Domestic Violence Children's Advocate

Job Purpose

The Children’s Advocate serves three main purposes within the emergency services program: providing direct case management to children residing in the domestic violence emergency shelter, facilitating group activities for children, as well as developing the children’s program as a whole.  This position is responsible for coordinating children’s services as well as ensuring program objectives, activities, and outcomes are implemented and monitored in accordance with S.A.F.E. House, Inc. policies and procedures. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide Direct Individual Children’s Services

• Communicate with clients and their children regularly using a friendly, professional, non-judgmental, and caring approach.
• Complete child intake documentation with child’s guardian to evaluate each client’s immediate and long-term needs, safety status, and social network capabilities.
• Provide referrals to clients to both individuals within the agency and community partners to improve the guardian’s capacity to effectively provide for their child, as well as enhance the child’s daily life.
• Provide positive and nurturing interventions directly to children as a means of improving educational outcomes, interpersonal skills, behaviors, and daily living skills.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings utilized to constructively discuss children’s progress and outcomes.
• Coordinate with Case Manager and Children’s Counselor to provide parenting skills support and education to guardians residing in shelter.
• Report suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect to Child Protective Services.
• Actively engage and mentor teenage children residing in shelter, which includes acting as a positive role model and additional adult support system.
• Complete all documentation, including case notes, accurately and in a timely fashion.
• Supervise children of shelter residents while the parent is in counseling, group, or case management meetings.

Provide Children’s Group Activities 

• Facilitate daily after school groups and recreational activities for children, which focus upon improving educational outcomes, interpersonal skills, behavior, and daily living skills.
• Organize and execute seasonal recreational events within the shelter and in the community.
• Coordinate with community partners to secure donations for holidays and events, which may include gifts, supplies, decorations, costumes, and food.

Develop the Children’s Program

• Consult with the Clinical Director to develop a comprehensive clinically sound curriculum for individual and group activities, which includes developing and obtaining goals and objectives.
• Advocate for children and the provision of children’s services within the agency and community.
• Maintain accurate statistical and program outcome information, which includes preparation of periodic program reports as assigned.
• Obtain, secure, and document all donations received for the children’s program and distribute donations fairly amongst clients.
• Recruit and supervise agency volunteers within the children’s program, which includes providing guidance to volunteers when needed.
• Create a welcoming environment within the Children’s Activity Center, which includes maintaining adequate supplies and ensuring cleanliness.
• Coordinate with the Clinical Director to oversee practicum students working within the children’s program.
• Provide training to agency volunteers and staff, as well as community partners, about the effects of domestic violence on children.
• Represent the agency in the community and at inter-agency activities.

Additional Duties

• Attend monthly mandatory staff meetings, as well as additional training.
• Maintain professional boundaries with clients, as well as operate within the scope of the National Association of Social Workers code of ethics, HIPPA and VAWA confidentiality guidelines at all times.
• Promote team cohesion across agency departments by acting as a team player and maintaining open lines of communication.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field.
• At least one year of experience working with children, preferably in the areas of mental health, domestic violence, and/or group leadership techniques.
• Ability to work with diverse individuals, professionally connect with children, and provide constructive feedback to adults.
• Ability to speak in front of an audience, particularly when facilitating group activities.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, take initiative, and self-start.
• Ability to resolve conflict, communicate effectively, remain calm in crisis situations, and maintain a supportive demeanor at all times.
• Possession of a current Nevada Driver’s License.
• Bilingual preferred, but not required.

Working Conditions

• Typically works within the 24-hour emergency shelter environment, however, may be required to perform job duties outside of the shelter setting.
• May work with emotional, demanding, and difficult clients.
• May have to work holidays, weekends, day, and afternoon shifts, as well as have non-concurrent or irregular off days.
• May have to use personal vehicle for business purposes.
• May be assigned to drive the company vehicle.

Physical and Mental Requirements

• Ability to bend, climb stairs, squat, and lift up to 20 pounds frequently.
• May be placed in situations that cause emotional stress, such as witnessing the effects of trauma, therefore ability to effectively handle stress is a requirement.
• May be placed in situations that are life threatening to self or others, such as encountering an abusive partner, violent clientele, or suicide.
• Maintain a clean driving record if assigned to company vehicle.