I. JOB SUMMARY PPC

Violence Free Network, a program of Family Service & Children's Aid Society employs the position of Counselor/Advocate to provide services to victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and other violent crimes. The Counselor/Advocate's role is to ensure that each consumer's needs are assessed and that appropriate services are then provided to the consumer. The First Response Counselor/Advocate of PPC Violence Free Network (PPC) position is designed to provide direct services to victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and other violent crimes in and outside of the office, including but not limited to, the victim's home, medical facilities, and law enforcement agencies. This Counselor/Advocate's role is to ensure that there is immediate response to calls from law enforcement requesting an advocate to provide supportive and crisis intervention services to victims. The Legal Advocate's area of concentration provides legal advocacy services to victims of domestic violence and sexual violence by assisting with Protection From Abuse petitions, providing pro se custody information, referrals to appropriate legal and other resources, and accompaniment to legal proceedings. The areas of concentration require a working knowledge of domestic and sexual violence issues, crisis intervention techniques, supportive counseling philosophy, the criminal justice system, the Protection From Abuse law and database, and legal and community resources. Self-motivation, discretion, and good judgment should be exhibited. The work schedule varies and will include some evening and occasional weekend hours based on program participants' needs. 24-hour emergency on-call is required on a rotating basis. This position reports directly to the Direct Service Supervisor of PPC with formal individual supervision being held on a regular basis and informal supervision being available on an ongoing basis. This position also reports indirectly to the Program Director of PPC and the Executive Director of Family Service & Children's Aid Society.

II. ACCOUNTABILITIES REGARDING WORK PERFORMED 1.

Direct Service A. Respond to calls received through the business line during business hours when necessary. B. Participation in the provision of 24-hour first response services on an on-call basis. C. Conduct assessments with consumers to determine immediate needs in order to address crisis and safety issues. D. Provide consumers with crisis intervention; support and empowerment counseling; accompaniment to medical facilities, legal proceedings, and law enforcement agencies; resource information; and referral and service coordination with other community agencies. E. Co-facilitate support groups as needed. F. Assist consumers to complete paperwork upon intake. G. Respond in a timely manner to law enforcement, medical personnel, and 911 in order to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual violence. H. Provide victims of crime with crisis intervention; support and empowerment counseling; accompaniment to legal proceedings, medical facilities, and law enforcement agencies; criminal justice system orientation; and information and referral services throughout the criminal justice process. I. Conduct preliminary assessments when a consumer requests a Protection From Abuse order to determine if the criteria set forth in the Protection From Abuse law are met. J. Provide assistance to victims who qualify under the Protection From Abuse law to obtain a Protection From Abuse order. This would include accessing the Protection From Abuse database and completing the information required for the petition, scheduling an appointment through the Judge's Chamber for a hearing on the temporary order, providing accompaniment to the temporary and permanent Protection From Abuse order hearings, and making an appropriate referral. K. Maintain accurate consumer files in order to comply with program standards. L. Participate in ongoing case management services as required by the Direct Service Supervisor. 2. Legal Advocate A. Provide legal advocacy services to victims of domestic violence and sexual violence. 3. Record Keeping In a timely manner, collect, review, and report all required statistical data to the appropriate PPC staff member related to the services being provided in order to give an up to date profile of service activities. Compile statistical data to comply with program standards and to acquire additional funding. 4. Other Attend conferences, meetings, in-services, and training sessions in order to comply with program standards, to strengthen skills in dealing with issues of sexual violence, domestic violence, and victimization, and to gain knowledge of current information, regulations, and general knowledge to enhance professional growth. Perform other duties deemed appropriate by the Direct Service Supervisor, Program Director of PPC Violence Free Network, or Executive Director of Family Service & Children's Aid Society to enhance the operation of a particular program or of the Agency as a whole.

III.HIPAA MINIMUM NECESSARY STANDARD

The minimum necessary standard, a key protection of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, is derived from confidentiality codes and practices in common use today. The minimum necessary standard requires the Agency to evaluate our practices and enhance safeguards as needed to limit unnecessary or inappropriate access to and disclosure of protected health information. This position may only access the minimum information that is necessary to perform all job accountabilities included in this job description. 1. Permitted Accesses A. Access to consumer files for PPC. 2. Justification/Purpose A. To carryout the operations of PPC including, compiling consumer files to ensure a complete record of service activities, and maintaining accurate consumer files in order to comply with program standards.

IV. REQUIREMENTS 1.

Valid PA driver's license to use on the job when necessary and proof of own vehicle insurance if personal vehicle is used for business purposes. 2. Act 151, 73, and 34 clearances. 3. Ability and willingness to respect and practice confidentiality. 4. Flexibility to work irregular hours. 5. Willingness to attend out of town conferences, training workshops, and meetings as necessary.

V. QUALIFICATIONS 1.

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and professional manner. 2. Ability and personality characteristics to work effectively with people from all social, economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds and age groups. 3. Ability to work effectively without direct supervision. 4. Strong commitment to implement and promote the vision, philosophy, goals, objectives, and policies of the Agency. 5. Ability to communicate clearly in both oral and written form. 6. Ability to use a computer and software for word processing and data based spreadsheets. 7. Ability to organize workload around program priorities. 8. Ability to accept and exercise authority appropriately and make rational informed decisions. 9. Ability to work well within stated time frames or deadlines. 10. Ability to respect and practice confidentiality.

VI. MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING 1.

Education/Training Requirements A. Bachelor's degree in a behavioral science preferred, but will accept equivalent training and experience. B. The successful completion of training that is offered by PPC. The training must meet the standards set forth by PCADV (Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence), PCAR (Pennsylvania Coalition against Rape), and PCCD (Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency). 2. Work Experience One to three years of experience in a human service setting; AND the above education requirements; OR any equivalent combination of education, experience and training which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.

Job Type:

Full-time Pay:

$17.00 - $20.25 per hour

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Retirement plan Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person