Job Description

Reports to: Deputy Director

Hours: Full Time (40 hours/week)/Exempt

Workplace: Office/Field

Salary: $73,000 - $78,000/Year DOE + 5% pay differential for bilingual Spanish/English fluency

Benefits: Healthcare, vision and dental, 20 accrued PTO days per year plus 14 annual paid holidays, retirement plan

The Family Advocate position requires an innovative, passionate yet pragmatic individual who will provide crisis intervention and advocacy services to chronically underserved populations, including children at risk of—or identified as—survivors of sexual exploitation, and the families and caregivers who play a critical role in supporting survivors of sexual assault. Recognizing that sexual violence impacts entire family systems, the Family Advocate will work with both survivors and their support networks to address safety, stabilization, and access to resources. Under the supervision of the Deputy Director, the Family Advocate will provide phone and in-person crisis response, program coordination, and other advocacy services throughout San Mateo County.

The primary responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide crisis intervention, crisis counseling, advocacy, and accompaniment to survivors of sexual assault at locations throughout San Mateo County.
• Assess immediate needs of families; create family care plan including warm referrals to family partners.
• Provide crisis intervention and psycho-education to non-offending parents and youth.
• Follow-up with families who are seen at the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) and the Keller Center (KC).
• Work in collaboration with multi-disciplinary team members from other fields (e.g. law enforcement, Children and Family Services, the District Attorney's office, etc.) for case collaboration and consultation.
• Collaborate with RTS' Counseling team regarding in-take, assessments, and case assignments.
• Provide direct trauma counseling services, accompaniment and advocacy to children, adults and families.
• Collaborate in planning and implementing outreach efforts in San Mateo County.
• Provide medical/legal accompaniment services to survivors of sexual assault, as needed.
• Serve on RTS' 24-hour Crisis Line, including overnight shifts.
• Answer crisis line calls and meet with walk-in clients during business hours, as needed.
• Attend Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and Child Family Team (CFT) meetings, as needed.
• Provide education presentations, workshops, and programming to various sectors of the community including schools and community organizations.
• Attend weekly team meetings.
• Maintain a positive, professional working relationship with volunteers, clients, the public, agency staff and community partners at all times.
• Perform administrative and operational tasks such as copying, stocking informational packets, and sharing office coverage (e.g. answering phones).
• Adhere to all RTS personnel policies and protocols.
• Perform other agency responsibilities as needed.

Program-Specific Qualifications:

• Bilingual Spanish/English speaker required.
• Possession of a bachelor’s degree in social sciences with an emphasis in psychology, counseling, social work, or other related field; and three (3) years of experience working in a multi-disciplinary environment with Child Protective Services, Law Enforcement, and Human or Social Services; or Substitution I: Some college coursework in psychology, counseling, social work, or other closely related field; and five (5) years of experience working in a multi-disciplinary environment with Child Protective Services, Law Enforcement, and Human or Social Services; or Substitution II: Possession of a master’s degree in social sciences with an emphasis in psychology, counseling, social work, or other related field; and one (1) year of experience in a multi-disciplinary environment with Child Protective Services, Law Enforcement, and Human or Social Services.
• Experience in a supervisory role desired.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, oral and written, including ability to listen, clarify, validate, and respectfully challenge.
• Strong interest in and commitment to developing and/or expanding trauma-focused counseling and advocacy skills including openness to an eclectic range of interventions for supporting child victim-survivor healing.
• Ability to:
  • Take initiative, provide leadership combined with openness and patience in learning agency culture.
  • Balance autonomy, accountability, and collaboration.
  • Manage many projects simultaneously (i.e., multi-task) while attending to detail and quality.
  • Effectively outreach to various communities while balancing humility and confidence.
• Must be familiar and experienced with using relationship-based and trauma-informed care.
• Familiarity with San Mateo County and community resources.
• Demonstrable commitment to:
  • Inclusiveness and making the agency’s services accessible to all people.
  • Your personal healing as key to working responsibly and effectively with others.
  • Developing trauma-focused counseling and advocacy skills.
  • Creating and maintaining a work environment reflective of the agency’s mission and philosophy regarding working relations.
• Ability to balance autonomy, responsibility, and collaboration.
• Strong organizational skills and interest in maintaining a structured, warm, healing-conducive environment.
• Must be comfortable working in a small team environment.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including some weekend and evening hours when needed.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PPT), Google Suite and other commonly used applications.
• Valid California driver’s license, insurance, and reliable access to transportation.

Application Process

Please submit resume and a cover letter via email to [email protected] clearly labeled “Attn: Family Advocate – Your Name”. In the required cover letter, please address the complexities in providing services for families that have experienced generational trauma . Your cover letter should be succinct and not exceed one page. Resumes without a cover letter will not be considered.

Position open until filled.

RTS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We strongly encourage individuals who can represent one or more underserved populations in San Mateo County (e.g., people of color, people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, people with disabilities, immigrants) to apply. 

Rape Trauma Services (RTS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to address the unmet need in San Mateo County for comprehensive services for survivors of sexual violence and other forms of abuse. The mission of RTS is to eliminate all forms of violence, with a special focus on sexual assault and abuse. Informed by our understanding of traumatic experiences and cycles of violence, we facilitate healing and the prevention of violence through the provision of counseling, advocacy, and education. RTS promotes and adopts policies, practices, and social values rooted in fairness, equity, and inclusiveness. We make our services accessible to all residents by minimizing economic and cultural barriers to participation. Services are free and delivered with linguistic and cultural competence. The major service components of RTS include the following: • 24-hour confidential crisis line • Crisis, Short-term, and Long-term Counseling • Individual and Group Counseling • Advocacy & Accompaniment • Prevention Education, Community Outreach and Professional Training

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