Domestic Violence Adult Advocate

About the role

Provides comprehensive advocacy to victims of domestic violence and their children. Supports, refers, educates, and plans to safeguard lives and educate the community.

Responsibilities

• Responds to contacts, assesses situations, makes referrals, and intake decisions.
• Explains shelter functions, goals, and regulations to new residents and ensures compliance.
• Completes formal intakes and develops files for each person and family.
• Provides individual supportive counseling sessions as needed.
• Familiarizes self with resources in Middlesex and New London Counties for victims and their children, makes appropriate referrals, and maintains current resource listings.
• Advocates for victims within legal, welfare, housing, and medical systems, acts as liaison, facilitates resident meetings, and supports on-call duties.
• Attends supervision meetings to develop house policy, review program and resident files, and discuss individual duties and performance.
• Works with other groups to educate the public, improve services, and advocate for domestic violence victims and their children.
• Assists in training volunteers, provides community education and outreach, and collaborates with law enforcement agencies.
• Collaborates with law enforcement agencies to complete lethality assessments and safety planning with victims.
• Provides information to victims regarding court processes, protective orders, restraining orders, and victims' rights.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (preferred)
• Substitution of appropriate college training, years of experience, and intern/volunteer service allowed
• Bilingual (preferred)
• Comprehensive working knowledge of the dynamics of domestic violence
• Commitment to working with women and children severely affected by domestic violence, and a capacity to develop an overall plan for their safety and the preservation of their right to self-determination
• Effective oral and written communication
• Domestic Violence Advocate Certification, as approved by CCADV, required 3 months after hire
• Current American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer and AED (CPR/FPR/AED) certification or equivalent (BLS/AED for Healthcare Providers)
• Knowledge of community resources

Skills

Uses a trauma-informed approach to domestic violence advocacy, ensuring an inclusive, welcoming, destigmatizing, and non-retraumatizing environment.

Benefits

May require rapid physical response, though work is primarily sedentary. Requires stair climbing due to safety and security threats. Confidentiality of business information is a requirement, and breach of confidentiality represents a potentially life-threatening risk to clients in the shelter.

Pay

N/A

Schedule

Mondays 10am to 6:30pm, Fridays 4pm to 12am, and Saturdays and Sundays 8am-4pm

Organization Information

Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) is a leading provider of primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services, and a leader in practice-based research, health professionals training, and use of innovative technologies to advance health and healthcare. CHC is designated as a federally qualified health center and a patient-centered medical home by HRSA, the Joint Commission, and NCQA, respectively. The organization has developed three wholly owned subsidiaries from the original pilot developments within the Weitzman Institute: the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium (NNPRFTC), and the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement.

Location

Middletown, Connecticut