Staff Relief Advocate

Job Title:                           Staff Relief Advocate – Residential Services

Reports to:                        Residential Services Program Manager

FLSA Status:                     Non-Exempt

Salary Range:                    Schedule C

Normal Work Schedule:    Variable schedule:  A Staff Relief Advocate provides coverage for regular staff, as requested by a supervisor. A Staff Relief Advocate must be available for covering all residential services shifts including overnight shifts on assigned days; sexual assault response program (SARP) on-call shifts, help-line shifts, and childcare.

Benefits:                            Paid Time Off and an Employee Assistance Program provided.  Staff Relief Advocates will be paid time-and-a-half for holiday coverage.

SUMMARY    

Advocate for victims of sexual and domestic violence, perform crisis intervention and ongoing advocacy in person and on the phone and provide clients with referrals and other information.  Assess victims’ current situation and develop safety plans.  Perform general administrative duties. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Essential Duties and Responsibilities of this position include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

1. Provide emotional support and advocacy services to sexual and domestic violence clients.

• • Provide clients with crisis intervention counseling, advocacy, resources, referrals, safety planning and other requested information.
  • Provide a broad range of advocacy services to clients, including medical and legal advocacy, referrals, and other emergency support services.
  • Be available for scheduled sexual assault response program shifts.
  • Provide advocacy through our 24-hour helpline and provide support in screening for shelter, hotel assistance, support groups, and any other relevant programs..
  • Provide childcare and youth services as needed in residential and community services.
  • Remain knowledgeable of shelter and agency guidelines and procedures so independent decisions may be made during life-threatening and other emergency situations.
  • Provide reception coverage at the Community Services Center front desk, as needed.

1. Provide appropriate documentation of client contact.
2. Maintain appropriate documentation of shift activities. Prioritize resident contact and daily work to ensure shift information is shared with appropriate shift workers.
3. Perform general administrative tasks regarding client assistance.

• • Update information, as needed, regarding community resources.
  • Perform other assigned administrative support tasks.

1. Ensure shelter security for the protection of the residents.
2. Participate in on call rotation calendar.
3. Attend residential services and direct services meetings; other meetings, as required.
4. Attend required monthly SARP team meetings.
5. Provide support agency-wide, as needed
6. Perform duties as described in a culturally responsive manner.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required.
• Completion of the initial SafePlace Advocate Core Training (ACT). Experience or training in the following areas may be considered in lieu of the before mentioned qualifications: counseling and/or advocacy services, social work, or other social service agency work.
• Experience providing crisis intervention and/or sexual assault and domestic violence advocacy.
• Experience providing services in a culturally relevant manner in the performance of duties.
• Experience with basic computer skills, including word processing, and knowledge of the Internet and e-mail.
• Experience in prioritization and problem solving.
• Experience with effective communication, both verbally and in writing.
• Competent in resolving conflicts and setting boundaries.
• Willingness to participate in clear and timely communication with supervisor concerning availability for filling shifts and reporting any changes in availability.
• Ability to organize effectively.
• Ability to handle detailed work accurately and to handle multiple tasks efficiently.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to handle stress effectively.
• Ability to react calmly and quickly to emergency situations.
• Ability to maintain a positive attitude in a crisis intervention work environment.
• Have a car, current automobile liability insurance and telephone or have access to transportation to respond to offsite locations within one hour.
• Commitment to the need for client and agency confidentiality.
• Agreement with the SafePlace mission, values, and philosophy statement.
• Subscribe to the theory of empowerment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bilingual/bicultural in Spanish or Asian languages and English.
• CPR/first aid training certification.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess the following interpersonal skills:

• Brings and maintains high level of enthusiasm and employee engagement to the organization.
• Ability to respond to crisis, set limits and maintain healthy boundaries.
• Ability to manage personnel issues and conflicts with confidentiality, fairness, and respect with a diverse staff.
• Ability to maintain a positive attitude in a fast-paced work environment.
• Open to being part of a collaborative team environment with a diverse staff.
• Engages with supervisor, teammates, staff, volunteers, and clients in a positive manner.
• Embraces the following SafePlace values in all interactions with staff, volunteers, and clients:
• Quality – Employee provides quality programs and services for our clients, helping to maintain the best facilities we can provide, be part of the finest staff we can hire and promote a positive atmosphere for change.
• Respect – Employee recognizes that the foundation for our relationships with others is respect for individual rights and choices.
• Self-Care – The Employee recognizes the need for self-care as a priority for themselves, clients, and other staff.
• Diversity - Employee values, acknowledges, and integrates diversity into their role at SafePlace.  Employee is dedicated to serving the diverse cultures in our community and working to mirror that diversity in our staff and volunteers.
• Integrity - Employee endeavors to build relationships with clients, community members and each other based on integrity and honesty.
• Confidentiality - Employee will hold client and personnel information in the strictest of confidence creating a culture of openness and trust.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess the following verbal and written skills:

• Ability to read and comprehend written and verbal instructions, memos, training material, and policies and procedures.
• Ability to write objective entries in client records, meeting minutes, and informational memos and log entries.
• Bilingual/bicultural in Spanish or Asian languages and English preferred.

REASONING ABILITY

To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess the following reasoning abilities:

• Ability to identify and solve problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Ability to identify gaps in standardized procedures and formulate proposed solutions.

 MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess the following mathematical skills:

• Ability to accurately add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals.
• Ability to perform these operations using units of U.S. currency.

COMPUTER SKILLS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess the following computer skills:

• Basic computer skills and basic word processing, including knowledge of Internet and e-mail.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• SafePlace initial ACT training certification.
• Valid driver’s license and current automobile liability insurance
• CPR/First aid training certifications preferred

TRAINING REQUIRED

Employee is required to have completed the initial SafePlace Advocate Core Training; equivalent training will be considered in lieu of the initial SafePlace training as a condition of hire.  On-the-job crisis line training with shelter staff will be provided after hire.  After one year, employee must attend 20 hours of on-going domestic violence training a year, which must include 15 hours advocacy-based counseling and 5 hours of training on providing services and advocacy to individuals from marginalized populations.  Further, 12 hours of sexual assault training is required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof of vaccination unless the employee has been granted a valid medical or religious accommodation.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.  The employee frequently is required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel.  The employee is required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.