Sexual Assault Response Program Intern

JOB TITLE: SARP Intern

About YWCA

For over 100 years, YWCA Central Virginia has been serving the women, children, and families of Central Virginia. Founded in 1912 by a dedicated group of women, who had incidentally been told that creating an organization for women and by women would never fly, the YWCA Central Virginia has grown and adapted to meet the varying needs of the communities we serve.

YWCA Central Virginia serves seven counties and one city, an area of 4,400 square miles with a population of over 400,000 community members. We currently host three key direct service programs: Domestic Violence Prevention, Sexual Assault Response, and Town Center Women’s Residential Housing.

Position Overview

The SARP Intern will observe and learn to provide direct services to any victims of sexual violence, sexual assault, and/or human trafficking in the Lynchburg General Hospital Emergency Room, as well as case management services to victims whose assaults occur within the SARP service area.

Direct Victim Services

• Provide direct victim assistance to victims of sexual assault, violence, and/or human trafficking, to both children (0-18) and adult sexual assault victims
• Provide case management services to include emotional support, court advocacy accompaniment, and other advocacy services to victims whose assault occurred within the programs designated service area
• Attend CCRT case review meetings in SARP’s service area and communicate regularly with other agencies to connect victims to the services they need in a timely manner
• Provide hotline services.
• Provide on-call coverage; this includes daylight, evening, overnight, weekend and holiday on-call shifts
• Document all services on the Client Services Spreadsheet, in VAData, and in case files in accordance with accreditation standards and in regard to project goals and objectives

Community Outreach and Advocacy

• Represent YWCA at community events and meetings and facilitate local prevention and educational trainings as it relates to SARP Program services
• Advocate for policies and practices that align with the mission of YWCA

Job Qualifications

• An understanding of and belief in the mission of YWCA Central Virginia to empower women, eliminate racism, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and comfortable or willing to learn best practices for Microsoft Outlook 365, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Slack
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task and follow through with minimal direction
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Impeccable professionalism that will be displayed when working with other YWCA staff members and volunteers, primary and secondary victims, community partners, stakeholders, and the public
• Ability and willingness to work assigned on-call shifts to provide crisis response that includes evenings, weekends, and holiday times as required
• Access to reliable personal transportation and the ability to respond to a crisis call by arriving at the Emergency Department within 60 minutes of receiving it
• Valid driver’s license and ability to operate a motor vehicle
• Ability to function well in high-paced and at times emotional and/or stressful environment
• Ability to work with compassion and patience in a traumatic and frantic emergency room environment
• Ability to work with community members who have endured traumatic situations, and in an environment that may present vicarious trauma
• Comfortable with public speaking and providing educational presentations on sensitive topics

Environmental Conditions

This position is an on-call position where the intern must be prepared to respond to crisis calls during daylight, evening, overnight, weekend and holiday hours. Crisis calls will be responded to in an emergency room setting within a local hospital, therefore the intern will be working in a high-speed medical setting that could pose health and safety risks.

Mental Demands

This position requires on-call work where calls are unscheduled, which may cause significant stress. The incumbent must also deal with a wide variety of people on various issues including, but not limited to, those facing domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, poverty, homelessness, and racism due to the mission and programs of YWCA.

Background Check Statement

YWCA Central Virginia is committed to ensuring a safe and secure environment for all employees, volunteers, and participants. As a condition of employment, a successful background check is required and will be conducted post-offer in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Certain criminal offenses will invalidate any offer of employment due to grant funding regulations.

EEOC Statement

YWCA Central Virginia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. YWCA Central Virginia does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.