Child Welfare Advocate - Grove Campus

E3applicants; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

8 holidays per year

401(k) with match

Professional development

Job summary

SAFE Alliance seeks a Child Welfare Advocate for the SAFEFutures program in East Austin, TX. The advocate provides short/long-term support to survivors with open CPS cases, and offers court consultation for family court proceedings in the 126th District Court.

Training is provided to clients and professionals about domestic violence dynamics and available resources. The role involves on-site advocacy, collaboration with multiple agencies, and some remote/hybrid work with travel within Central

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or related field is required.
• One year of experience in family violence, domestic violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, or related field preferred.
• Completion of required training including sexual assault advocacy training

Responsibilities

• Serve as on-site resource providing short-term case management to survivors with open CPS cases in Travis County.
• Provide consultations on family court cases involving domestic violence to judges in the 126th District Court.
• Deliver trainings and presentations on dynamics of domestic and sexual violence to survivors, court staff, and collaborating agencies.
• Collaborate with SAFE Futures staff and community partners to support clients served within the program.

Skills

Advocacy

Communication

Court liaison

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Social Work

Job description

SAFE Alliance seeks a Child Welfare Advocate for the Child Abuse Prevention & Intervention Services program in the SAFEFutures department. The Child Welfare Advocate is responsible for providing short/long term advocacy and support to survivors of family/domestic violence, human trafficking and/or sexual assault who have open Child Protective Services cases in Travis County. The Child Welfare Advocate also provides consultation, upon request, on family court cases involving domestic violence to the Presiding and Associate Judges of the 126th District Court. The Child Welfare Advocate will provide ongoing training to clients concerning a variety of topics including but not limited to parenting, the dynamics of domestic and sexual violence and the co-occurrence of family violence and child maltreatment. They may also provide training to professionals including court staff and other collaborating agencies, involved in the family court system.

SAFE Alliance:

The SAFE Alliance exists to stop abuse for everyone by serving the survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, and domestic violence. We are dedicated to ending violence through prevention, advocacy, and comprehensive services for individuals, families, and communities that have been affected by abuse.

Over the past two years, SAFE has served 11,397 clients across our programs. During that time, SAFE reached more than 50,000 community members through over 2,000 trainings, provided more than 150,000 nights and days of shelter and housing support, and delivered over 53,000 crisis intervention and advocacy services through our 24/7 hotline, walk-in advocacy, and direct support programs.

No matter what your role at SAFE Alliance you will make a difference, because together we can Stop Abuse For Everyone.

Perks and Benefits of Working at SAFE Alliance*:

• Employee Only: Health insurance, short-term disability, and life insurance are employer paid with an option to purchase additional dependent coverage.
• Eligibility for Paid time off accruals of up to 15 days a year prorated based on hire date and hours worked.
• 8 standard paid holidays throughout the year.
• Depending on your date of hire, up to 4 Personal Holidays are granted to use at your preference throughout the year.
• A comprehensive voluntary benefits plan that includes dental, vision, flexible spending, and various insurance programs including pet insurance.
• 403(b) retirement plan with an ability to contribute immediately. You can earn an employer match of 100% up to 1% of your pay and a discretionary contribution of 2% of your pay whether you contribute to the Plan, after one year of eligible service.
• SAFE Alliance benefit plans are effective the first day of the month following thirty days of continuous employment.

*Benefit plans and benefit start dates are prorated based on date of hire and hours worked. Eligibility in employer paid benefits, paid time off and holidays are dependent upon full-time employment status and/or hours worked and may be subject to change.

We are looking for one person to work on a full-time, exempt basis for an annual salary of$50,820 dependent upon experience.

The work location will be based at Grove Blvd. Campus in the East Austin area. This position will include some travel in the community or between campuses and will allow for some remote/hybrid work.

This position requires driving. You must have a valid, State of Texas Driver's License (If in possession of an out-of-state license, obtain a State of Texas Driver's License within 90 days of beginning employment.) AND at least three (3) consecutive years of driving experience OR one (1) year of driving experience if over 27 years of age AND an acceptable driving record that covers at least the last three years of driver history.

FLSA Status:Exempt (not eligible for overtime)

Reports to:SAFE Futures Program Director

Supports: SAFE Futures team efforts as a whole which includes other Legal Advocate, Case Manager(s) and Program Director.

Collaborates/coordinates with: all SAFE Futures Staff to staff and support clients served within this program and/or other SAFE Staff as needed. DFPS, Travis County Courts, and other community partners as needed.

