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Jobs
Thank you for visiting the Careers page with CasaHope.org. Below you will see all of the opportunities currently available.
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Hands of Hope Internship
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JOBS
Throughout the year, Casa de Esperanza offers internship opportunities for recent college graduates and other highly qualified young adults to receive valuable work and life experience in the non-profit field of child abuse and neglect. Our internship program aims to recruit and cultivate individuals from many fields and disciplines. These may include social work, education, psychology, medicine, social justice, and non-profit management, to name a few. We offer interns a substantive learning experience that allows them the opportunity to contribute to our work, while at the same time, gaining the knowledge, skills and real life experience they will need to continue in their chosen fields. Interns are integral to the work of the programs for which they are selected.
Hands of Hope Internship
The Residential Program is the backbone of Casa de Esperanza, and at its core are our Hands of Hope Interns. These interns provide graduating levels of care, from temporary emergency placements to long term foster care, depending on the needs of children in placement at any given time. Hands of Hope Interns commit one year of their lives to live and work with these vulnerable children in the Residential Program’s agency foster homes. Responsibilities include primary, daily care of the children, household management, and the coordination of medical appointments, therapy sessions, and transportation. The Hands of Hope Interns will also work in association with case workers, supervisors, psychological staff and community volunteers on a routine basis to ensure that the children in placement receive the highest quality of care possible while residing with Casa de Esperanza.
Internship Calendar and Application
Applications are accepted on a continuing basis throughout the year. There is a minimum one year commitment for all internships. Case Work interns should expect to work no less than 40 hours per week. Hands of Hope Interns working in the Residential Program will live in and function as a family unit providing 24-hour care to children. It is recommended that you submit your application three or more months in advance of your desired start date. Hands of Hope Interns receive one week of vacation following their first six months of service and an additional week for every six months of service completed thereafter. If you would like to be considered for the Hands of Hope internship, please e-mail or send a current resume and cover letter, along with the time frame you are available, to the address listed below.
To begin the application process, please submit the following materials:
(1) A cover letter outlining your interests in a Hands of Hope internship with Casa de Esperanza.
(2) A resume
(3) Your desired start and end dates.
You may send the materials by one of three ways:
Contact Hands of Hope from on our Contact Us Page.
FAX to 713-529-9179 Attn: Lori Hudalla
MAIL to Lori Hudalla Casa de Esperanza PO Box 66581 Houston, TX 77266-6581
Financial Support Information
All of Casa de Esperanza’s internship positions provide a living stipend of $550 per month, housing, health insurance, life insurance, optional dental insurance at the intern’s expense, and an educational stipend upon completion of satisfactory service. Applicants in need of financial aid to support their internship are encouraged to explore potential funding sources through the career services or alumni offices on their college campus. Many colleges offer their students scholarships or stipends to facilitate participation in public interest internships.
Residential Program
The goal of Casa de Esperanza is to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect, one family at a time. Through our comprehensive services, Casa de Esperanza provides hope and healing for children and their families in the Greater Houston area and surrounding counties whose lives have been disrupted by abuse, neglect, homelessness, poverty, substance abuse, parental incarceration and/or HIV-infection. There is only one reason a child ever comes to Casa de Esperanza – because they are not safe. Casa de Esperanza is first and foremost a crisis intervention agency, responding to those urgent situations where children are at risk from injury or abuse, and providing immediate safety and care for these children. The children are newborn to six years of age on admission to the Residential Program but may stay until a safe, permanent home can be provided.
Our homes are located in a safe, enclosed neighborhood near the Texas Medical Center. In addition to quality residential care for the children, caregivers work with professionals on staff and in the community to evaluate and address the needs of each child, including consultations with pediatricians, medical specialists, developmental specialists, therapists, psychologists, school personnel, caseworkers and social service workers.
Hands of Hope Internship
“Hands of Hope” is Casa de Esperanza’s internship program which recruits recent college graduates and other highly qualified young adults who have a desire to help abused, neglected and HIV positive children through volunteer work with our agency. This program brings together an average of 25 people a year from all over the United States to live and work with some of our society’s most vulnerable children. The Residential Program is the backbone of Casa de Esperanza, and at its core are our Hands of Hope Interns. These interns provide graduating levels of care, from temporary emergency placements to long term foster care, depending on the needs of the children in placement at any given time. Hands of Hope Interns commit one year of their lives to live and work with these vulnerable children in the Residential Program’s agency foster homes. Responsibilities include primary, daily care of the children, household management, and the coordination of medical appointments, therapy sessions, and transportation. The Hands of Hope Interns will also work in association with caseworkers, supervisors, psychological staff and community volunteers on a routine basis to ensure that the children in placement receive the highest quality of care possible while residing with Casa de Esperanza. We strive to educate all interns on the importance of early intervention when working with these emotionally and behaviorally challenged, and often medically fragile, children. Casa de Esperanza additionally recruits one Hands of Hope intern to work directly with the casework department. The skills cultivated while participating in the Hands of Hope internship program are excellent life and work experience for individuals pursuing careers in fields such as social work, medicine, psychology, education, public health, non-profit management, and the field of social justice.
Qualifications
• At least 21 years old
• Good general health, with a high energy level, and able to lift 35-40 pounds
• Ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with others
• Willingness to make a one-year commitment
• Flexibility
• Patience
• Valid U.S. Driver's License
• Minimum of a high school diploma or GED
A criminal history and background check of each Hands of Hope Intern will be completed prior to placement with the agency.
Responsibilities
• To feed, clothe, nurture and care for the children placed in your home
• To promote skills to develop healthy attachments
• To participate as a team member in implementing the children's Plan of Service and therapeutic regime
• To complete household duties including, but not limited to: cooking, cleaning, laundry and maintaining the house, and vehicles
• To transport and participate in medical and therapy appointments
• To support the children's primary attachment to biological parents
• To complete all necessary paperwork in a timely manner
• To communicate regularly with supervisors regarding the welfare of the children
• To complete 20 hours of ongoing training annually
• To follow the policies of Casa de Esperanza at all times
Ensuring the safety of the children in placement and meeting their emotional and developmental needs are the primary responsibilities of the Hands of Hope Interns. There is only one reason a child ever comes to Casa de Esperanza – because they are not safe. Almost all children arrive having experienced trauma, neglect or chaos in their short lives. Their need for safety, stability and reassurance is immediate and often intense. The children require a great deal of time, energy and emotional resources from the house parents who live with them. Hands of Hope Interns receive extensive training and consultations with Casa’s professional staff to enhance their abilities to meet the emotional needs of the children in placement.
Living Arrangements
Four Hands of Hope Interns will typically live in an agency foster home with four or five children under the age of six. One of the Interns will be licensed as the foster parent. Together, all four Hands of Hope Interns share responsibility for providing 24-hour care to the children in the home.
Compensation
• Housing
• Monthly stipend
• Health Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Dental insurance available at employee's expense
• Two weeks paid vacation per year
Casa de Esperanza is a member of the Catholic Volunteer Network, an organization that links over 200 domestic and international volunteer programs. Catholic Volunteer Network provides an online search tool to help individuals quickly locate and contact volunteer programs that interest them. For more information, please visit their website at www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org
For more information about becoming a Hands of Hope Intern:
Call (713) 529-0639 -or- contact us. |
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