Sexual Assault Medical / Legal Advocate

Pillars Community Health•Hickory Hills, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Advocate on behalf of sexual assault survivors with law enforcement, criminal justice and emergency department personnel. Engage law enforcement, criminal justice and medical systems in improving services to survivors of sexual assault.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Services or Criminal Justice, or equivalent combination of education and human services or criminal justice experience required.
Valid IL driver's license.
Personal vehicle needed for transportation to/from office, courthouses, hospitals, or other community based events.

Nice To Haves

Illinois 60 hour sexual assault/domestic violence training preferred.
Master's degree in psychology, social work, counseling, or a related degree preferred.
Experience working with trauma survivors preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide crisis intervention to survivors and their significant others as needed.
Provide back-up to 24-hour volunteer hotline on a rotating basis with the other Medical/Legal advocates.
Act as liaison between survivors and person(s) involved in the investigatory process, i.e., police, DCFS, state's attorney, ER nurse or physician.
Coordinate services to reduce the number of investigative interviews survivors are expected to participate in.
Prepare survivors and significant others for court proceedings to ensure their full participation.
Facilitate survivors in court to obtain a civil no contact order (CNCO) for protection from the perpetrator.
Accompany survivors and significant others to court hearings in order to provide support and to act as liaison between survivors and state's attorney's office, as warranted.
Represent the survivor at their request with service institutions, including court, police, DCFS, hospital.
Provide support, crisis intervention and individual advocacy until the state's attorney office refuses to prosecute the case; or, through to the disposition of the case in court.
Document and maintain service statistics and client files and case notes in compliance with policies and procedures of Pillars Community Health Sexual Assault Services.
Turn in service statistics, personnel activity reports (PARs), and case notes to data entry worker on a weekly basis.
Perform other duties as assigned to accomplish program goals and objectives.
Participate in training and awareness activities during Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April and October.
Sexual Assault Counseling is survivor-centered counseling with the goal of supporting the survivor's recovery process through listening, encouraging, validating, reflecting, giving resources, and providing a safe counseling environment.
Works with the survivor on current issues, normalizing and validating their reactions to the trauma and supporting them in developing coping skills for their ongoing recovery.
Provides counseling sessions to survivors at scheduled intervals.