Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Victim Advocate

Title: Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Victim Advocate  

Status: Non-Exempt  

Supervisor: Coordinator of Advocacy  

Salary: $25.93/hr.

Schedule: 32 hrs. per week w/ on-call rotation requirement

Function: The DCSO Victim Advocate acts as the liaison to the police department including co-location at the police department, providing outreach and assistance to victims who have had police contact or wish to file a police report.

Enthusiastically supports, practices and communicates agency’s mission and statement of values. 

Our mission is to help families and individuals help themselves through direct services, collaboration, and advocacy. 

Qualifications: BA in Human Services field preferred and/or 3 to 5 years relevant work experience. Human Services, counseling, and/or advocacy experience.


Position Responsibilities: 
 

• Provide casework services to clients including: crisis counseling, safety planning, advocacy, information and referrals, emergency financial assistance, and claims filing. 

• Assist victims who have had police contact or wish to file a police report. Review domestic incidents and outreach to victims and officers as appropriate.     

• Accompany victims of crime to hospitals, police departments, and court while providing crisis counseling, information and referrals, assistance with crime victims compensation claims, criminal justice advocacy and personal advocacy.  

• Provide information and referrals to all clients in need following the agency’s and department’s protocol. 

• Expand service reach by researching community organizations and providing community outreach through presentations and tabling events. 

• Participate in on-call rotation for evening and weekend coverage of 24-hour hotlines. 

• Complete all administrative tasks as assigned on a timely basis, this includes, but is not limited to: documenting all activities, preparing weekly and monthly activity reports, maintaining up-to-date case records, and inputting into client database. 

• Maintain statistics and prepare reports as needed and maintain up-to-date client records. 

• Other duties as assigned based upon need of program. 

• Clear and effective communication, both orally and in writing. 

• Ability to work effectively when under extreme pressure. 

• Ability to work independently, but relate issues to manager, as appropriate. 

• Possess out of the box thinking, resourcefulness, and strong advocacy skills. 

• Ability to develop and maintain working relationships within DCSO and other community agencies and stakeholders. 

• Ability to remain organized and complete administrative tasks, such as documenting activities and maintaining up-to-date records, in a timely manner. 
   

• Complete and maintain training certification as NYS DOH Rape Crisis Counselor.
• Complete mandated reporter training; Report any behavior or implication of behavior of child abuse to the appropriate authorities.
• Must be able to get to and from various work locations throughout work shift and outside of office hours for on-call purposes.  This includes Family Services, local courts, hospitals, police departments, social services, etc.
• Strong computer skills, including a working knowledge of an e-mail package and MS software programs:  Word and Excel.
• Established cell phone, willing to use for work (will be reimbursed), with effective coverage for the Dutchess County area.

Benefits:

Do you value flexibility and support in your work environment? We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Our benefits packages include:

· Medical, dental, and vision coverage

· 403(b) retirement plan

· Group term life and long-term disability insurance

· Supplemental life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)

· Paid vacation, holiday, sick, and personal time

· Supplemental insurance through AFLAC

· Employee assistance program (EAP)
 

Our Agency Values 

Integrity - Being honest and trustworthy 

Compassion – Extending empathy and understanding to others 

Hope - Believing in the strength of the human spirit and heart, to emerge and thrive in the face of challenge 

Diversity – Promoting a vison of community comprised of wide-ranging assets 

Respect - Treating all individuals with dignity and without judgement 

Community - Recognizing and reinforcing the importance of our world as being comprised of people of differing strengths and perspectives  

Justice – Promoting social and economic equity and fairness  

Quality – Striving for excellence in every aspect of our work 

Our Mission: To support people, strengthen families, and nurture safer, healthier communities.

Work Environment – Family Services Inc. Center for Victim Safety and Support is a 24 hour crisis center.  Co-located Advocates will split their time between their law enforcement jurisdiction, advocating/interacting with community agencies and systems, meeting with individuals and working on a team at the Center for Victim Safety and Support, completing documentation and administrative responsibilities and participating in meetings at Family Services. 

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