Bilingual Family Advocate (English/Spanish)

Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County; Hoffman Estates (IL); On-site; USD 52,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County seeks a qualified victim advocate to support child clients through trauma-informed advocacy during investigations and court involvement. This full-time, salaried role resides in the Forensic and Advocacy Services team.

This position requires bilingual English/Spanish proficiency, a 35-hour workweek, rotating on-call duties with potential evening commitments, and travel to satellite offices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology or a related field is required and a master's degree in a related field is preferred.
• Professional experience providing services addressing trauma and working with community partners such as law enforcement, DCFS, and/or prosecutors.
• Bilingual English/Spanish required.

Responsibilities

• Provide crisis intervention and support to child victims and non-offending caregiver(s) during investigations.
• Assist in education and training of multidisciplinary team partners on CAC protocols and best practices.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary response to cases by managing referrals from investigative partners.
• Complete psychosocial and needs assessments with non-offending caregiver(s) at forensic interview appointments.
• Perform trauma screening and suicide risk assessments with children and teens.
• Provide culturally relevant resources and referrals (mental health, medical, legal, housing, etc.).
• Maintain records and document services in the agency database in a timely manner.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work/psychology or related field

Master's degree in related field preferred

Job description

Reports To: Director of Forensic and Advocacy Services

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology or a related field is required and a master's degree in a related field is preferred. Professional experience providing services addressing trauma and working closely with community partners such as law enforcement, the Department of Children and Family Services, and/or prosecutors. Bilingual English/Spanish required.

Schedule & Availability Requirements:

This is a full-time, salaried position with a typical workweek of 35 hours. Work schedules are generally planned around client needs.

• On-Call Availability: Participation in a rotating on-call schedule is required. Team members are on call approximately 50% of the time and may be contacted outside of regular business hours, including evenings and weekends.
• Evening Availability: While most appointments are scheduled during regular business hours, client appointments are typically offered two evenings per week. Team members should be flexible to accommodate evening appointments as scheduled, as well as additional evening availability when needed to meet client and agency needs.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Complete required 24-hour Victim Advocacy Training within the first year of employment and participate in a minimum of 8 hours within a 2-year period of continuing education specific to victim or court advocacy and/or child maltreatment, or domestic violence
• Provide support and/or crisis intervention to child victims and their non-offending caregiver(s) during child protection and/or criminal investigations
• Assist in the education and training of multidisciplinary team partners on CAC protocols and best practices
• Assist in coordination of the multidisciplinary response to cases by managing referrals from investigative partners
• Complete a brief psychosocial and needs assessment with non-offending caregiver(s) at the time of the scheduled forensic interview appointment
• Complete trauma screening and suicide risk assessments with children and teens
• Provide culturally relevant resources and referrals (mental health, medical, legal, housing, etc.) to clients
• Provide case management which includes routine contact with the client's family and multi-disciplinary team (law enforcement, DCFS, State's Attorney's Office, mental health, and medical clinic staff)
• Provide court advocacy, which could include attending hearings with clients, assisting with Orders of Protection and Victim Impact Statements, assisting with victim/witness court preparation, advocating for the rights of crime victims throughout the criminal justice process
• Document direct services in agency database in a consistent and timely manner
• Maintain all records as per the agency's confidentiality standards
• Participate in regularly scheduled 1:1 supervision, team, and all-staff meetings
• Participate in monthly Multi-Disciplinary Team Case Review meetings
• ** After-hours and weekend on-call responsibilities on a rotating basis **
• Regular travel between main office (Hoffman Estates) and satellite offices (Arlington Heights and Skokie)
• Other duties, as designated by Executive Leadership

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants in accordance with applicable federal, Illinois, and local laws. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities during the application and employment process.

Compensation:

$52,400-62,000 annually, depending on qualifications and experience.

Payroll:

Employees are paid bi-weekly via direct deposit. Direct deposit enrollment is required upon hire, subject to applicable law.

Benefits:

Medical, dental, vision, employer-paid life insurance, short-term disability, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k), generous paid time off, paid holidays, floating holidays, and other leave benefits available in accordance with organizational policies and applicable law.