Family Advocacy Specialist I

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Position Description

TITLE : Family Advocacy Specialist I

LOCATION : Alexandria, Virginia

LAST REVISED : July 2020

FLSA : Exempt

DEPARTMENT : Family Advocacy Division

GENERAL DESCRIPTION :

Position is responsible for assessing family needs, providing crisis intervention and resource allocation services to the families served by NCMEC as well as cases referred by local and federal law enforcement, to include both missing and exploited children.

In addition, this position will offer assistance and address concerns from caregivers, law enforcement, service providers and / or children regarding the dynamics associated with missing and exploited children to include recovery and reunification.

Position will also be responsible for providing routine clearinghouse assistance (RCA) to social workers, mental health providers, school personnel and law enforcement in the above-mentioned areas.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Assess the needs of the family and child, provide mental health and therapeutic interventions to caregivers who have a missing child, have recovered a missing child, have been reunited with a missing child or a child who has been sexually exploited.
• Provide RCA to the multiple helping professions that could be involved in a missing or sexually exploited child case.
• Follow up with caregivers and children that contact NCMEC with reports and concerns about their case and safety.
• Refer caregivers and / or children who have been affected by the dynamics associated with a missing or exploited child to the appropriate victim service agencies, mental health providers or crime victim resources
• Document case activity in compliance with established procedures.
• Be available after hours and weekends to respond to critical / urgent cases.
• Be a critical thinker, able to review current procedures and work within a framework to help develop new work processes.
• Respond to other duties assigned as they relate to the role of victim services; including representing the organization by participating as a member of different committees, or as a presenter at training conferences, etc.
• Promote and exhibit loyalty to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the cause of protecting children worldwide.
• Promote a professional image.
• Communicate with co-workers, management, law enforcement officials, service providers, survivors and others in a courteous and professional manner.
• Conform with and abide by all regulations, policies, work procedures, and instructions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :

• Possess a Master's Degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field (Psychology, Social Work, Mental Health, Counseling) focused on advocacy and mental health intervention and prevention.
• Three (3) years of clinical casework experience in social services, victim services, and / or criminal justice fields.
• Experience with trauma, healing, and resiliency interventions for children and adults.
• Experience with counseling or victim’s services preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES :

• Excellent advocacy skills.
• Ability to work with individuals in crisis.
• Ability to work with difficult or disturbing case situations and knowledge of self-care strategies.
• Knowledge of appropriate resources for families / children and how to access them when needed.
• Adaptability, flexibility and ability to work as part of a team or in an individual capacity.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience giving in person and virtual presentations to small, medium and large audiences.
• This position requires the ability to travel to conferences, trainings, and presentations.
• Ability to respond afterhours and weekends to critical / urgent case needs.
• Document all service contacts on a timely basis including, collateral and networking contacts, and correspondence, and maintain the case notes up to date
• Knowledge of trauma interventions, healing and resiliency in crime victim populations.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks.
• Demonstrated understanding of online systems to include spreadsheet and database software proficiency, social media and apps used by children to stay connected to peers.
• Ability to handle and maintain the integrity and confidentiality of highly sensitive material and information.
• Additional language proficiency a plus.
9 days ago