welfare policies, practices and accountability systems. For more information about CSSP’s systems reform work.

Specific duties may include:

• Conducting research on implementation strategies for YouthThrive, a research-based framework for promoting healthy development and well-being for adolescents involved with child welfare systems.
• Supporting technical assistance approaches for sites participating in the Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care National Learning Network.
• Participating as a member of a team charged with monitoring child welfare system performance through in-depth analysis of data (quantitative and qualitative), policies and practices, case record reviews, and interviews with agency leaders, workers and stakeholders.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and writing sample, no later than March 30, 2012, to:

New York City
The Center for the Study of Social Policy
c/o Myra Soto
50 Broadway, Suite 1504
New York, NY 10004
myra.soto@cssp.org

 

Washington, D.C.

The Center for the Study of Social Policy

c/o Kristen Weber

1575 Eye Street, NW, Suite 500

Washington, DC 20005

kristen.weber@cssp.org

 

Constituents Co-invested in Change Internship

CSSP seeks a graduate intern to support the Constituents Co-Invested in Change portfolio of work, which develops strategies to ensure that the perspective of customers, clients, parents, and residents are linked directly to informing and monitor the effectiveness of community change, policy change and system change efforts. Creating opportunities for communities to build their capacity and influence to leverage measureable change is essential to our interest in improving results for children and families in the communities that they live, work and worship. CSSP’s constituency focus is an investment strategy that places a premium on authentic and real time input from end users through its Customer Satisfaction, community decision making and community partnership and neighborhood revitalization work. For more information about CSSP’s Community Change work.

 

All applicants must:

• Have a post graduate degree
• Be willing to work in the Washington, DC.
• Have strong writing and analytical skills
• Have an interest in action based research, work with and in local neighborhood communities, and a commitment to the mission and values of CSSP.

Candidates interested in pursuing a career in social policy, community change or community building are encouraged to apply. Qualified applicants should a cover letter, resume and brief writing sample, no later than March 30, 2012, to:

The Center for the Study of Social Policy
c/o Phyllis R Brunson, Associate Director,
1575 Eye Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
 Phyllis.brunson@cssp.org