What are the responsibilities and job description for the COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES ADVOCATE position at Ywca Central Massachusetts Inc?
Job Title: Community Based Service Advocate Department: Domestic Violence
Reports to: Manager of DV Services Effective Date: January 2025
Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Remote Position: No
Job Summary:
As a Community Based Service Advocate, you will provide critical services to victims of domestic violence to include crisis intervention, advocacy, counseling, and education, with a focus on promoting healthy, non-violent relationships within the community.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- None
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Provide crisis intervention services and individual/group advocacy to victims of domestic violence in both community and agency settings
- Assess and identify high risk clients, facilitating access to shelter and related services
- Develop and maintain strong partnerships with schools, community organizations and faith-based groups to support collaborative efforts and provide community education
- Deliver educational presentations and training on topics such as health relationships, child abuse, bullying, teen dating violence, and domestic violence
- Promote community wide attitude shifts towards healthy, non-violent relationships and address factors that condone intimate partner violence
- Maintain accurate and confidential client records in compliance with agency policies
- Collect and maintain require statistics for funding and reporting purposes
- Attend agency meetings, in service trainings, and community education events
- Maintain and update community resource contacts to support clients
- Adhere to all YWCA and related agency policies and procedures
- Other tasks as assigned by the Manager
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Multi-lingual / Bilingual preferred.
- Experience working with diverse populations and understanding of cultural sensitivities
- Proven ability to collaborate effectively with professionals and teams
- Strong ability to maintain professional boundaries and client confidentiality
- Empathetic, non-judgmental, and skilled in active listening
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Familiarity with community resources and networks
- Proficient in computer skills, including data entry and documentation
- Public speaking experience, with the ability to engage diverse groups of all ages preferred
Education and Experience:
- Knowledge and experience in domestic violence advocacy, crisis intervention, and victim services.
- Familiarity with criminal justice processes and an understanding of high-risk cases in domestic violence situations.
- Experience working with diverse populations and understanding of cultural sensitivities.
- Experience working with community resources and collaboration with law enforcement agencies is highly preferred.
Physical Requirements:
- Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Ability to lift presentation supplies up to 50 lbs for outreach events
Applicants who speak Portuguese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Arabic are strongly encouraged to apply.