Youth & Family Advocate

Job Title: Youth & Family Advocate

Position: Full -time, Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8-4:30; Tuesday & Thursday, 8:30 – 5 or flexible evening hours based on needs of families.

Classification: Non-Exempt

Department: Non-Residential

Reports to: Director of The C.A.R.E. Center & Director of Advocacy & Support Services

Salary Grade/level/Range:

Location: 505 N. East Ave

MISSION

The mission of The Women’s Center is to provide safety, shelter, and support to empower all impacted by domestic abuse, sexual violence, child abuse and trafficking.

SUMMARY/ OBJECTIVE: The primary responsibility of this position is to provide crisis intervention and support to parents and non-offending caregivers of children and teens affected by trauma, to assist in strengthening the parent-child relationship and continued advocacy, support and education on domestic abuse, sexual assault/abuse, and human trafficking.

FAMILY ADVOCACY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Meet with caregivers as child is being interviewed with The C.A.R.E. Center, providing crisis intervention, emotional support, information regarding the next steps in the legal process, child abuse and system roles and empowering the non-offending parent to provide support to their child(ren).
• Assist caregivers with managing their own emotions so the caregiver is better able to provide the necessary support for the child(ren).
• Provide families with written materials regarding victim’s rights information, SAFE Fund, and crime victim compensation as well as information and resources on the dynamics of child abuse, domestic and sexual violence, and positive parenting techniques as appropriate.
• Provide information to families regarding the multidisciplinary team response process.
• Build and foster open and positive relationships with the multidisciplinary team including law enforcement, Child Protective Services and the prosecuting attorneys while promoting best practices for child abuse investigation and treatment in Waukesha County.
• Communicate with MDT partners during monthly case review; collaborating on unique cases to discuss successes and improvements towards system change.

YOUTH ADVOCACY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure clients of all ages, genders, and races receive trauma-informed services including crisis intervention, safety planning, emotional support, advocacy, and information and referrals through outreach including follow up calls and in-person advocacy.
• Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for coping with their trauma, individually and through workshops and support groups.
• Encourage youth and young adults to identify and express their feelings appropriately.
• Facilitate children’s groups, teen workshops and collaborate on activities that promote positive relationships.
• Assist youth and young adults in recognizing external supports.
• Model appropriate play following appointments in the childcare space.
• Assist in childcare during groups and workshops for supportive programs including Shelter and Transitional Living.
• Collaborate with the DV and SA Survivor Advocates, Family Support Advocate and Shelter Case Manager to provide support and programming to families.
• Assess clients for risk of suicidal ideations.
• Provide back-up support on the 24-Hour Hotline.
• Advocate for clients with legal, medical, school, and other community systems.
• Develop and maintain cooperative relationships with appropriate individuals and organizations in the community to enhance services to children.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure the timely completion of all required paperwork, case notes, and enter statistics in both Osnium and NCATrak client databases.
• Adhere to organizational compliance with all local, state and federal regulatory agencies.
• Ensure compliance with all safety and work rules and regulations. Ensure the maintenance of departmental housekeeping standards.
• Participate in training staff and volunteers in-house and in formal Women’s Center training.
• Build and maintain relationships with community partners, including law enforcement, social workers, and court professionals.
• Complete other duties as needed and/or requested by supervisor to align with mission and vision of the organization.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Knowledge, Skills:

• Knowledge of child abuse and neglect, sexual assault/abuse, and domestic violence.
• Strong advocacy, active listening and crisis intervention skills, including group facilitation skills.
• Excellent communication and public speaking skills, written and oral – talking and writing effectively in order to convey information appropriately to needs of the audience.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Sensitivity to issues faced by survivors of interpersonal violence.
• Ability and willingness to work both individually and as part of a team with other staff in provision of services to clients.
• Active listening – giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension – understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Time Management – managing one’s own time effectively.
• Service Orientation – actively looking for ways to help people.
• Coordination – adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
• Critical Thinking – using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making – considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Monitoring – monitoring/assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Education/Experience:

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• 2 years professional experience working with trauma survivors is preferred

Language Skills: Ability to read, write and comprehend English. Bilingual Spanish/English preferred.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to utilize critical thinking- such as using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Requires a valid Wisconsin Driver’s license and proof of insurance.

Other Skills and Abilities:

Physical demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This is a largely sedentary role; however, some filing is required.
• This would require the ability to lift up to 25 pounds.
• Requires some movement up and down stairs.

Work Environment: The Work environment described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable the individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The employee may perform some work- related travel.
• Works predominantly indoors, but may need to go between different buildings.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

ADA: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

AAP/EEO: The Women’s center is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.