Cottage Enrichment Resource Assistant (Intake Unit)At — Orangewood Children and Family Center

The primary focus of the internship at Orangewood Children and Family Center is to learn and provide support at the Intake Unit. The OCFC Intake Unit is the first stop a child makes after being brought into protective custody by either a Social Worker, Law Enforcement, or Judge. The Intake Unit staff are responsible for making initial contact with the youth, communicate with the Social Worker or Law Enforcement and then process and rout all the necessary court documents. After an extensive training program, the intern is going to assist in the process an initial petition for custody and will be assisting the Intake staff. This will be an amazing opportunity to learn about the process of protective custody and interacting with Social Workers and Law Enforcement. the secondary opportunity during this internship is to gain experience and learn new skills in working with school age and early teenage girls and boys, specifically in the area of enrichment. OCFC is a youth shelter that maintains primary care and supervision of children that fall under the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 300. Many of our school age and early teenage girls and boys have not yet recognized a positive role model in their lives or identified educational goals. The primary objective of the Enrichment Program is to provide ongoing exposure to the following: positive role models, assistance in meeting educational and professional goals and any extracurricular resources that could help build confidence.  The Enrichment Program will assist the children in navigating the Orange County Independent Living Program (ILP) and ensure that they are familiar with the resources available to them as they reach their teenage years.

Training:

All interns will receive a one day (4-hour) training/orientation that includes SSA Policy Review, Program and Basic Information. In addition, all interns will attend the Intake training that will be preformed during their regular shifts at intake.  
Interns will be assigned to a supervisor to ensure their work is completed and they are following all County and SSA policies.

Learning Outcome:

The OCFC Inter will learn many of the laws and regulations regarding the County of Orange Social Services Agency and the Welfare and Institution Code (WIC) 300. This is specifically the housing of children in a Child Welfare Placement.
The OCFC Intern will learn to identify and connect the children who are part of the child welfare system with necessary services.
The OCFC Intern will interact with youth who have been impacted by child abuse and the trauma they are experiencing.

The interns that complete the OCFC internship program will be able to identify the the difference between a child's chronological age and developmental age. The intern will learn that a child's chronological age and developmental age are not always or necessarily matched and one must take a different approach in providing care and counseling.