Senior Victim Advocate; Social Services Specialist III

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires.

This position works as part of the Division of Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) to provide advocacy services. The DSVS has recently completed a strategic plan and refreshed its mission, vision, and values to align with the DFS Mission, Vision, and Values and the One Fairfax Policy.

• Provide advocacy services including crisis intervention, emotional support, options counseling, safety planning, education of the civil and criminal justice system, court advocacy, and court accompaniment.
• Provide 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.
• Receive and triage client requests from the main line and other referral sources; resolve by providing advocacy services, information, safety planning, or referrals.
• Collect data and report on goals and measures around advocacy team services.
• Facilitate access to court and legal information for victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking.
• Perform short‑term case management, conducting risk assessment, identifying client needs, developing safety and service plans, supporting clients in accessing resources and services, monitoring service plans, and documenting all case‑management activities in the client’s record.
• Represent DSVS in the coordinated community response to domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking by participating in committees, work groups, and outreach efforts locally and regionally.
• Serve as liaison and subject matter expert on domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking, including staffing cases.
• Provide training and technical assistance for the county and community agencies.
• Develop and provide needed court training to DSVS staff and volunteers regarding victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking.
• Assist with Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) line follow‑up tasks such as reviewing messages and assigning cases to staff.
• Work with the Advocacy Services Supervisor to assess staff and volunteer training needs and arrange necessary training.
• Provide supervisory assistance and leadership in the absence of the Advocacy Services Supervisor, assist with setting up the weekly schedule, and ensure adequate coverage.
• Provide rotational coverage of the program’s 24‑hour crisis lines and respond to requests for hospital accompaniment.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• 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.
• 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, including court services, legal services, law enforcement, shelter, and other service providers in Fairfax County.
• Ability to use automated systems and technological tools the County may provide to 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.
• Critical thinking skills and ability to apply knowledge and research.
• Ability to meet deadlines and keep up with documentation.

• 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.

Individuals who do not meet the degree requirement at the time of application must be in their last semester of a degree program…