Sexual Assault Advocacy Specialist

Status: Full time
Hours: 40 hours/week
Company Sponsored Time: We have a 4-day, 32-hour work week, and YWCA will provide this role 8 hours of Company Sponsored Time for you to use on Fridays to maintain work-life balance while maintaining pay at 40 hours a week. 

Pay Range: $24.96 + $1/hour shelter differential and $1/hour bi-lingual differential available
Benefits:  

Mission:

Weve identified the day-to-day responsibilities linked to each position. In addition to the position specific responsibilities provided below, each YWCA Clark County employee must share responsibility for upholding and modeling the organizations core value on a daily basis:

• Assure that participants, staff, volunteers and community partners are treated with respect and dignity regardless of race, ethnic background, gender or socioeconomic background.
• Gain approval for, track, and engage in activities that meet the organizations 1% for Social Change requirement.
• Think through the lens of racial equity and its intersections with poverty. Use the core principles of anti-racism and grounding those principles in all daily tasks.
• Incorporate the YWCAs commitment to social justice by understanding how racism, sexism, classism and other oppressions intersect and are embedded in institutions. Seek opportunities for continued learning about racial, gender and class equity.

Position Specific Responsibilities:

• Provide direct services including general, medical, and legal advocacy to primary victims/survivors and/or secondary victims/survivors such as family, friends, and guardians including on-site and off-site locations which may include but is not limited to:     

           o Support and information over the phone, in person, and via video conferencing software.

           o In-person or virtual advocacy as needed at schools, Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, Clark County Jail, Childrens                 Justice Center, Clark County Courthouse and various police precinct stations.

           o Provide in-person support during medical forensic exams at Peace Health or Legacy Salmon Creek emergency rooms.

• Communicate with law enforcement, legal agencies, community organizations/partners, county/state/federal agencies, national organizations/partners, universities, families, and other relevant programs as needed.
• Refer sexual assault program participants to other YWCA Clark County programs according to program procedures.
• Monitor warrant cases and communicate with legal agencies and families as appropriate. 
• Work with the program director to establish and effectively manage an active case load. 
• Document and report participant related information in a manner that complies with federal and state requirements as well as in conjunction with program and organization policies and procedures. 
• Attend community and outreach events at the direction of the program manager.
• Attend further education, training, and certification opportunities with director approval.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with community partners and organizations.
• Make mandatory reports as legally required.
• Collaborate as a team on program special events.
• Document and report in a timely manner participant related information, complying with federal and state requirements as well as program and organization policies and procedures. 
• Ensure comprehension of program and organizational policies and procedures and follow them. 
• Track hours worked and turn in monthly timesheet to supervisor on time. 

Specialist Specific Responsibilities:

• Manage and coordinate activities relating to support groups including but not limited to:
• Plan relevant topics with potential secondary topics.
• Co-facilitate and/or arrange facilitators for support groups.
• Train new support group facilitators.
• Submit intake and reporting paperwork for support group participants.
• Facilitate Where We Live Bystander Intervention workshops including:
• Scheduling, outreach and marketing.
• Participant screening and intakes.
• Modifications to Where We Live curriculum.
• Facilitation of workshops.
• Training of new co-facilitators.
• Submit reporting paperwork and track on Infonet.
• Assist program director in scheduling volunteer and on-call advocates and communicating the schedule and any changes with Sexual Assault and SafeChoice staff as needed.
• Mentor advocates and volunteers in empowerment-based advocacy practices as needed.
• Facilitate YWCA core trainings and assist with program trainings as needed.
• Assist program director with grant applications and reporting.
• Plan and implement special events such as Women, Trauma and Healing and H.A.P.Y.

There is a strong social justice component to all program positions within YWCA, requiring critical thinking through the lens of racism and intersections with poverty and other forms of oppression. Knowing the core principles of anti-racism and grounding those principles in everyday work are required job skills and core values.

Minimum education and experience: 

• High school diploma or G.E.D. required.
• Bachelors degree and/or equivalent work experience working with survivors of trauma.
• Language fluency: verbally and in writing, clearly communicate with participants, co-workers, and community partners in English as needed. Bilingual skills preferred.
• Must be able to pass criminal background check which precludes any conviction in the WA Administration code found on: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=170-06-0120.
• Occasional nights and/or weekends required.

Strong time management skills: effectively manage a supervisor determined case load, related paperwork, and respond to requests and questions. 

Ability to work in a self-directed manner: effectively engage in work-related research as needed to support the participants, program operations, or as requested by supervisor.

Ability to work in a team: consistently convey an open, respectful, and solution-oriented approach to addressing challenges, completing work tasks, and when providing or requesting feedback. 

Ability to work at a higher level: demonstrate unwavering integrity by taking accountability for mistakes, doing whats needed to correct them, and supporting fellow co-workers to do the same. 

Ability to maintain strong boundaries: use work time to support the program and organization in a manner that supports our participants right to privacy. 

Strong critical thinking skills: in a self-directed manner, resolve challenges and answer questions while knowing when its time to stop and seek additional guidance and/or direction. 

Ability to achieve greatness: good employees make sure the day-to-day work gets done; great employees do so while in a way that fosters communication within their program and their own professional growth. 

Strong technological skills: strong working knowledge of the MS suite of products, various internet browsers, and video conferencing platforms.

Strong soft-skills: with little to no prompting, adapt work and communication style to mitigate and/or de-escalate, improve the ability to support our participants and forge lasting and mutually beneficial professional relationships.

Strong advocacy skills: utilize empowerment-based advocacy to support participants in a manner that supports the organizations core values, goals of the program, and organizations overall mission. 

Strong crisis management skills: effectively and respectfully communicate often-times complex and emotionally charged information to participants, law-enforcement, court officials, co-workers, and supervisor. 

Self-awareness: ability to recognize impact of working with survivors of trauma and willingness to incorporate vicarious resiliency practices.
 

Don't meet every single requirement after reading through this post? You may be just the right candidate for the role or future roles, and please know we value lived experience! Studies have shown that due to white supremacy culture, systemically oppressed communities are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. YWCA Clark County is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply a 

Compensation details: 24.96-25.96 Hourly Wage

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