Crisis Intervention Advocate

About the role

DAIS Crisis Intervention Advocates are the first point of contact for many of our clients. Our Crisis Intervention Advocates assist victims and survivors, their friends, families, and other concerned community members impacted by domestic violence issues. They provide crisis intervention, crisis counseling and support, personalized safety planning, internal referrals to other DAIS programs, and community resource referrals to individuals utilizing crisis intake services at DAIS, which include the 24/7 Help Line program (phone and text), walk-in clients, and our law enforcement referral program.

This is a variable part-time position with hours and shifts scheduled to ensure 24/7 coverage, including daytime, evening, holiday, or overnight shifts. Work is performed on-site at DAIS.

Responsibilities

• Provide trauma-informed support and advocacy to victims of domestic violence and callers to our helpline and text line.
• Provide assistance with safety planning, problem solving, information, and referrals.
• Respond effectively to challenging situations with clients and take appropriate steps to deal with emergency situations while maintaining the safety of all clients.
• Respond to referrals from the Madison Police Department.
• Provide cross-departmental and/or cross-functional support and direct services as requested to ensure client needs are met.
• Assist in on-site emergencies as needed.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Work is primarily performed in an office setting and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, keyboards, phones, photocopiers, fax machines, and filing cabinets.
• Requires the ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time and to move about and position oneself efficiently.
• Requires the ability to detect, discern, or exchange information both in person and over the telephone.
• Requires the ability to adjust vision and focus to review documents and spreadsheets.

Qualifications

• A four-year college or university degree is preferred, though relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and attention to detail required.
• Experience working with victims of trauma and their children is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of domestic violence issues is strongly preferred.
• Experience with volunteers is preferred.
• Knowledge of community resources in Dane County is preferred.
• Strong computer skills, including knowledge of and experience with Microsoft Office, are preferred.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) is preferred.