Diversion Victim Advocate

City and County of Denver • Denver, CO

8d • Onsite

About The Position

We are currently seeking a Victim Advocate I to join the Denver District Attorney’s Office, 2nd Judicial District. This position is assigned exclusively to the Denver District Attorney’s Office Juvenile and Adult Diversion Programs working with victims of program clients that are charged with a misdemeanor or felony offense and who are referred to Diversion. General essential duties for this position include: Work with DA Office Restitution Technicians to secure victim contact information and to assess restitution Contact victims if there are discrepancies in restitution amounts and work with the assigned Diversion DA to finalize restitution Contacts crime victims by phone or mail to explain victim rights, provide information regarding the Diversion Program, and answer questions about the criminal process, provide victim impact statements, review police reports, assess risk factors, and provide safety planning Appears at hearings to offer emotional support and procedural review for victims and witnesses, and liaison with the court and prosecution team Assesses victim needs, makes referrals, and collaborates with community service organizations Coordinates and schedules meetings with victims and prosecution staff Maintains contact with victim/witnesses to keep them updated on case status, and assists victim with translator services, therapy referral, protective orders, emergency funds, and temporary housing/shelter programs Ensures services are in compliance with Colorado Victims Rights Act Provides Diversion client updates to victims and communicates updates to Diversion Supervisors Work with Diversion Officers and program clients to create restitution payment plans followed by assisting with tracking and sending restitution payments to victims Notifies victims of case status upon termination Remain on the case upon unsuccessful termination to provide on-going victim support Prepares statistics for monthly and quarterly reports Performs other related duties as assigned or requested

Requirements

• Education Requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Human Services, Criminal Justice or related field.
• Experience Requirement: Two (2) years of paid or volunteer human services experience providing casework, case management or trauma services to the victims of violent or non-violent crimes.
• Education and Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Integrity/Honesty – Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization, displays high standards of ethical conduct, understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, self, and others, and is trustworthy
• Interpersonal Skills – Shows understanding, courtesy, tact, empathy, and concern, develops and maintains relationships, may deal with people who are difficult, hostile, and/or distressed, relates well to people from varied backgrounds and situations, and is sensitive to individual differences
• Customer Service - Works with customers to assess needs, provide assistance, resolve problems, satisfy expectations; knows products and services; is committed to providing quality product and services
• Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals
• Stress Tolerance - Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations)
• Behavioral Boundaries - Recognition of acceptable parameters of behavior
• Diversity – Is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, and other individual differences in the workforce
• Organizational Awareness - Knows the organization’s mission and functions and how it’s social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization
• Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations
• Reasoning – Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information, analyzes information, and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions
• Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system and its procedures sufficient to be able to assist and guide victims through the investigation and judicial process
• Skill in comprehending the Colorado Crime Victim and Compensation Act to provide information to victims to ensure completion of claim and loss forms
• Skill in using community resources to make appropriate referrals by evaluating the victims' needs and particular situation
• Bilingual - preferred not required

Responsibilities

• Work with DA Office Restitution Technicians to secure victim contact information and to assess restitution
• Contact victims if there are discrepancies in restitution amounts and work with the assigned Diversion DA to finalize restitution
• Contacts crime victims by phone or mail to explain victim rights, provide information regarding the Diversion Program, and answer questions about the criminal process, provide victim impact statements, review police reports, assess risk factors, and provide safety planning
• Appears at hearings to offer emotional support and procedural review for victims and witnesses, and liaison with the court and prosecution team
• Assesses victim needs, makes referrals, and collaborates with community service organizations
• Coordinates and schedules meetings with victims and prosecution staff
• Maintains contact with victim/witnesses to keep them updated on case status, and assists victim with translator services, therapy referral, protective orders, emergency funds, and temporary housing/shelter programs
• Ensures services are in compliance with Colorado Victims Rights Act
• Provides Diversion client updates to victims and communicates updates to Diversion Supervisors
• Work with Diversion Officers and program clients to create restitution payment plans followed by assisting with tracking and sending restitution payments to victims
• Notifies victims of case status upon termination
• Remain on the case upon unsuccessful termination to provide on-going victim support
• Prepares statistics for monthly and quarterly reports
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested

Benefits

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 132 hours of PTO earned within first year
• 11 Paid Holidays per year, plus 1 personal holiday
• Education Refund Program (ERP) - a chance for the city to support your continued learning and career growth by investing in your future with the city
• Care Bank – 8 weeks of Paid Family Leave
• Free RTD Eco Pass
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees