Internships

Behavioral Health Services 

We are currently no longer accepting new interns for behavioral health, mental health, substance abuse, and counseling programs. All of those slots have been filled at this time. Please check back.

Permanency Program 

Adoption

Interns would have hands-on experience doing tasks regarding various aspects of adoptions, which include the following:

• Child profiles are a comprehensive summary of the child’s life history, current functioning and special needs.  The profile can assist in choosing a resource family, provide youth with information about their birth family, and summarize the sequence of their time in out-of-home care.
• Child preparation is a service used to process a child/youth’s transition to permanent placement and the core subjects of grief and loss, abandonment, identity, control, loyalty, attachment, and shame that relate to out-of-home placement. Child prep utilizes activities, books and talking to create a lifebook. This lifebook is used to help the child understand their placement and future permanency options.  
• Child Specific Recruitment (CSR) is a service utilized to help identify and develop connections for older youth as they transition to young adulthood. 
• Post-permanency services are used to help families address needs and concerns that have occurred after permanency.
• Adoption finalization is a service used to help a family prepare for an adoption. 

Older Child Matching Initiative (OCMI)/Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) program internships include an in-depth orientation of each program along with observation and mentorship. Interns will also experience various types of recruitment activities, including, though not limited to, different types of matching events, as well as helping to plan and execute a matching event, engage with diligent search, and learn the basics of child-specific and child-focused models of recruitment.  Interns will also work with others to help prepare youth for their permanency resources.  Advanced placements will also evaluate current practices and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the micro, mezzo and macro levels.

Foster Care 

Interns would have the opportunity to observe a case manager and/or a supervisor with the following activities:

1. Home Visits: Monthly check-ins with the youth and foster family. These will also include a safety assessment each month.
2. Individual Permanency Service Plan – Creation, review and implementation of the plan for the individual youth.
3. Court hearings – Observe periodic legal check-ins at the county level.
4. Assist with file reviews in preparation for licensing.
5. Assist with any current projects that are happening with the team.

Recruitment 

Interns would have the opportunity to observe a family development specialist and/or supervisor with the following activities:

1. Attending recruitment events
2. Home visits with prospective foster parents and/or emergency caregivers
3. Assist with file reviews in preparation for licensing
4. Assist with any current projects that are happening with the team 

Family Finding and Family Engagement

Interns would have the opportunity to observe a case manager and/or supervisor with the following activities:

1. Family connections exploration
2. Assisting with family member searches
3. Attending family meetings

Agency-Wide Opportunities

Interns may have the opportunity to observe the Regional Director in the following activities:

1. Community engagement 
2. Observe meetings with external partners
3. Attend foster family support groups/trainings
4. Assist with any current projects that are happening within the region

Ministry Support

Corporate Communications

This is a three-month internship, 10 hours per week. Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and any relevant writing samples or portfolio (if available) to Kindallm@diakon.org. Please include "Communications Internship Application" in the subject line.

Responsibilities:

• Create engaging content for various platforms, including social media, newsletters and advertising.
• Research industry trends, media outlets and competitor activities to support communication efforts.
• Assist in managing social media accounts, including content scheduling, monitoring and engagement.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure consistency in messaging and branding across all communication channels.

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Creative thinking and the ability to generate innovative ideas.
• Proficiency in social media platforms.
• Experience with content creation tools and graphic design software is a plus.
• Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Benefits:

• Hands-on experience in a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
• Mentorship and guidance from experienced professionals in the field.
• Flexibility to allow interns to balance their academic commitments or other responsibilities while gaining valuable work experience.
• Valuable on-the-job training and experience to add to an intern's resume.