Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Victim Advocate

Title: Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Victim Advocate

Status: Non-Exempt

Supervisor: Coordinator of Advocacy

Salary: $25.93/hr.

Schedule: 32 hrs. per week w/ on-call rotation requirement

Function: The DCSO Victim Advocate acts as the liaison to the police department including co-location at the police department, providing outreach and assistance to victims who have had police contact or wish to file a police report.

Enthusiastically supports, practices and communicates agency’s mission and statement of values.

Our mission is to help families and individuals help themselves through direct services, collaboration, and advocacy.

Qualifications: BA in Human Services field preferred and/or 3 to 5 years relevant work experience. Human Services, counseling, and/or advocacy experience.

Position Responsibilities:

• Provide casework services to clients including: crisis counseling, safety planning, advocacy, information and referrals, emergency financial assistance, and claims filing.
• Assist victims who have had police contact or wish to file a police report. Review domestic incidents and outreach to victims and officers as appropriate.
• Accompany victims of crime to hospitals, police departments, and court while providing crisis counseling, information and referrals, assistance with crime victims compensation claims, criminal justice advocacy and personal advocacy.
• Provide information and referrals to all clients in need following the agency’s and department’s protocol.
• Expand service reach by researching community organizations and providing community outreach through presentations and tabling events.
• Participate in on-call rotation for evening and weekend coverage of 24-hour hotlines.
• Complete all administrative tasks as assigned on a timely basis, this includes, but is not limited to: documenting all activities, preparing weekly and monthly activity reports, maintaining up-to-date case records, and inputting into client database.
• Maintain statistics and prepare reports as needed and maintain up-to-date client records.
• Other duties as assigned based upon need of program.

Skills and Abilities:

• Clear and effective communication, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work effectively when under extreme pressure.
• Ability to work independently, but relate issues to manager, as appropriate.
• Possess out of the box thinking, resourcefulness, and strong advocacy skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain working relationships within DCSO and other community agencies and stakeholders.
• Ability to remain organized and complete administrative tasks, such as documenting activities and maintaining up-to-date records, in a timely manner.

Essential Requirements:

• Complete and maintain training certification as NYS DOH Rape Crisis Counselor
• Complete mandated reporter training;
  Report any behavior or implication of behavior of child abuse to the appropriate authorities
• Must be able to get to and from various work locations throughout work shift and outside of office hours for on-call purposes. This includes Family Services, local courts, hospitals, police departments, social services, etc
• Strong computer skills, including a working knowledge of an e-mail package and MS software programs:
  Word and Excel
• Established cell phone, willing to use for work (will be reimbursed), with effective coverage for the Dutchess County area

Benefits:Do you value flexibility and support in your work environment? We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Our benefits packages include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 403(b) retirement plan
• Group term life and long-term disability insurance
• Supplemental life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)
• Paid vacation, holiday, sick, and personal time
• Supplemental insurance through AFLAC
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Our Agency Values

Integrity
- Being honest and trustworthy

Compassion – Extending empathy and understanding to others

Hope
- Believing in the strength of the human spirit and heart, to emerge and thrive in the face of challenge

Diversity – Promoting a vison of…