Court Advocate

Between Friends • Rolling Meadows, IL

just now • Onsite

About The Position

Between Friends envisions a community without domestic violence where equality, safety, and justice exist for all. Between Friends provides a safe, supportive and empowering environment for individuals and families in crisis. Between Friends' counselors and advocates empower individuals to make their own decisions and choices, rather than making choices for them. Between Friends helps survivors and children to recognize that their experience is shared and that the problem of domestic violence is social and political. The Court Advocate provides advocacy to people seeking orders of protection in the third municipal district of Cook County (Rolling Meadows).

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in Social or Behavioral Sciences
• PC Literate with experience in word processing

Nice To Haves

• Previous experience in domestic violence services, advocacy or the court process preferred
• Bilingual Spanish preferred

Responsibilities

• Helps survivors of domestic violence to understand their rights and the legal remedies available to them under Illinois Domestic Violence Act (IDVA)
• Assists clients in obtaining Orders of Protection and navigating the court processes by working with judges, court clerks, assistant state’s attorneys, etc.; supports clients through scheduled hearings at court; and provides resources/referrals for clients
• Assist client in filing for survivor’s compensation
• Identifies barriers to service for domestic violence survivors within the court and police systems and recommends solutions to advocate on behalf of individual survivors
• Conducts presentations about the IDVA, Orders of Protection and the criminal justice process for volunteer training, new staff, court and police personnel and community groups
• Assists with training and guidance of volunteers and interns providing court advocacy
• Maintains case documentations and submits necessary information to the Court Advocacy Manager for statistical reporting
• Completes Court Advocacy Program documentation and case log sheets in a timely manner
• Participates in individual and group supervision coordinated by Court Advocacy Manager
• Works with Court Advocacy Manager to arrange daily schedule to meet the needs of clients and the agency
• Staffs the crisis line on an as-needed basis
• Participates in the crisis line on-call rotation as needed
• Participates in a variety of coalitions and committees to form collaborative responses to domestic violence
• Participates in agency events as needed
• Provides services as determined by Board of Director’s policies

Benefits

• Salary is commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive benefits package (with some employee contributions) includes medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Full time employees are eligible for a 20 paid day sabbatical after completion of 5 years of employment
• 24 days of paid time off accrued during the first year, and 11 paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees