Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Victim Advocate

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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills and Abilities

• 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.

Benefits

• 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

Family Services brings people together to find the support they need, improving their lives and communities, and building a stronger safer Hudson Valley.

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.