The Children’s Division – Leadership & Professional Development Unit is seeking candidates for the position of Legal Aspects Trainer. Base for this position is dependent on the applicant selected and office capacity. Daily supervision for this position will be provided by the Deputy Chief Special Counsel for Training. Oversight and approval of all legal policy decisions, training curricula, training materials and training programs will be provided by the General Counsel of the Department of Social Services or his/her designee. Statewide travel will be required to provide training across all regions. This training position is needed to perform a variety of training duties including, but not limited to, the development and delivery of training programs pertaining to core legal issues for new and existing CD and DLS staff, regional or circuit specific training, consultation with clinical and supervisory staff who are assisting with on the job training activities, serving as a representative on agency policy review and training committees, and participating in collaborative partnership projects with other agencies on training issues. The individual in the position shall not provide legal advice and/or representation to the Children’s Division. This is professional and technical work conducting pre-service and in-service legal issues training and assisting in the development and implementation of training programs for a state agency. The person in this position will be expected to prepare and present pre-service and in-service training to CD personnel on legal issues relating to child welfare practice. If other persons are involved as trainers, this person will coordinate that involvement. The person in this position will review and approve all training programs and curricula provided to CD and contracted case management staff to make certain that it is consistent with current law. All curricula, training reviews and training materials developed and/or used by this person will be developed in consultation with the Division of Legal Services and reviewed and approved by the Division of Legal Services prior to presentation. The person filling this position shall not provide legal advice and/or representation to the Children’s Division or advice or representation on legal issues. He/she shall not represent the Division or the Department in court or before any administrative tribunals. All requests for legal advice and/or representation shall be referred to the Division of Legal Services. The person in this position will, with consultation with the Division of Legal Services, serve as a CD training liaison with Office of State Court Administrator (OSCA) and work to increase joint training events between CD staff, DLS attorneys, juvenile officers, law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, contracted case management staff and juvenile court judges. The person in this position will be expected to maintain excellent relationships with Department of Social Services staff and other stakeholders in the juvenile justice system, including: judges, Courts, OSCA, Juvenile Officers, Guardians ad litem, CASA programs, Child Advocacy Center Programs, law enforcement agencies, Prosecuting Attorneys and contracted case management agencies. The applicant must have successfully graduated from an accredited law school and must be a member in good standing of the Missouri Bar. Preference for the applicant to have a minimum of 5 years of experience handling cases in juvenile court in the State of Missouri involving child abuse/neglect, juvenile court law and procedures in the state of Missouri, family law and termination of parental rights. The applicant must have excellent communications skills, experience and demonstrated skill in effectively developing and presenting training materials regarding legal issues to CD employees and other stakeholders in the child welfare system. Interested applicants will be asked to prepare and present a 15 minute training presentation as part of the interview. Applicants should bring any necessary materials & equipment needed to do the presentation. The State of Missouri offers an excellent benefits package that includes a defined pension plan, generous amounts of leave and holiday time, and eligibility for health insurance coverage. Your total compensation is more than the dollars you receive in your paycheck. To help demonstrate the value of working for the State of Missouri, we have created an interactive Total Compensation Calculator. This tool provides a comprehensive view of benefits and more that are offered to prospective employees. The Total Compensation Calculator and other applicant resources can be found here. CD-HR@dss.mo.gov