Essential Functions:

• Serves as an on-site resource providing support and direct short term case management to survivors of domestic violence who have open Child Protective Services case that are being heard in the Travis County District Family Court. Staff is resourceful in coordination of these services.
• Remains client focused when working within the Child Protective Services/Family Court Systems.
• Provide quality decision making with regard to the Family Court System when there is interaction with the survivor of domestic or sexual violence and their children.
• Provides consultation, upon request, on family court cases involving domestic violence to the Presiding and Associate Judges of the 126th District Court.
• Communicates daily with client stakeholders and community partners via phone, email, and in-person
• Values differences in experiences, knowledge and culture of survivors, co-workers, and community partners
• Assists with other tasks in the family court related to domestic and sexual violence as requested by the Presiding and Associate Judges of the 126th District Court and approved by your supervisor.
• Employ resourcefulness when developing new training or modifying and improving existing trainings/presentations, and consistently aims these efforts toward improving collaborations, court and client engagement.
• Provides presentations/trainings to survivors, court staff and other collaborating agencies, involved in the family court system, concerning the dynamics of domestic and sexual violence, the co-occurrence of family violence and child maltreatment, Trauma informed services and available community resources as requested.
• Be consistently above board, beyond reproach and trustworthy when handling confidential information.
• Instills trust within the family court system and with the survivors of family violence that they serve.
• Communicates effectively and displays a high level of resilience when coordinating with the Travis County Family Court Judges and staff, Child Protective Services, the Survivor of domestic and/or sexual violence and their children as well as other involved collaborating agencies.
• Maintains relationships with collaborating agencies to support the work of the Prevention Advocacy Program services. By utilizing appropriate interpersonal skills , ensures that services are cooperatively planned, implemented and evaluated.
• Collaborates as part of a team across the court system.
• Effectively work to cultivate relationships at all levels of the organization and values differences when working with various community partners.
• Represents the agency with courage within the Family Court System related to issues surrounding Domestic and Sexual Violence, Trauma Informed Services and Child Protective Services.
• Ensures accountability in maintaining documentation and program statistics/evaluations to meet requirements of both the agency and grant reporting requirements. Complies with monthly statistical reports for all relevant parties.
• Multi-tasks with strong situational adaptability and a keen eye for optimizing work processes .
• Participates on task forces, as requested by your supervisor, which coincide with issues surrounding the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse/neglect, in support of positive systems change and to advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their children. Instills trust within and amongst those teams.
• Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers and all work related contacts
• Attends work regularly in accordance with agency leave policies
• Attends training and participates in professional development as required by agency and/or supervisor
• Other duties as assigned.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• With reasonable accommodation, this position requires the manual dexterity to sufficiently operate phones, computers, and other office equipment.
• Must be able to clearly and accurately communicate to convey information using English language, both verbally and in writing.
• Visual acuity capable of drafting, editing, reviewing, and/or comprehending materials in a standard typeface size 10 font or above, are required.
• Be capable of sitting and standing for extended periods of time, as well as be able to intermittently push, pull, or carry 20 lbs.of force.
• Must have ability to report to work remotely (25%), report to jobsite as required (50%) and various worksites within Central Texas, as program demands require (25%)

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or other related field required; Equivalent years of professional-level relevant experience is acceptable in lieu of a Bachelor's Degree.
• One year experience, required in the field of Family Violence caused by Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse & Exploitation, Human Trafficking and/or Child abuse and the intersection of the Child Protective Services system and/or the legal system in the coordination and/or delivery of social service programs, victim advocacy, conflict resolution, guidance counseling
• One year of professional and client training or community education experience, preferred.
• One year experience, preferred in civil or criminal legal services related to Family Court or Family Protective Services providing one-on-one advocacy to domestic violence survivors

Certification & Training

• This position requires completion of the 40-Hour Office of Attorney General Sexual Assault Advocacy Training Program in person within six (6) months of starting employment, along with participating in annual continuing education throughout your employment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Must pass all required criminal history background checks; have a valid Texas driver's license and provide Department of Public Safety proof of driving record acceptable to agency insurers for the past three years or have reliable transportation; and must submit to pre-employment drug screen and TB text as well as random drug screens when directed.
• Demonstrates appropriate skill level and capability in the operation of computers and general office software programs, including word-processing, spread sheet, and database software, as required in your department.
• Adheres to The SAFE Alliance Guiding Principles, Mission, and Standards of Conduct, Core Competencies and Confidentiality Policy.
• Ability to work independently off-site; ability to work cooperatively with the staff of the Travis County Family Court and collaborators to offer both support and constructive feedback in a diplomatic manner.
• Demonstrates conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.
• Pays careful attention to detail; works with accuracy and maintain neat, well-organized records.
• Maintains flexibility and show demonstrated ability to take responsibility for a diverse number of projects and complete them in a timely manner.
• Maintains flexibility and ability to work with frequent interruptions and multiple and changing priorities.
• Knowledge of community resources required.
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• Pass all required criminal history background checks (including an FBI fingerprint check if applicable), as well as a pre-employment drug screen and TB test, if applicable.
  

This position component is intended to provide a general summary of position-specific duties, requirements, and expectations. It is not intended to be all-inclusive or to represent every responsibility associated with the position. The organization reserves the right to modify, defer, or rescind this position component at any time, with or without prior notice. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.