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Job Title: Family Advocate

Location: Odessa, TX

 We are looking for a bright, compassionate individual to join our team as a Family Advocate. 

The Family Advocate will assist families by providing victim services, education, connection to social services, and community referrals. The Family Advocate will accompany victims and non- offending caregivers to medical exams and court dates as needed. Provide parenting classes and one-on-one time with non-offending families while at Harmony Home. The Family Advocate will provide follow-up resources throughout the family’s time with Harmony Home and act as the liaison between the family and the Multi-Disciplinary Team. 

Essential Job Functions

·         Provide excellent customer service to child victims and their families and be regularly accessible for assistance.

·         Attend pre-staffing before a forensic interview to participate in information sharing with other MDT members, inform and support the family regarding the coordinated MDT response, and assess the needs of children and non-offending caregivers.

·         Assist non-offending caregivers with filling out intake paperwork, explaining the process of an interview, investigation, and prosecution processes, and explaining their rights as victims.

·         Perform appropriate screenings for the child to understand their level of trauma/symptoms and be able to refer to proper mental health services if not provided by the CAC.

·         Assess individual needs, and cultural considerations for child/family and help to ensure those needs are being met in collaboration with the MDT and other service providers.

·         Act as the advocate for the child victims and non-offending caregiver family members by providing support and follow-up services through phone calls and letters throughout the families’ time with Harmony Home. 

·         Provide agency-approved parenting classes and/or support groups.

·         Explains Crime Victim’s Rights, and the Crime Victims’ Compensation application and assists in completion.

·         Provide VINE/SAVNS and address confidentiality services to clients.

·         Provide education throughout the process of the child abuse investigation and for all services provided.

·         Ensure that families have all resources needed through community referrals and education.

·         Assist in procuring concrete services (housing, domestic violence intervention, food, transportation, public assistance, etc.)

·         Accompany families and victims to medical exams or court dates when requested and as needed.

·         Ensure non-offending caregivers receive the OMS Caregiver Initial Survey during their first visit and the OMS Caregiver Follow-Up Survey sometime after 30 days of their first visit.

·         Accurately track and enter all services provided to families into all related databases used by the agency.

·         Provide the Family Services Director and leadership with monthly service numbers and pull reports to confirm accuracy before turning in monthly numbers.

·         Assist in answering phones and the door and sitting with families when no volunteer is available.

·         Help to maintain a clean, child-friendly environment.

·         Coordinate with families and therapists to schedule therapy intakes for clients.

·         Provide follow-up calls and/or visits at least 24 hours, 7 days, 30, 60, and 90 days after 1st visit.  Also, provide follow-up throughout the family’s time with Harmony Home.

·         Must have current knowledge of all service agencies in our community that provide services to our families. 

·         Facilitate and coordinate Kids in Court Bi-Annually collaborating with families, district attorneys, volunteers, and community agencies.

·         Coordinate with families regarding Back to School, Thanksgiving food, or Christmas adoption if needed and coordinate with other staff in charge of securing items needed. (*Not funded by OVAG)

·         Attend and actively participate in MDT case reviews and provide updates on families.

·         Follow-up with Law Enforcement, CPS, and CAC staff regarding family’s participation in cases and services.

·         Communicate with the Family Services Director on any concerns regarding cases or families.

·         Attend Mental Health Case reviews regularly to discuss families’ progress with therapy and potential barriers.

·         Support Forensic Interviewers in completing the Child Sexual Exploitation Assessment (CSE-IT) tool per policy.

·         Attend community meetings and in-services, professional training, and conferences as requested.

·         Participate in agency training and events as assigned by the supervisor.

·         Assist in any other duties assigned by the Family Services Director, Executive Director, and/or Leadership.

·         Foster an environment that is sensitive to a child’s cognitive, emotional, and psychological development.

·         Keep abreast of new research and developments in child abuse, family trauma, and healing for families, local resources available to families, and any other items to help achieve the goal of healing trauma due to abuse. 

·         Share on-call rotation with other staff for after-hours, evening, weekend, and holiday emergency forensic interviews.

REQUIREMENTS
Must have a High School Diploma or equivalent with experience, college degree preferred. Previous experience working with children and families with related experience in child abuse. Must possess an understanding of child development, and child sexual and physical abuse. Must be able to comfort and assist families during traumatic times and ensure safety, understanding, and comfort for families. 

QUALIFICATIONS
Must have excellent customer service, organizational, and communication skills. Must be able to work on multiple projects simultaneously and be able to explain to families all modalities of therapy and services available to them.  Ability to use e-mail, Microsoft Office, and Office software accurately. Ability to handle a variety of tasks, effectively prioritize work, and ensure follow-through.  Ability and willingness to perform all essential job functions of the position. Able to work with families and children in distress while maintaining a professional and calm demeanor.  Understands and maintains the very confidential nature of the agency and its clients. A valid driver's license and auto insurance are required for the position.

LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read and interpret documents such as personnel policies, procedure manuals, and operating instructions.  Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.  Ability to speak efficiently one-on-one with co-workers, internal and external customers and outside contractors and vendors.

REASONING ABILITY
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but involved written or oral instructions.  Ability to prioritize and organize assigned tasks.

Being bilingual is a plus!  

Please send your resume to cbronaugh@hhcac.org to apply.