Advocate Survivor

Position Summary

The Survivor Advocate serves as a staff member at will of Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS). The Survivor Advocate provides advocacy and case management services for Shelter survivors including intake crisis intervention individual and group sessions and life skills education.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Priority 1: Equity and Inclusion
• Reflect and understand how identities could give advantages in the workplaceeven if they are not asked for or earnedwhile others might experience disadvantages. Reflect on how our position and power may shift depending on the environment the people or the institutions at play. Build the awareness and compassion that is needed and expected to create an equitable and inclusive workplace.
• Create an inclusive environment and behave in a way that ensures that clients and employees feel embraced no matter what their cultural orientations are respected and valued engaged and connected to the community and safe from abuse and harassment.
• Priority 2: Advocacy
• Provide crisis intervention services for phone-in and walk-in survivors.
• Perform intakes and needs assessments and make referrals to other community resources.
• Provide individual case management and facilitate group education with residents.
• Document and maintain resident files pursuant to DVIS guidelines and professional standards.
• Promote a positive environment within the shelter for both residents and employees.
• Provide supportive services to survivors including safety planning introducing DVIS services and transporting callers in imminent danger to the Shelter.
• Create service plans for survivors.
• Provide coverage for Safe Housing on-call rotation.
• Assist clients in obtaining needed services and completing necessary paperwork for safe housing.
• Act as an advocate for survivors with external agencies.
• Organize and conduct supportive activities for Shelter residents.
• Serve as an educator for pertinent topics such as life skills etc.
• Priority 2: Collaboration
• Collaborate with other DVIS departments and federal state and local agencies in meeting the needs of survivors.
• Collaborate with the DVIS Education Coordinator to represent DVIS in the community and at outreach events.

Other Duties & Responsibilities

Other Duties/Responsibilities: Other assistance to support the overall goals of the department and organization. DVIS retains the right to add or change duties and/or responsibilities at any time.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None.

Budgetary/Fiscal Responsibilities: Acts as a good steward of DVISs resources.

Responsibility for Confidentiality: The nature of this position requires safeguarding against the release of confidential and proprietary information of DVIS and its clients.

Contact with Others: This position will interact with staff members across the organization in addition to members of external organizations and the public.

Job Requirements/Experience

Education: 4-year degree required and in pursuit of a Masters degree in Social Work Psychology Counseling or in a related field or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience.

Experience: Requires 1-year of supervised experience working with individuals and groups in a social service or mental health environment; experience working in a nonprofit is preferred or any equivalent combination of experience lived experience and/or special skills.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of or experience working with social justice issues specifically intimate partner and gender-based violence post-traumatic stress rape trauma mental health substance abuse and racial class gender and sexual orientation issues strongly preferred.

Spanish bilingual preferred.

Proven computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite are necessary; database experience preferred.

Requires excellent organizational skills written and oral communication skills attention to detail and ability to prioritize work and tasks.

Requires adaptability to produce and meet deadlines in a fast-paced multi-tasked and changing environment and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Good negotiation skills and the ability to handle sensitive information with diplomacy are preferred.

Must be an outstanding communicator and comfortable motivating collaborating and working with a broad cross section of people in direct and matrixed relationships.

Experience applying an equitable analysis to all duties to achieve organizational goals and demonstrate the DVIS commitment to diversity inclusion equity and anti-racism preferred.

Schedule Availability: Monday through Friday with some evenings and weekends and on-call rotation.

Licenses/Certifications: Valid Oklahoma drivers license required; current CPR and First Aid certification preferred.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made when requested to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ability to communicate and understand in English (and Spanish preferred) effectively in person and in writing. Ability to hear adequately in person and by phone in personal and group settings and function with periodic distractions such as people telephone calls and noise.

Ability to work with and process information from a variety of individuals and media (e.g. computers projected images printed materials) and occasional sitting and/or standing for long periods of time.

Mobility necessary to access various offices and a wide variety of settings. Mobility necessary to perform a variety of tasks that involve intermittent standing walking/traversing sitting stooping kneeling bending and twisting occasionally climbing stairs or using an elevator and possibly reaching chest high and overhead for materials.

Ability to reach for move and/or lift up to 25 pounds and the use of hands to finger handle or feel objects tools or controls including frequent repetitive movement such as extended periods of keyboarding.