Financial Family Advocate

at  Wynonas House Child Advocacy Center

REQUIREMENTS & MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Child & Family Studies, Child Advocacy, or related degree.
• A willingness to work with families in crisis.
• Educational training and/or life experiences which would prepare one to relate to families in crisis.
• Strong empathic, observational, communication, problem-solving, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• A working knowledge of parent-child interaction and child development materials, and the dynamics of child sexual abuse and neglect, and the ability to apply this information in working with clients.
• Possess and maintain the skills and experience necessary for the implementation of the Financial Strengthening Initiative.
• A working knowledge of community resources and the ability to use the appropriate resources to meet the family’s needs.
• Proficency with Microsoft Office Suite
• Bilingual candidates preferred – English & Spanish, English & Creole, or English & Portuguese
  Who We Are: Wynona’s House Child Advocacy Center https://wynonashouse.org/
  The mission of Wynona’s House is to promote justice and healing of child victims of abuse and violence by coordinating investigative, prosecutorial, treatment, and prevention services.
  The Family Financial Strengthening Initiative (FFSI) project will improve outcomes and impact for child victims of abuse and neglect, and their non-offending family/caregivers, through a new Financial Strengthening Initiative of the Family Advocacy Program. In addition to services and support, it will provide knowledge to increase client proficiency navigating existing systems. It will help victims meet basic human survival needs and access services such as housing, food, clothing, healthcare, and mental health services.
  Wynona’s House Child Advocacy Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Wynona’s House Child Advocacy Center does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need.
  Wynona’s House Child Advocacy Center participates in the federal government’s E-Verify program, which confirms employment authorization of all newly hired employees and most existing employees through an electronic database maintained by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. For all new hires, the E-Verify process is completed in conjunction with the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification on or before the first day of work. E-Verify is not used as a tool to pre-screen candidates. For up-to-date information on E-Verify, go to www.uscis.gov and click on ‘E-Verify’ located near the bottom of the page.

• Conduct the day-to-day activities required for implementing and sustaining the Family Financial Strengthening Initiative: Empowering & Supporting Child Victims
• Establish contact and orient the family to Wynona’s House and the Multi-disciplinary Team process.
• Meet with parents and/or caretakers following the initial interview to discuss the treatment referral process and to answer any questions regarding treatment; maintain regular contact with the family to ensure care is provided.
• Educate the non-offending caregivers on their roles in the investigative process.
• Assist in scheduling court tours, court education, and court support for the child and the non-offending caregiver.
• Acts as a liaison between the non-offending caregiver and other community agencies
• Make appropriate referrals to treatment providers who specialize in providing treatment to sexually abused children.
• Ensure the child’s physical safety and assist in preserving the integrity of the caregiver-child family unit.
• Ensure caregiver participates in evaluations, surveys and other performance measurement efforts as required.
• Assist with organizing and/or providing orientation and training experiences for the community as requested by the Family Advocacy Program Coordinator.
• Assist with monthly and annual family event programming to increase caregiver knowledge of programs, services, and their responsibilities, connect families with educational resources and to help children heal and be able to just be children again.
• Other duties as assigned.