Victim Family Support Advocate (Bilingual – Spanish/English)

Position Purpose

Due to the nature of this work, selected candidate (s) will be required to: Complete application, interview, complete a Personal History Questionnaire, polygraph, background and references.

Starting salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity.

Provide direct services (crisis intervention, support and referrals) to children, parents, and families who visit Ralston House for forensic interviews and/or medical exams. Recruit, train and manage volunteer team. Work cooperatively with all law enforcement, social services and district attorney’s office professionals. Create and sponsor various training for Ralston House staff, volunteers and community agencies (law enforcement and department of social services). Provide case management (follow up, offering of appropriate services, case and therapeutic services, final case disposition) to children, parents and families who visit Ralston House. Participate in development and fundraising activities sponsored by Ralston House.

Job Functions / Scope of Authority

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provides victim compensation and victim rights information.
• Provides crisis intervention and support at all stages of investigation and prosecution.
• Attend and/or coordinate interviews and/or case reviews.
• Provide education to clients about the criminal justice and/or child protection systems.
• Act as a liaison between the family and the legal system.
• Provide court education/support/accompaniment.
• Facilitates parent support group.
• Assist in procuring concrete services (housing, protective orders, domestic violence intervention, food, crime victims compensation, transportation, public assistance, emergency awards, etc.).
• Make referrals and maintain referral data base for mental health and educate families on the importance of mental health treatment.
• Attends training associated with victim services as directed by the executive director.
• Provide case management contact with each family to ensure family is receiving necessary support and services by letter and phone.
• Contribute to the development of the Ralston House victim/family advocate program.
• Recruits, trains, and supervises volunteer advocates.
• Contribute to the development of the Ralston House volunteer program.
• Ensure that all client information is entered into the Ralston House database system.
• Design and create forms, flyers, and brochures as needed.
• Contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of RH.
• Recognizes, initiates, and leads improvement activities including assisting with the accreditation process and maintaining accreditation standards.
• Maintains healthy relationships between all agencies that utilize or receive referrals from Ralston House, including mental health therapists on the Ralston House referral list.
• Attends meetings in community as assigned by executive director, such as child protection team, victim compensation, Colorado Organization of Victim Assistance, MDT Case Review, Victim Service Providers and Community Crisis Response Team, etc.
• Serves as liaison with general public and outside agencies for Ralston House including making presentations to the public.
• Facilitates or participates in Ralston House lead meetings i.e. – Heroes Party, MDT Case Review, Therapist Round Table, etc.
• Assists in fundraisers to support Ralston House.
• Demonstrates a respectful attitude towards customers and coworkers that promotes teamwork, open communication, and effective customer service.
• Acts with the customer in mind, responds to requests promptly and provides effective services or solutions for customers.
• Exercises appropriate level of initiative and judgment to make decisions within the scope of assigned authority.

*ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES*

• Basic knowledge of databases.
• Ability to read, write and speak English and Spanish proficiently
• Experience in exercising discretion and maintaining a high level of confidentiality, tact, integrity, and ethics in dealing with sensitive matters.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate information, both verbally and in writing, to support organizational objectives and interact with all levels of personnel within the city in a positive and cooperative manner.
• Ability to balance responsibilities and quality of service.
• Ability to work with people in crisis and under stressful situations.
• Ability to supervise and manage volunteer staff.

*OTHER FUNCTIONS: *

• Other duties as required.

*—Employees are held accountable for all duties of this job—*
*SCOPE OF AUTHORITY: *
Receives supervision under the direction of the executive director of Ralston House. Plans own work activities and the work of others to meet defined work plans and objectives. Defined procedures cover most duties. Generally expected to deal with different and specialized situations in the job.

Financial Accountability:
Makes recommendations that affect the outcome of allocation of money for projects. Makes recommendations to the executive director for budget allocations that pertain to functional area. Manage p-card and gift cards.
*SUPERVISION EXERCISED: *
Supervises Victim /Family Support Advocate Volunteers. Makes recommendations in assigning, scheduling work, interviewing and hiring of volunteers.

Working Environment / Qualifications

WORKING ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES:
The work environment/physical activities described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job.
Work is primarily performed at Ralston House including a standard office, and at times outdoor with exposure to all weather conditions. Must be able to operate a motor vehicle. Be able to play and supervise children from ages 1 to 18 years old. Light work.
*MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION, LICENSE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE): *
Bachelor Arts/Bachelor Science Degree in Human Services or related field, Master’s Degree preferred; experience in a human service capacity with experience in trauma and crisis intervention situations required. A combination of education and experience may be considered. Valid Colorado driver license required. Bilingual, able to read, write and speak English and Spanish proficiently

Vision Mission Values

The City is an Equal Employment Opportunity

The City’s Core values are in every employee’s individual Performance Plan which helps us to reinforce our expectations for living and working by our Core Values.
Every City employee is expected to perform his/her job to the highest professional standards. This includes upholding the City’s values with integrity and accountability, acting in a manner that is respectful and inclusive towards others, and adhering to the City’s policy on employee conduct as detailed in the personnel rules sec. 70-143.
Vision: We Dream Big and Deliver
Mission: We are dedicated to delivering superior services to enhance the lives of everyone in our community.
Values:
Innovation: We excel in creativity, flexibility and the use of best practices while valuing diverse backgrounds, ideas and perspectives.
Passion: We are a high performing, inclusive team inspiring each other to pursue excellence.
Opportunity: We value our diversity, embrace possibilities, face challenges, persevere and take action to deliver quality results.

Full Time Employee Benefits

The City of Arvada offers employees an excellent benefit package
The City of Arvada values the contributions each employee makes every day toward the success of the organization and community. The importance of being able to provide our employees and their families with quality benefits as part of their overall compensation package is a high priority. As a result, the City has developed a comprehensive benefits package that delivers quality and value while satisfying the diverse needs of our workforce.
Eligibility To be eligible, full-time and part-time employees who work a minimum of 30 hours per week are eligible for benefits for themselves, their spouse, their same-sex partner, and their dependent children. New hires are eligible for insurance the first day of the month following one full calendar month of employment following their hire date.

The City of Arvada offers employees a competitive pay plan
The City of Arvada Pay Plan reflects the City’s Total Compensation Philosophy. This philosophy includes being an employer of choice in the Denver/Boulder region by attracting and retaining highly talented and engaged employees. Developed in partnership with the members of City Council, this philosophy serves to guide staff in the management of the City’s compensation practices. It ensures that the pay plan is updated with competitive market-based salaries, and managed in a manner that is fiscally responsible and within the City’s ability to fund. The Pay Plan can be found here. (Download PDF reader)

Benefits Summary
The City of Arvada Pay Plan is specifically designed to help you further understand the highlights of the benefit options offered. That information can be found here (Download PDF reader).

For more information about employee benefits, please visit http://arvada.org/about/jobs/city-benefits.

Location: 10795 W. 58 Ave Arvada,80002,CO, Arvada, CO 80002

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $55,595.16 – $76,017.84 per year