Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Family Advocate

About One Place

One Place, a 501C3, believes that one child hurt is too many. For more than 26 years, One Place has focused on ending child abuse, increasing capacity for child mental health, and ensuring educational readiness. At “One Place”, we create hope for children and families by connecting our community to resources. We seek employees with an entrepreneurial mindset that see transformation possible in our community. Our organization focuses on organizational health internally so we can add to wellness in our community.

The mission of the Child Advocacy Center is to minimize trauma to child victims of sexual and physical abuse and their non-offending family members by providing a centralized, safe and child-friendly facility from which a multidisciplinary team (MDT) conducts investigation and intervention activities; to advocate for and support child victims and non-offending family members by representing their interests throughout the process, promoting appropriate therapies and making referrals to community resources as needed; and to enhance the quality of the legal process.

Position Summary:

The Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Family Advocate ensures a continuum of services for children who have been victims of sexual abuse and/or serious physical abuse and neglect. The focus of this position is to provide support, orientation and information to child victims of crime and their non-offending family members, and to coordinate services with partner agencies involved in the investigation, treatment and prosecution of child abuse, neglect and trauma. This position provides consistent and comprehensive advocacy and support services from inception of a case, through investigations and prosecution, until the family has achieved access to all necessary support services to promote healing.

Primary Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• Establishes rapport and provides support and orientation regarding the evaluation process
• Completes needs assessment with caregiver and makes referrals to services and community resources as appropriate
• Provides information to non-offending caregivers about their rights as victims of crime, including victim compensation assistance
• Provides crisis intervention and ongoing emotional support and assistance to child and non-offending caregiver throughout the period of evaluation and follow-up that continues throughout the life of the case
• Collaborates with and promotes stable and cooperative working relationships between all members of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and partner agencies to ensure that all investigations and services are coordinated efficiently and expeditiously
• Engages in ongoing case management with families served in the CAC until case is resolved in court or closed by Law Enforcement and Department of Social Services
• Acts as a resource for the MDT and community members in the field of victim advocacy, child abuse and childhood trauma
• Ensures services for victims are met through working partnerships with system victim advocates e.g. Victim/Witness Coordinators employed by District Attorney’s Office
• Answers the CAC phone and does intakes and entered pre-intakes on a regular basis
• Prepares and provides trauma-informed support to children in criminal and/or juvenile court
• Participates in monthly MDT case review meetings to provide information about the child’s progress after being seen in the CAC
• Maintains qualifications through training and participation in quarterly peer review, victim advocacy, child abuse and child development research, literature and best practices
• Works to ensure best practice approaches and adherence with NCA Accreditation Standards
• Participates in ongoing initiatives of program and organization to include philanthropy
• Supports in maintaining data and reports in Collaborate (database) and surveys
• Provides community outreach and education to agencies and community members
• Various other duties and special projects to be assigned by the CAC Director

Staff Competencies/Qualities:

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, human service or related field; Master’s degree is preferred
• Must have 3 years of professional experience working with children and families with knowledge of child protection/law enforcement systems, child development, victimization, and trauma
• Successful, documented completion of 24 hours of Victim Advocacy curriculum by a nationally recognized organization or a willingness to become trained
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team with a willingness to appreciate and value different points of view to include constructive criticism/feedback
• Ability to quickly and easily build rapport and communicate across populations
• Ability to work in high pressure situations containing highly sensitive content
• Ability to navigate computer systems and databases
• Displays leadership and professional integrity
• Prioritizes self-care activities to combat effects of secondary trauma

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person