Victim Advocate Counselor

If selected for this position you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing professional services to victims and witnesses of crime within the criminal justice system in the fields of sociology psychology and criminology through the Victim Witness Division of the United States Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia.

Typical work assignments will include:

• Assesses emergency needs and provides on-the spot crisis counseling including but not limited to grief and trauma counseling.
• Conducts interviews to assess victims and witnesses immediate and long-term needs.
• Develops service/action plans as indicated by a needs assessment.
• Provides appropriate service referrals to victims and witnesses.
• Provides criminal justice advocacy by participating in witness preparation establishing and maintaining communication on the court process and providing counseling and assistance as needed in the preparation of statements addressed to the court pretrial post-trial and post-sentencing.
• Communicates with victims and witnesses on the dynamics and impact of victimization safety planning and protection criminal and civil justice processes and options legal rights of victims and financial resources for victims.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint credit and tax checks and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service if applicable.
• If selected you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

To qualify as a GS-12 Victim Advocate Counselor you must meet the basic requirement and specialized experience requirement.

Basic Requirement:
Degree: Possess a degree in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience: a combination of education and experience that provide the applicant with the knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
OR
Four years of appropriate experience: have four years of experience that demonstrated the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

NOTE: If you meet the basic requirement with education you must submit a copy of your transcript.

Specialized Experience:
You must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in Federal service.

Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience is defined as having knowledge of the guidelines policies rights and services of victims and witnesses and is demonstrated by the following duties: utilizing knowledge and implementation of the provisions of both federal and local legislation regarding the treatment and rights of victims of crime and compliance with the Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance; developing and providing training information and resources to attorneys support staff and external agencies; interviewing and assessing victims and witnesses to assess needs and provide counseling and/or social service referrals as necessary; communicating with victims pertaining to the criminal justice process and any victim inquiries and concerns; advocating on behalf of crime victims with federal state and local agencies and creditors; providing in-court support for victims during and prior to hearings and trials.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at