Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant

Description

Goal

Piedmont Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) continues to strive to be a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse organization. Our mission is to best-interest advocacy for children in the courts of the 16^th Judicial District of Virginia. We strive to make sure that every child experiencing possible abuse and/or neglect is safe, has a permanent home, and has the opportunity to thrive. Our vision is to create a community where every child is able to thrive in a safe, healthy, and loving home, and all families and children are treated equitably.

Piedmont CASA seeks an experienced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Consultant to work with the staff and Board of Directors on an equity and accessibility audit.

About Piedmont CASA

In 1995, Piedmont CASA started with two Volunteers serving two children. Since then, we have trained more than 770 Volunteers who have served nearly 2300 children. For 28 years, Piedmont CASA Volunteers have been helping to ensure that the social, mental, and physical needs of abused and neglected children and youth are met. We work to improve the lives of children and youth who have been placed in the foster care system due to allegations of abuse and neglect.

Data shows that without proper intervention, these children often suffer a lifetime of mental and physical health and social problems. PCASA Volunteers work to ensure that our kids get the care and support they need to avoid these outcomes.

Children with CASAs receive more help while system involved, to include medical care and educational support. They spend less time in court and find safe, permanent homes faster than those children without such help. Research also shows that CASA kids have more hope. When kids have hope, they have greater academic success, enhanced well-being, increased self-control, and optimism – tools they need to change their story.

The “Bridges to Success for Older Youth in Foster Care” program was created and developed by Piedmont CASA in 2017. We now have three Bridges Coaches on our professional staff, who mentor older youth and guide them in developing comprehensive, holistic, and measurable plans for transitioning into self-sufficiency and safe, independent living. From the day they start working with these young people, ideally at age 13, our Bridges Coaches stay with them as long as they are in care and have a CASA Volunteer, up to the age of 21.

Job Duties

Project Description

Piedmont CASA seeks an experienced consultant able to lead us through the next phase of our DEI journey. We expect this consultant to collaborate with the PCASA team to:

• Conduct an accessibility audit of our website, communications, and physical spaces.
  • We are interested in answering the question – Are the ways we communicate and the spaces we inhabit presenting barriers to our services, volunteering, and/or applying for jobs?
• Audit our internal policies and procedures.
  • We are interested in determining:
• Are we creating barriers through the language of our policies and procedures?
• Are we creating barriers through the types of policies and procedures that we have?
• How do we address barriers as we find them?

Skills Required

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who at minimum has these skills and competencies:

• Professional Consultant with proven expertise and hands-on experience in auditing organizations with a focus on equity and accessibility.
• An understanding of organizational management strategies and tools.
• The ability to think deeply about organizational culture and turn that thinking and analysis into actionable plans that can be implemented to achieve measurable success in meeting our diversity, equity, and inclusiveness goals.
• Experience working with small nonprofits or philanthropic institutions.

Work Schedule

Schedule will be decided upon in consultation with Piedmont CASA President and CEO.

Additional Info

Please send RFP responses and inquiries to Kate Duvall at kduvall@pcasa.org with the subject line “DEI RFP Response” by November 15, 2023.

We welcome proposals in the range of $10,000 to $15,000. Please feel free to offer a phased proposal or menu of options.

Please include the following information in your response:

• Describe you/your firm’s capabilities. Specifically, include your experience working with small nonprofits and/or philanthropic institutions, and your ability to provide each of the desired deliverables.
• Provide a project outline and timeline.
• Provide your proposed fee, with detailed information about what expenses will be covered by the fee, and any variable expenses (e.g. travel reimbursement).
• List the principal consultants who will work directly on each component of this project, as well as their qualifications.
• Provide three references from past clients.
• Include any additional information you deem pertinent to consultant selection.