Volunteer & Internship Opportunities
Update: Our Direct Services internship program is at capacity through Summer 2023. We have no vacancies for this coming fall or spring for interns in client-facing roles. If you are seeking a future internship please scroll to our internship section below to learn more about our program requirements.
Volunteers and interns play a vital role to the work we do at The Center for Family Justice and are part of a collaborative effort to bring hope and healing to adults and children impacted by domestic and sexual violence and child abuse.
Because of the nature of the work with do with clients impacted by trauma, CFJ requires a high level of training and commitment for many of its volunteer roles.
CFJ has two levels of volunteerism which include:
Certified Volunteers
Our certified volunteers have successfully completed a state-required 40-hour course on the dynamics of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse.
This course, which CFJ offers each September, January and June, provides an overview of the services we provide at CFJ as well as the impact trauma can have on the victims and survivors who seek our help.
Certified volunteers are the only CFJ volunteers who may have direct, one-on-one contact with our clients. Often, certified volunteers participate in an additional period of training under staff supervision before they assume independent client interaction.
Our current certified volunteer opportunities include:
- Staffing our Crisis Reception Front Desk
- Working with our walk-in crisis clients.
- Working with our Court Advocacy Team supporting clients in State Superior Court.
- Providing child care during support group meetings.
Note: All of the above roles require weekday availability between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Non-Certified Volunteers
Non-certified volunteers are not obligated to complete the same training as our certified volunteers, but are required to undergo background checks and have a screening interview.
Our non-certified volunteers often help us with tasks which can include:
- Pitching in at key fundraising events including our annual Golf Classic, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraising and awareness walk and Speaking of Women luncheon.
- Serving as a member of one of administrative advisory committees including Finance, Sustainability, PR & Marketing and Programming as well as our White Ribbon Task Force, an initiative which works to engage men and boys in the efforts to end gender-based violence.
- Helping with administrative tasks including data entry, copying, organizing and mail preparation in our Development Office.
- Supporting the private practice attorneys working in our Justice Legal Center with research and administrative tasks.
- Helping us staff information tables at community outreach events.
Please note the majority the above volunteer opportunities are available on weekdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
For questions about current volunteer opportunities please email Julie Banks at JBanks@CenterforFamilyJustice.org.
Note: (Please call our Domestic or Sexual Violence hotlines if you are in crisis. Call 203-384-9559 for Domestic Violence and 203-333-2233 for Sexual Violence.)
Internships
Direct Services Internship
Kayte Cwikla-Masas, CFJ’s Director of Youth & Adult Services, serves as CFJ’s Direct Services Internship Coordinator.
Because of the structure of our program, the majority of our interns are typically placed for a full academic year and span the traditional fall and spring semesters or two consecutive semesters, such as summer/fall.
CFJ often works with interns who are studying in majors including social work, psychology, criminal justice and pre-law, although we consider students from many academic disciplines. CFJ’s internships are unpaid and offered for college credit only.
Any intern offered role in which they engage directly with our clients is required to attend CFJ’s 40-hour certification training. Our next session is scheduled for June 2022.
To inquire about internships and certification training, please submit a resume and brief cover letter elaborating on your interest in CFJ’s mission to Kayte at kcwikla@CenterforFamilyJustice.org. Please let us know if you are bilingual as we have many opportunities for Spanish-speaking candidates.
We encourage intern prospects to reach out at least six months before the semester for which they are seeking placement.
Legal Internships
CFJ often welcomes current law school students to join us as interns supporting our Pro Bono Legal Center, which provides free legal services to our clients impacted by domestic and sexual violence. This is a wonderful opportunity to work with our staff attorneys and engage in social justice-focused legal service and training.
To inquire about these internships please reach out to our Director of Civil Legal & Court Advocacy Services Angela Schlingheyde, J.D. at ASchlingheyde@CenterforFamilyJustice.org.
Other Ways to Help!
If you want to support CFJ, but don’t have time to commit to a regular volunteer role there are many ways to be of service to our clients and mission.
They include:
- Organizing gift card, snack and toiletry drives or holiday donations for our clients.
- Pitching in at one of our fundraising events including our annual Speaking of Women luncheon in September, our Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event in April and our Golf Classic in June.
- Organizing a team to walk in our annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
- Joining one of CFJ’s many standing committees which advise our staff on event planning, fundraising, marketing and other administrative tasks.
- Attending our annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month vigils held each October.
