Job Description

Title: Family Advocate

Department: Rapid Response Team

Reports To: Family Advocacy Manager

Status: Full Time – Non-Exempt ≈ 40 hours per week (Monday to Friday, business hours approximately

8:00 am – 4:00 pm with some required flexibility)

The mission of Denver Children’s Advocacy Center is to prevent abuse, strengthen families and restore childhood. DCAC serves children who have been sexually abused, physically abused, neglected, or traumatized by witnessing violence. Our goal is to ensure that every child in Denver and neighboring counties who has been traumatized by sexual abuse, or by witnessing homicide or domestic violence receives immediate, compassionate and effective investigation, assessment and, if needed, mental health treatment. DCAC is committed to providing services, along with a broad network of community partners, to all communities and populations in Denver. We are committed to the ongoing work of providing quality and culturally-responsive services to children and families of all backgrounds and identities.

General Responsibilities:

It is the responsibility of all DCAC employees to support DCAC’s mission and goals, to respect the confidentiality of all who come to us for assistance, and to personally maintain the dignity and integrity of one who is placed in a position of public trust. We all bear the responsibility of improving the organization, communicating openly, empowering each other to excel at our work and to dedicate ourselves to inclusivity.

Summary of Position

The Family Advocate provides support for the Rapid Response Team at DCAC to ensure a continuum of services for children who have been victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, neglect, or who have witnessed a homicide and/or other types of trauma. The focus of this position is to provide emotional support, forensic interview orientation, and crime victim information to child victims of crime and to non-offending family members, and to coordinate services with partner agencies involved in the investigation and treatment of child abuse, neglect and trauma.

This job description should not be construed to imply that the requirements listed are the exclusive standards of the position. The Rapid Response Team is an emergency response team that requires flexibility with scheduling.

The home office of this position is at the Denver Children’s Advocacy Center (2149 Federal Blvd), but will require frequent transportation to two other facilities to provide services: 405 S. Platte River Drive and 1330 Fox Street.

Duties and Responsibilities

¬ Conduct pre-forensic interview phone calls to orient non-offending caregivers to the FI process and complete forensic interview paperwork

¬ Coordinating pre-forensic interview needs for family, such as scheduling Lyft transportation or interpreting services

¬ Be the first contact with children and families arriving at the center. Additionally, being the final contact with family at the end of their appointment

¬ Provide forensic interview orientation, completing any paperwork not completed before arrival and explaining the forensic interview process

¬ Provide family advocacy to the non-offending caregiver during the forensic interview. Services provided during family advocacy include a range of support identified by the National Children’s Alliance and includes:

• Conducting mental health screeners with both parent and children to help identify trauma symptoms
• Provide mental health referrals to DCAC treatment and assessment team
• Provide emotional support to clients and family members
• Provide information to non-offending family members about their rights as victims of crime, including crime victim compensation assistance
• Assist in procuring concrete services (housing, protective orders, domestic violence intervention, food, crime victims’ compensation, transportation, public assistance, emergency awards, etc.)

¬ Provide short to long term case management with each family to ensure family is receiving necessary support and services on-going contact via phone call or emails

¬ Maintains and enters data in the case tracking system

¬ Ensures services for victims are met through working partnerships with system victim advocates (i.e., Police and District Attorney Victim Advocates)

¬ Attends interagency meetings, trainings and workshops pertinent to advocacy services as directed by supervisor

¬ Supports in the education and training of interns.

Competency

To perform the outlined duties and responsibilities successfully, the person in this position should demonstrate the following competencies:

• ¬ Understands the impact of trauma on children and caregivers (behavior, memory, emotions)
• ¬ Recognizes signs of dysregulation and responds appropriately
• ¬ Avoids re-traumatization in interactions and systems navigation
• ¬ Builds rapport quickly with both children and caregivers
• ¬ Avoids sharing investigative opinions or interpretations
• ¬ Protects confidentiality and understands legal/ethical limits
• ¬ Demonstrates respect for diverse identities and lived experiences
• ¬ Recognizes own emotional responses and manages them
• ¬ Seeks support appropriately (supervision, debriefing)
• ¬ Adjusts to changing case dynamics and family needs
• ¬ Manages competing priorities (walk-ins, scheduled cases, follow-ups)
• ¬ Open to feedback and ongoing learning

Qualifications

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

• ¬ Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, child development, criminology, psychology or related field
• ¬ Knowledge of child protection and criminal justice systems
• ¬ Experience working in high-trauma settings
• ¬ Able to communicate effectively with young children and adolescents
• ¬ Knowledge of child development, child abuse and the effects of child abuse
• ¬ Excellent written and verbal communication, computer and mediation skills
• ¬ Must pass background check

Benefits:

Salary based on experience and qualifications (Salary range: $60,000-$65,000). Denver Children’s Advocacy Center offers an excellent compensation package with full benefits which include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as a retirement plan option.

Denver Children’s Advocacy Center is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a diverse applicant pool. To apply for this position, please email your resume and cover letter to Hollie Reinhart – HReinhart@Denvercac.org

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

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