Victim Advocate Supervisor

City of Miami Beach•Miami Beach, FL

7d•Onsite

About The Position

This is responsible, specialized work advocating for victims and survivors of violent crimes: i.e., domestic violence, sexual battery, child abuse, etc. in the City of Miami Beach; coordinating prosecution efforts; providing services to victims and families; and providing crisis intervention and referrals to counseling programs or agencies, as circumstances dictate. Work involves the performance of a variety of non-hazardous/non enforcement field work and office duties. An employee in this classification will work under the direction of Police Department administrators; however, considerable latitude will be afforded since the employee in this position will be the department's expert in this field. Assignments are received and work methods prescribed in the form of general outlines subject to review for compliance with departmental standards and objectives.

Requirements

Master's Degree in social work, mental health counseling, psychology, and/or criminal justice or a related field.
OR Bachelor's Degree in the field of social work, mental health counseling, psychology, and/or criminal justice or related field and three years of experience in the field of victims' services
Two years of experience working in the field of domestic violence, victim/witness counseling, victims' advocacy services, or Children and Family Services
Familiarity with criminal and civil law and the criminal and civil justice system
Skills in word processing, case management, statistical data maintenance, communications, and interviewing
Ability to work some nights, weekends, and holidays
Victims Practitioner Designation
Ability to speak English/Spanish
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, coworkers, the press the general public and members of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds regardless of race, religion, age, sex, disability, political affiliation, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Ability to serve the public and fellow employees with honesty and integrity in full accord with the letter and spirit of all city ethics and conflicts of interest policies.
Strong understanding of ethical behavior is required.
Ability to maintain regular and punctual attendance.
Reports to work as directed during an emergency as an essential employee of the City of Miami Beach.
Ability to develop innovative and creative solutions to issues consistent with the City’s strategic plan.
Applicants must detail any related work experience on the application or risk disqualification .
It is the applicant's responsibility to update their NEOGOV profile with work experience, education, certifications and personal contact information when submitting each application, failure to do so will result in ineligibility.
City of Miami Beach employees must reflect their current position and detail their work experience on the application to avoid being disqualified.

Nice To Haves

Community resources knowledge
Crisis counseling skills
Knowledge of grant statistics gathering procedures

Responsibilities

Provide in-person crisis intervention, emotional support, short-term counseling, financial assistance, food vouchers, placement in shelters, and related assistance as indicated
Interviews and counsels victims concerning physical well-being, emotional stability, and victims' rights available under state law
Conduct risk assessments, and provides safety planning services
Contact victims to extend services and provide referrals to the appropriate community resource and social service agencies, according to the victim's needs
Assist victims in coordinating needed services such as follow-up counseling, shelter, social services referrals, and locating support groups
Assist victims as needed, with filing for applicable victim compensation, with the writing of impact statements, property retrieval, employer communications, funeral arrangements, emergency transportation, and related immediate needs
Provide assistance to victims who are involved in court proceedings, e.g., completion of restitution requests, orientation to procedures, transportation, and emotional support
Network with social service providers and community leaders for the purpose of maintaining current referral resources
Provide information and referrals to the outside community, social service, and related resources
Prepare various weekly/monthly/quarterly /annual reports concerning activities performed, i.e., progress/status reports
Maintain statistical data on Domestic Violence and other violent crimes within the City of Miami Beach
Provide in-service training to law enforcement personnel in victim services, and design workshops and community forums for public education and social service agencies, to increase awareness of ways to prevent domestic violence
Prepare, or assist in the preparation of grant proposals, reports, and recommendations for the Domestic Violence Unit
Manage and oversee the disbursement of grant funds within the Domestic Violence Unit
Provide required annual domestic violence recertification training
Respond with officers to calls related to domestic violence to assist in coordinating services for victims and maintaining crime scene integrity
Provide assistance to tourists who have been victimized and are in immediate need of assistance of various types
Educate victims and witnesses about the judicial process
Prepares annual evaluations for the Victim's Advocates
Tracks and approves time-off for the Victim's Advocates and enters attendance daily on Telestaff
Supervises the unpaid volunteer(s); volunteers are part of the grant requirement
Distributes workload (cases) to the Victim's Advocates
Reviews and approves the Supplemental Reports prepared by the Victim s Advocates
Conducts monthly reviews of Victim's Advocates case progress
Will search the CID case bucket for potential victims not previously identified that are eligible for services and assigns them accordingly
Attends supervisor meetings in the Criminal Investigations Division
Reviews and approves training requests submitted by the Victim's Advocates
Manages all aspects of the VOCA grant including but not limited to, the collection and preparation of reports required by the City. County. State or Grant Representatives.
Prepares and updates the Unit policy and other publications as needed
Provides documentation to maintain compliance with the accreditation process (CALEA)
Performs other duties as required