Find a rewarding job with The Spring of Tampa Bay! We provide safe spaces and empowering services to survivors of domestic violence and their children.

Job Description:

Provides counseling, service management, and advocacy to Shelter participants. Provides information, referrals, and counseling to callers.

Principal duties/responsibilities:

• Provides empowerment-based advocacy counseling, service management, and crisis intervention for Shelter participants.
• Meets with new participants within one (1) business day and completes a service plan within 72 hours of admittance.
• Safety planning and assessing the lethality of the resident's situation.
• Meets with participants on a daily regular basis for follow-up sessions.
• Secures information (such as medical, lethality, and social factors) contributing to the resident's situation. 5
• Assist victims filling victim compensation applications and relocation assistance.
• Manages all aspects of assigned participants and acts as focal point with primary responsibility for services rendered to those participants.
• To ensure safety, Shelter Advocates will provide safety planning with residents; first meeting, when resident is employed, when out in the community, upon exiting the program, and all other changes that may occur.
• Reviews service plan and performs follow-up to determine quantity and quality of service provided to resident and status of resident's case. Follows up with resident to encourage regular sessions.
• Assist participants with arranging transportation to appointments, court appearances, etc. Provides encouragement and moral support to participants.
• Refers participants to community resources and other organizations based on the resident's needs.
• Maintains file, records progress on each assigned resident. Maintains written records required for statistical reporting and programmatic objectives. Prepares and provides statistical information monthly.
• Attends weekly case conferences meetings and completes initial and follow-up presentation forms to report progress for each adult resident for which the position is responsible.

Occasional duties or projects which may be performed at irregular intervals:

• Processes Injunctions for Protection, as needed.
• Provides transportation for participants, on occasion, utilizing agency vehicles.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Answers and screens incoming crisis calls to the shelter, and admits screened participants into the shelter. Provides callers with information and referrals to other agencies as appropriate. Questions caller to determine situation, ensures caller meets the shelter's guidelines for admittance, and completes screening form. Registers resident entering the shelter which includes performing intake interview, lethality assessment, completing registration information, safety planning, and providing tour of the shelter.
• Facilitate support groups on various topics.
• Must be willing to work flexible hours to meet participant's needs.

Accountability: Areas in which the position is accountable/responsible:

• Quality Control: Has high accountability for quality of service participants receive.
• Records: Accountable for ensuring records and documentation are accurate and current.
• Policies/Procedures: Adheres to DCF standards, and policies and procedures of the Agency.

Supervision Responsibility:

• Not applicable.

Business-Related Contacts:

• Internal contacts: All agency staff involved with participant service including transitional housing, outreach, and thrift store.
• External contacts: Has frequent contact with community agencies for participant advocacy including Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Child Protection Investigation Division, Bay Area Legal Services, law enforcement, and hospitals.

Educational and/or equivalence in experience requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in social services or related field, plus 1 year of related experience is preferred. Individuals with five years of related work experience may be considered in lieu of bachelor's degree. High School Diploma or GED, required.

Specialized or technical educational requirements:

• Must have knowledge of community resources. Knowledge of word processing required in order to complete intake documents and other tasks.
• Obtain Domestic Violence Core Competency certification prior to having direct contact with participants.
• 16-hours of training each year thereafter regarding the dynamics of domestic violence and intervention.
• Provide a flexible work schedule in order to meet the needs of the resident.

Certification or licensing requirements:

• Valid driver's license, must have at least two years of driving experience, active driving insurance, and acceptable MVR required.
• Must successfully pass FBI background screening.
• Must be eligible to be sworn as a Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Specialized equipment or machines used in the course of the duties of the position.

• Computer for word processing and data input.

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• This position requires verbal communication on the telephone and on an individual basis. Occasionally requires local travel transporting participants to appointments, etc. Position requires documenting case files and compiling reports. The position requires using hands occasionally. Vision is required for viewing documents and talking/hearing is required most of the time.

Work Environment:

• The environment is typically in an office setting with moderate noise. There is occasional exposure to the outdoors when transporting participants.
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.