What are the responsibilities and job description for the Child Advocacy Coordinator position at Chatham County, NC?
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Job Description
Are you passionate about advocating for children’s well-being and ensuring they have a safe, supportive environment to thrive? The Chatham Diversion & Advocacy Program is looking for a compassionate and dedicated Child Advocacy Coordinator to join our team. If you are committed to making a difference in the lives of children and families and have a strong background in child advocacy, we encourage you to apply and be a part of a program that is dedicated to creating lasting change for children and families in need
This position assists the Child Advocacy Program Manager with teaching the primary prevention program in Chatham County Schools and other child sex abuse prevention initiatives. The primary prevention curriculum is provided to children in the Chatham County Public School System in various grades and covers personal safety/abuse prevention as well as internet/online safety.
This position also provides advocacy and support to children who have experienced a serious crime as well as their non-offending family members. Advocacy includes participating in Chatham County’s Multi-Disciplinary Child Abuse Team (MDT). Most cases reviewed and followed by the MDT Team are child sex abuse cases, but felony assault of a child would also qualify.
Success in this position requires thorough knowledge of the dynamics of child sexual abuse, child maltreatment and trauma, and child development; thorough knowledge and understanding of the child protection system and statutes related to sex crimes against children is also important to success. Knowledge of child-focused and trauma-informed practices as well as the ability to apply these principles both to child survivors of crime and the children in the school setting are important. Building and maintaining positive and constructive relationships with MDT members, professionals in the school system, and community stakeholders is vital to this work.
Essential Functions
- Maintains strict standards of confidentiality;
- Assists with coordination of and scheduling of educational sessions with all elementary and middle schools within Chatham County;
- Supports schools and health department’s efforts to develop and implement appropriate evidence-based materials for middle and high school students;
- Teaches primary prevention curriculum to children in both elementary and middle school. Typical classes are 20-25 children in elementary school and 30 to 40 in middle school;
- Attends the Child Medical Exam, if requested by the family or the law enforcement officer assigned to work with the family;
- Makes initial contact with the family once a Forensic Interview/CME has been completed, if unable to attend the FI/CME, to answer any preliminary questions they have and offers support and services;
- Provides crisis intervention for victims and families referred to them by law enforcement on those cases that do not involve a Child Protective Service (CPS) worker;
- Educates non-offending caregiver(s) about sexual abuse or serious physical abuse and the various systems that may become involved with their family;
- Performs a safety assessment of the family and develop and recommends a safety plan for the child victim and family;
- Answers any questions related to the investigative process and provide feedback to the assigned Child Protective Service worker and/or law enforcement officer;
- Coordinates with other advocates that may be working with the child and family;
- Provides coordination and collaboration with the District Attorney’s office about cases pending grand jury and trial;
- Maintains contact with the victim and family throughout the investigation and prosecution when requested by the family or the law enforcement officer;
- Assists the family in accessing services recommended by the team;
- Attends the Child Medical Exam, if requested by the family or the law enforcement officer assigned to work with the family;
- Provides, or arranges, for court preparation services for children having to testify in court;
- Attends court proceedings with the child and family, if requested by the family or the law enforcement officer assigned to work with the family;
- Receives referrals and information on all child sexual abuse and extreme physical abuse cases from local law enforcement and the Department of Social Services and enters into agency database;
- Maintains and updates case records in the agency database;
- Assists with the coordination of monthly MDT meetings, and follows through with any recommendations of the team; keeps detailed notes of all cases for the benefit of the team;
- Remains current with professional literature and evidence-based programs on child abuse issues;
- Assists with training sessions for community professionals regarding Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) operations and protocol;
- Assists with community education and professional training on child abuse prevention;
- Performs other duties as apparent or assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field and at least two years experience working with child abuse victims. Master’s Degree preferred. Training and experience working with multidisciplinary teams, the court system, child protective system, and the school system are strongly preferred. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Thorough knowledge of the dynamics of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and stalking;
- Thorough knowledge of civil and criminal legal proceedings related to domestic violence and sexual assault;
- Demonstrated crisis intervention skills in delivering services to victims and an understanding and acceptance of regional psychosocial, cultural, religious, and economic differences;
- Ability to articulate ideas clearly (both written and orally), listen accurately, and establish personal rapport with people from a variety of backgrounds;
- Ability to establish and maintain relationships and clear boundaries with clients, offenders, and professionals;
- Maintains dignity and self-control in stressful situations and objectivity about personal strengths and limitations;
- Ability to work independently and be self-motivated;
- Ability to operate standard office and computer equipment and perform basic word processing and data entry.
Physical Requirements
This work requires the regular exertion of up to 20 pounds of force, frequent exertion of up to 50 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 100 pounds of force; work regularly requires speaking, hearing, use of hands to fingers, handling or feeling, frequently requires standing, walking, sitting, reaching with hands and arms and repetitive motions and occasionally requires climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, tasting, smelling, pushing, pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements and requires close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus, depth perception, color perception, night vision and peripheral vision; work requires vocal communication to express or exchange ideas orally and to convey detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; work requires hearing to perceive information at normal spoken levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visually inspecting small defects and/or small parts, using measuring devices, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work may require exposure to outdoor weather conditions and exposure to blood borne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment and may occasionally require working near moving mechanical parts, working in high, precarious places, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, exposure to the risk of electrical shock; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).
Special Requirements
Must possess a valid North Carolina driver's license.
The ability to work with families from a diverse background is required.
Must be able to work a flexible schedule, including on-call hotline and crisis management not limited to evenings and weekends.
Chatham County is fully committed to equal employment opportunity (EEO) principles and issues this anti-discrimination/EEO compliance clause to support and maintain employee’s rights and responsibilities relating to equal employment. The core of equal employment opportunity is the right to work and advance on the basis of merit, ability, and potential, free from prejudice or discrimination. In accordance with the applicable anti-discrimination statutes, executive orders, and other authorities, Chatham County protects employees against discrimination, to the fullest extent of law, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, political affiliation, whistleblower activity, parental status, and military service (past, present, or future), and against retaliation for participation in EEO activity or opposition to discrimination.
