Pay Grade: 21 |
Dept: Police |
Exempt: Yes |
Reports to: Opns Cmdr |
Hours: 40 per week |
Date: November 2006 |
SUMMARY: This position is responsible for assisting victims of crimes through interviewing actions and facilitating the use of community services on the victim’s behalf. An employee in this capacity assists crime victims by interviewing and acting as both an advocate and community resource facilitator. The primary concern of the Victim Advocate is the physical welfare of the victim as well as emotional trauma resulting from the crime. Examples of assistance include counseling, housing and clothing through knowledge of community resources.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Serves as the Police Department representative as the immediate response to provide services to victims of crime in DeLand.
- May be on call 24 hours a day.
- Duties assigned to be performed are referring crime victims to appropriate community resource agencies short term crisis intervention.
- Provides assistance in court proceedings.
- Develops and maintains close liaison with community leaders and resource agencies.
- Makes public appearances to identify the Victim Advocate Program and broaden the crime prevention message.
- Submits reports.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and /or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: A high school diploma or general education degree (GED) is required. Graduation from an approved college or university plus two years as a Victim Advocate Counselor or three to five years experience in counseling, social work, crisis intervention or related field is required. The applicant must become certified as a Victim Services Practitioner during the first year of employment and must have a valid Florida driver’s license.
LANGUAGE SKILLS: The applicant must have the ability to establish and maintain effective public and employee relations. The applicant must also possess ability to establish and maintain satisfactory working relationships with officials and employees of the various municipal departments.
REASONING ABILITLY: The applicant must have the ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram forms. The applicant must also be able to deal with problems involving several variables in standardized situations. The employee must be able to speak and deal directly with the public in an amiable manner, and be able to communicate under times of emergencies.
OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Knowledge of federal, state and local laws concerning victim’s rights.
- Knowledge of the criminal justice system and operating procedures.
- Ability to use basic and advanced computer skills.
- Ability to prepare clear comprehensive reports.
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and written, including speaking before public meetings, clubs and organizations.
- Ability to work well with supervisions, co-workers and members of the public.
WORK ENVIRONMENT/ADA: While performing the duties of this job, the employee may work inside in an office environment, and/or working outside in various weather conditions performing various tasks including climbing and standing.
Lifting: 15 - 45 Pounds
Environment: Office or outside in various weather conditions
Vision: 20/20 or Corrected to 20/100
Hearing: Normal Noise Levels
*Class Descriptions are not intended to be restrictive. The use of (or absence of) a particular illustration of duties shall not be held to exclude or limit the authority of a Department Head to assign other duties which are similar and related to work.
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