Regional Mental Health/Regional Veteran's Court Victim Advocate (Internal Applicants Only) na King County, WA

About the Department

Position Duties

• Provides immediate crisis intervention to victims with highest priority given to the safety of victims 
• Provides support, assistance and information to victims throughout criminal proceedings, which includes being available to respond to questions or concerns, explaining the legal process, and keeping the victim informed of court hearings and outcomes of hearings
• Assess victim's short and long term needs and referrals to appropriate community resources when applicable 
• Initiates contact with victim upon receipt of police report/charge/case referral and maintains contact throughout the process of prosecution with the intent to identify and address any safety concerns, keep the victim informed of the status of the case, and gather the victim's input for the prosecutor and courts 
• Prepares victims for interviews and court proceedings; attends court hearings as necessary to support victim and advocate on victim's behalf; attends defense and other types of interviews in support of victim 
• Consults and coordinates with prosecutors daily regarding case issues and proceedings as a representative of victim's concerns, needs and input. This includes informing prosecutor of victim's willingness to assist with prosecution, support of Mental Health Court admittance, and of additional discoverable information or pertinent facts to the case gained through contact with victims
• Functions as a liaison between victims and various criminal justice entities as well as community resources - provides advocacy for victims through system advocacy 
• Plans and schedules work for volunteers, prioritizing their workload and supervising them as needed 
• Maintains a cooperative relationship with appropriate community resource agencies and provides training for the community when appropriate 
• Assists with civil orders of restraint when necessary 
• Gathers and compiles statistical data
• Engage race, equity and social justice principles in regular job duties and decision making.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault, mental health, criminal justice and court-based advocacy 
• Extensive knowledge of criminal justice systems in King County, domestic violence and mental health issues, safety issues, counseling and crisis intervention
• Demonstrated ability to work with people in crisis 
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written; ability to communicate professionally and effectively with individuals, groups and in the courtroom 
• Considerable knowledge of local related community resources 
• Ability to work with diverse populations 
• Ability to exercise independent initiative and judgment and also function as a team player 
• Ability to problem-solve and identify needed procedural and policy changes 
• Demonstrated ability to manage voluminous and sensitive caseloads 
• Ability to motivate, supervise and coordinate workloads of volunteers
• Actively participate in PAO equity work, attending equity trainings and discussion
• Provide support for the Race, Equity and Social Justice policy and principles, work with PAO colleagues and management to identify opportunities for improvement.

Other Qualifications