Victim/Witness Advocate I/II

Kings County; Hanford (CA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Kings County District Attorney's Office is seeking qualified individuals for the Victim/Witness Advocate I/II. This role supports victims and witnesses, provides crisis intervention, guides access to resources, and facilitates coordination with law enforcement and prosecutors to ensure timely court participation.

The position emphasizes compassionate service, adherence to procedures, and flexibility to meet irregular hours and travel within the county as needed.

Qualifications

• Education: Associate degree in psychology, social services, or related field.
• Experience: See Education and Experience sections for level I/II requirements.
• Licenses: California driver’s license required for appointment.

Responsibilities

• Provide crisis intervention and short-term counseling to victims and witnesses.
• Assist victims with forms, applications and accessing resources.
• Coordinate with law enforcement, DA staff and service agencies.
• Explain court procedures, arrange hearings, and accompany victims.
• Maintain multiple case files and prepare necessary reports and records.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Counseling

Interpersonal skills

Documentation

Education

Associate degree in psychology, social services, or related field

Job description

The Kings County District Attorney Office is currently seeking qualified individuals for the position of:

Victim/Witness Advocate I/II

I: $41,350.40 - $50,460.80 Annually

II: $45,676.80 - $55,723.20 Annually

Lead with integrity. Protect the community. Strengthen justice.

The Kings County District Attorney's Office is seeking compassionate, dedicated individuals who want to make a real difference in their community. As a Victim/Witness Advocate I/II, you will stand alongside victims and witnesses during some of life's most challenging moments, providing support, guidance, and access to critical resources. This is more than a job, it's an opportunity to empower others, promote healing, and play an important role in the pursuit of justice.

Management reserves the right to add, modify, change, or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.

Some duties, knowledge, skills, and abilities may be performed in a learning capacity for entry-level (I Level) positions.

• Receives, reviews and processes a diverse range of documents relevant to specific case; documents include, but are not limited to, crime reports, medical reports, court records, and other documentation used to determine the level of County or legal services needed to support the crime victim or witness.
• Provides crisis intervention to victims and witnesses of crimes to assist in reducing trauma and facilitate adjustment; provides para-professional counseling on a short term and follow-up basis, in the field or program office.
• Performs outreach and interviews to identify victims eligible for assistance.
• Aids crime victims in completing forms and applications including the Victim of Crime application and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) 1707, gathers required documentation, and submits the claim to the appropriate state agency for review.
• Assists victims and witnesses in various processes of the criminal justice system such as support at crime scenes, law enforcement interviews, and ensuring property is returned.
• Arranges meetings with law enforcement, victims, and attorney staff.
• Assists with obtaining injunctions, restraining orders, and restitution.
• Facilitates communication with local law enforcement agencies, District Attorney and/or children and family services agencies as an advocate for the victim.
• Provides referrals to various support organizations and assists victims and witnesses in obtaining counseling, medical and dental care, protective services, psychiatric services, childcare, food, shelter, clothing and related community services.
• Explains court procedures and terms, notifies victims and witnesses of court dates, transports or arranges transportation, and follows up to ensure victims and witnesses appear; provides court orientation, accompaniment, and criminal case status to victims and family members; assists victims in attending Parole Hearings.
• Works with members of the victim’s primary support group to assist them in dealing with various aspects of the victim’s experiences; conducts home visits.
• Provides information to the public and makes educational presentations regarding the program and its service.
• Serves as a liaison to, and coordinates services with, internal staff and external agencies or organizations including, but not limited to, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), law enforcement, court systems, medical providers, community-based organizations landlords, employers and other entities.
• Prepares and maintains a variety of records, correspondence, and reports, impact statements, case records, program information and related reports.
• Establishes and accurately maintains multiple case files, including regular updates and review of all communication and contacts with clients, court updates, and restitution follow-up.
• Performs various administrative tasks such as receiving telephone calls, processing forms, entering data into specialized computer systems, and maintaining appropriate files and records.
• Responds to incidents of mass violence/casualties as required.
• Hosts and attends community based and public events.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Please note: Work experience for the last 15 years must be included in the work history portion of your application. It is also important that your application show all the relevant education and experience that you possess, even if it extends beyond the required past 15 years.

A resume may be attached, but it is not a substitute for completing the application and supplemental questions. Failure to submit a completed application may eliminate you from the recruitment.

When completing the work history portion of your application please include each level position title and level as a separate entry when applicable (e.g., If you were a Level I and promoted to Level II, each level should be entered separately to reflect the time held at each level).

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Education and Experience

Education:

Victim Witness Advocate I/II: Equivalent to an associate degree in psychology, social services, or a closely related field.

Experience:

Victim Witness Advocate I: One (1) year of experience in crisis intervention, counseling, or similar social service delivery work.

Victim Witness Advocate II: One (1) year as a Victim Witness Advocate in Kings County OR Two (2) years of increasingly responsible experience in crisis intervention, counseling, or similar social service delivery work as a Victim Witness Advocate I in Kings County.

Licenses

Possession of a valid California driver's license issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles at the time of appointment.

Special Requirements

Qualify for security clearance through a background investigation and fingerprint check; must be willing to work irregular hours as required; travel within and outside the County. Incumbents must complete the required minimum hours of entry level training pursuant to California Penal Code 13835.10 within the first twelve (12) months of appointment; Certain positions may require the use of bilingual skills requiring demonstrated speaking, reading and/or writing fluency in a foreign language.

All completed applications and supplemental questionnaires will be reviewed. Depending upon the number of applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, the examination process may include a screening committee (pass/fail) and/or a written examination (pass/fail) and/or an oral examination (100%) to determine placement on the eligible list.

Note: Those applicants who are among the top 40 written test scores will be invited to participate in the oral examination process.

VETERAN'S PREFERENCE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Veteran's Preference Application

You must submit a certified DD-214 and a new request form for each application submission prior to the closing date.

Tentative Recruitment Process

Final Date to Apply: November 12, 2026

Human Resources Oral Board: November 23, 2026