Senior Victim Advocate (Social Services Specialist III)

Fairfax County•Fairfax (Ej27), VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position works as part of the Division of Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) to provide advocacy services. This is an exciting time to join the DSVS as we recently completed our strategic plan and refreshed our mission, vision, and values to align with the DFS Mission, Vision, and Values and the One Fairfax Policy. This position is a member of Advocacy Services. Under general supervision of the Advocacy Services Supervisor, provides community-based advocacy services.

Requirements

Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a human services field OR minimum of a bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area (Section 22VAC40-670-20 of the Administrative Code of Virginia).
Individuals who do not meet the degree requirement at the time of application for employment must be in their last semester of a degree program that will meet the requirements listed above.
Valid driver's license
Must be able to transport self to different worksites or locations, as needed.
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
Ability to use automated technology to access, input, retrieve, and process information.
Knowledge of principles of interpersonal violence accountability and community resources available to those who perpetrate violence
Knowledge of the relationship between trauma impact and domestic violence problems
Knowledge about best practices and domestic violence intervention particularly in safety planning
Ability to assist other professionals with connecting clients to advocacy services
Have excellent written, oral, and interpersonal skills
Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with subordinates, co-workers, county officials, public and private sector organizations, community groups and the general public
Ability to develop and maintain working relationships with partner agencies includes court services, legal services, law enforcement, shelter, and other service providers in Fairfax County.
Ability to use automated systems to include any technological tools the County may provide to successfully carry out duties
Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resources as needed
Ability to assess safety, risk, and protective capacity
Possess critical thinking skills, ability to apply critical thinking, knowledge, and research
Ability to meet deadlines and keep up with documentation

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in social work or a related human services field
Three (3) years of increasingly responsible, directly-related professional experience in the social services or human services field.
At least three (3) years of full-time equivalent experience working with victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and/or human trafficking.
At least three (3) years of experience working in the victim advocacy field.
At least three (3) years working with court services and court systems.
Experience working with a diverse multicultural population.
Bilingual in English and another language.

Responsibilities

Provides advocacy services to include crisis intervention, emotional support and options counseling, safety planning, education of the civil and criminal justice system, court advocacy and court accompaniment
Provides onsite advocacy services at the Fairfax Court Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDRDC) and General District Court including intake of client requests, court accompaniment, and coordination with court staff.
Receives and triages client requests from the main line and other referral sources; resolves by providing advocacy services, information, safety planning, or referrals.
Collects data and reports on goals and measures around advocacy team services
Facilitates access to court and legal information for victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking
Performs short-term case management which entails conducting assessment to include risk assessment, to identify needs of clients and develop a safety and service plan; supporting clients in accessing resources and services; monitoring service plan and documenting all case management activities in the client’s record
Represents DSVS in the coordinated community response to domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking by participating in various committees, workgroups and outreach efforts both locally and regionally
Serves as liaison and subject matter expert on domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking to include staffing cases
Provides training and technical assistance for the county and community agencies
Develops and provides needed court training to DSVS staff and volunteers as it pertains to victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking
Assists Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) Line follow-up tasks such as reviewing messages and assigning cases to staff
Works with Advocacy Services Supervisor to assess staff and volunteers training needs and provide or arrange training necessary to develop skills and knowledge of victim advocates and volunteers
Provides supervisory assistance and leadership in the absence of the Advocacy Services Supervisor, assists with setting up the weekly schedule, and ensures adequate coverage.
Provides rotational coverage of the program’s 24-hour crisis lines and responds to requests for hospital accompaniment
Performs other duties as assigned