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Opportunity Details
Victim Advocate
About YWCA South Hampton Roads
YWCA South Hampton Roads (YWCA SHR) is the oldest and largest multicultural women’s organization in the world. YWCA SHR is dedicated to the fullness of its mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
Serving approximately 8,000 individuals each year, YWCA SHR is a source of strength, courage and empowerment for women and families facing crisis. We are a community catalyst for meaningful change and the advocate for shaping vital impact through quality services responding to the critical needs of survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence. YWCA SHR works across racial, gender, religious and social lines with organizations-partners in all sectors to educate about disparities, advocate for change and provide resources and tools to dismantle oppressive systems.
YWCA SHR is in the midst of a rapid transformation from a well-established direct service provider for women and families facing crisis to an organization working at the intersection of eliminating racism, empowering women and standing up for social justice, helping families and strengthening our community.
About the Position
Under general supervision of the Victim Advocacy Manager, provides victim advocacy services, victim advocacy accompaniment, legal education, crisis intervention counseling, emotional support, and community referrals to primary and secondary victims of interpersonal violence.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:
Advocacy
- Provide in person and telephone communication with clients providing; crisis intervention counseling, legal victim advocacy, personal safety planning, service planning, and community referrals
- Provide advocacy and accompaniment services during legal proceedings, during law enforcement interviews, at emergency rooms, at local jails, at magistrate offices and during forensic exams to primary and secondary victims of interpersonal violence
Compliance
- Work collaboratively with YWCA staff, law enforcement units, Commonwealth Attorney’s, and Victim Witness staff to provide immediate and ongoing communication regarding clients while maintaining YWCA confidentiality policies
- Maintain documentation of clients’ requests for services, intervention initiatives, service plans, and services provided through the ECM and VADATA systems
Administration
- Act as a resource person for staff. Prepare and deliver in-service programs and training for agency staff, interns and volunteers
- Provide community and allied professional training regarding YWCA services and interpersonal violence, depending on comfortability
- Pursue on-going training and education regarding interpersonal violence, legal issues, community resources and other related topics
- Attend staff meetings and attend related professional activities as assigned
- Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
Interns Only: Currently enrolled in an Associates, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program in Human Services or a related discipline.
Minimum Requirements
- Must successfully pass a criminal background check
- Must complete the YWCA SHR Onboarding and Advanced Training Program
- Non-judgmental attitude, sensitive to confidential information.
- Must be able to work independently, manage multiple priorities and respond to participants in a professional and reassuring manner.
- Demonstrate ability to act as an advocate on behalf of clients with a working knowledge of legal, medical, and social service systems.
- Must be able to function as a team with other co-workers.
- Ability to work well with people of various ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing.
- Must complete the training programs of the YWCA SHR.
- Travel is required and access to reliable transportation is essential.
Core Values
The Victim Advocate is expected to model the YWCA SHR Core Values:
- Compassion
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Ownership
- Responsibility
- Empowerment
WORKING CONDITIONS: Work is performed in a typical office environment with a high standard of confidentiality.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
- Ability to travel in varying weather conditions.
- Must have the use of sensory skills in order to effectively communicate and interact with other employees and the public through the use of the telephone and personal contact as normally defined by the ability to see, read, talk, hear, handle or feel objects and controls
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to:
- Frequently walk, use hands to finger, climb a ladder, handle or feel objects, tools or controls and talks or hears
- Often required to stand and sit; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, bend, squat or crawl
- Ability to lift and carry up to 60 pounds
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus
- The noise level in the work environment is moderately loud
- Physical capability to effectively use and operate various items of office related equipment, such as but not limited to, a personal computer, calculator, copier and fax machine
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) REQUIREMENTS: YWCA SHR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires YWCA SHR to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.
Other
Age Minimum (with Adult): 18+, Minimum Age:18+
Express Interest
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