Family Advocate

Midland Rape Crisis and Children's Advocacy Center • Midland, TX

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Under the direction of the Family Advocacy Program Director, the Family Advocate has the primary responsibility for providing victim advocacy and support services to children or adults with disabilities and their families who are alleged victims of abuse, neglect, or witnesses to violence. This position will travel between MRCCAC offices in Midland, Andrews, and Big Spring.

Requirements

• Bachelors degree or associate degree in the field of social work, psychology, or criminal justice as it relates to the mission and objectives of the Midland Rape Crisis and Children’s Advocacy Center. Education and qualifications may be substituted with at least 1 year of experience in the human services, child welfare, or social work field(s).
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is a requirement for this position.
• Experience providing advocacy to children and adults is strongly preferred.
• Ability to work calmly and effectively with those experiencing emotional distress and crisis.
• Ability to rapidly build rapport with clients in crisis.
• Ability to engage children and families of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds to restore and enhance psychosocial functioning of those adversely affected by trauma.
• Must be educated and informed in trust-based relational intervention methods, including trauma-informed care.
• Possess an understanding of the law and the legal system, and implications related to child sexual and/or physical abuse investigations.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize duties, take initiative, and work both independently and collaboratively with others.
• Experience working with diverse professionals from child protection, law enforcement, court systems and related community services.
• Experience in conducting needs assessments with victims and families, and the ability to identify appropriate services and referrals.
• Ability to effectively organize a variety of tasks and deal with a wide variety of people.
• Experience maintaining professional boundaries and self-care strategies.
• An ability to work with all victims of sexual and/or physical assault, sexual and/or physical abuse, incest, and/or witnesses to violence without bias or prejudice regarding prostitution, abortion, substance abuse, difference in abilities, age, race, creed, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional support, advocacy, guidance, and resource coordination for children or adults with disabilities who are alleged victims of abuse and their non-offending caregivers from the first contact through the healing and legal processes with compassion and clarity.
• Assess the needs of victims and their families and provide appropriate referrals, including but not limited to, suicide and mental health assessment screenings.
• Provide follow-up services and recommendations between families and investigators or other outside resources.
• Provide comprehensive case management to caregivers and victims throughout the life of the case following established protocols.
• Inform and educate clients of their rights and privileges as potential victims and assist them with completing necessary compensation forms.
• Participate in the 24-hour on-call rotation for emergency after-hours services in Midland, Andrews, and Howard counties.
• Provide crisis intervention, advocacy, accompaniment, and serve as a liaison between multi-disciplinary partners such as law enforcement, District Attorneys, County Attorneys, Department of Family and Protective Services, Midland Memorial Hospital, MRCCAC therapists, and other community partner agencies.
• Identify and maintain a list of cases that meet pre-determined criteria for multi-disciplinary team case review meetings.
• Attend and participate in multi-disciplinary team case review meetings in Midland, Andrews, and Howard counties.
• Make any necessary recommendations regarding needed follow-up for the child(ren) and the family.
• Testify in criminal, juvenile, and civil court when subpoenaed.
• Document case information and outcomes in the case tracking system database.
• Keep abreast of new research and developments in the field of child sexual and/or physical abuse and maintain continuing education requirements.
• Attend various meetings and in-services, professional training and conferences as approved by the Family Advocacy Program Director or Executive Director.
• Participate in improved collaboration efforts with community agencies.
• Participate in and provide training to staff and volunteers, partner agencies, and the community in various areas regarding child sexual and/or physical abuse in coordination with the Program Director and the Development and Education Directors.
• Assist in any other job-related duties as required or requested by the Program Director or Executive Director, as needed.

Benefits

• 15 paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
• 138 hours of Paid Time Off (accrued at 11.5 hours per pay period).
• Health, dental, vision, and group life insurance options available at a discounted rate.
• 401k option with matching contributions available after one year of employment.
• $25 per month cell phone stipend for on-call rotation requirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree