Team Lead, Family Advocate

The Dallas Children's Advocacy Center is seeking an experienced Team Lead, Family Advocate for our Advocacy Services department.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Reporting directly to the Director of Advocacy Services, the Team Lead of Advocacy Services plays a dynamic and versatile role within the department. This position serves as a cross-functional team member, stepping into service gaps as client needs arise and ensuring seamless support without being restricted to a single pod or focus area. The role provides leadership and comprehensive support to the Advocacy Services team throughout the lifecycle of the child’s case. Additionally, this role encompasses project management for various department initiatives.

Essential Duties and Key Responsibilities:

Client Services Duties:

• Serves as a versatile team member by managing a small caseload of ongoing families, conducting screenings with caregivers and clients, assisting with DOFI and Children’s Programming responsibilities, and providing support in the activity center as needed.
• Serves as a jack-of-all-trades by managing a small caseload of ongoing families, conducting screenings with caregivers and clients, assisting with DOFI and Children’s Programming responsibilities, and providing support in the activity center as needed.
• Conducts risk assessments related to non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation and behavior, homicidal ideation, and interpersonal violence; completes safety plans as needed; conducts follow up phone calls with caregiver within 24 hours of being seen.
• Collaborates with therapists through weekly or bi-weekly broker meetings to discuss treatment plans and progress, barriers, next steps, etc.
• Conducts pre-orientation and facilitates orientation with caregivers on the day of the forensic interview.
• Collaborates with DCAC MDT (multi-disciplinary) team to exchange information that is pertinent to the child’s case and safety, including participation in pre- and post- case staffing’s of forensic interviews.
• Provides informal assessment for immediate family needs that addresses food, housing, clothing, toiletries, and physical and emotional safety.
• Creates an emotionally and physically safe, trauma informed, comfortable, and engaging atmosphere in the Activity Center.
• Meets with all children (age 5+) post forensic interview to conduct a Get to Know You (an emotional and physical check-in) and completes OMS survey.
• Enters data and self-audits in client database and ensures accurate, professional data is entered in a timely manner and within guidelines and standards.

Team Lead Duties:

• Works jointly with both Assistant Director of Advocacy Services to provide on-boarding and training to new Family Advocates to ensure their understanding of the agency and departmental policies and procedures.
• Works collaboratively and maintains relationships with MDT Partners by attending MDT staffings and other MDT sponsored events.
• Oversees the distribution of the Family Advocate newsletter, ensuring quality and timely delivery to families.
• Works jointly with the Assistant Director of Advocacy Services to provide oversight of the Family Advocacy intern program.
• Ensures Family Advocate interns receive regular supervision, mentoring and working in a healthy learning environment.
• Provides ongoing supervision and training to Family Advocate interns as needed.

Event Oversight Duties:

• Serves as project manager of all FA events, including the Back-to-School Drive-Thru, CHAMP Camp, Summer Safety Camp, and Holiday of Hope.
• Responsible for the execution and implementation of Kids in Court, coordinating with the DA's office and delegating responsibilities to staff as needed.
• Manages event timelines, ensuring deadlines are met by proactively identifying potential challenges and escalating them to leadership as needed.
• Collaborates with the leadership team, cross-functional departments, and staff at all levels to plan, coordinate, and evaluate event progress.

Continuing Education:

• Completes continuing education each year in topics relevant to family advocacy, child abuse and or victim services.
• Employees who are bilingual (English/Spanish) are required to complete translation training through TIN (Translation Interpretation Network).
• Completes all compliance trainings required by DCAC.
• Completes the CACTX Family Advocate training program, including family advocacy 101-201 trainings (or equivalent) within the first year of employment as a Family Advocate, if not already complete.
• Participates regularly in CACTX Peer Review.

Other Duties:

• Attends and participates at DCAC’s annual Crimes Against Children conference in the capacity of a volunteer or participant to attend classes.
• Participates and actively attends supervisory meetings and team meetings.
• Attends and participates in agency staff meetings.
• Participates in special events for children and families.
• Compliance agency compliance training.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and experience: bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, criminal justice or similar and at least 2-3 years of experience in a similar role working at a child protective agency or child advocacy center or with child victims of abuse and neglect. Preferred experience at least 2 years paid work experience as a Family Advocate at a children’s advocacy center (CAC).

Required License(s) or Certifications: Clear and valid Texas Driver’s License

Required Software Experience: MSOffice Outlook, SharePoint and database skills.

Competencies:

• Advocating Causes
• Initiative
• Documentation
• Project Management
• Collaboration

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of child development and family dynamics; knowledge of sexual abuse dynamics as it relates to victims and perpetrators.
• Skilled in effective communication with a diverse community of stakeholders including medical professionals, law enforcement, CPI (child protective investigation), the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, DCAC staff, clients, and families.
• Skilled at being creative, resourceful, detail-oriented, flexible, possessing a positive attitude, tact, good judgment, cultural sensitivity, and working well as a team member with staff, community professionals, and volunteers.
• Ability to establish and maintain professionally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks and a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Skilled with working with children and families, particularly with youth who have experienced significant trauma.
• Skilled in client de-escalation and conflict resolution.
• Ability to maintain client confidentiality.
• Ability to actively engage in consultation regarding difficult case situations.
• Ability to attend off-site meetings, when required.
• Ability to work with all levels of employees, board members, partners, and community.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work Location: All work must be performed in the office due to client confidentiality. Employees who are employed with DCAC for at least 90 days are eligible to apply for a hybrid work environment.

Mental and Physical Abilities: Duties are usually performed seated with occasional periods of standing or walking. Limited physical effort is required associated with lifting and carrying objects (less than 25 lbs.).

Working Conditions: Work may be performed but is not limited to an office environment.

Essential Functions: This job description should not be interpreted as all-inclusive. It is intended to identify the essential functions and requirements of this position. The incumbents may be requested to perform job-related responsibilities and tasks other than those stated in this job description.

Core Values: Must demonstrate/live our organization’s core values: 1. We are child-centered, family focused and community driven. 2. We act with dignity and compassion in all that we do. 3. We recognize our staff as our greatest asset. 4. We operate as a seamless team.

DCAC is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we believe in an inclusive culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

BENEFITS:

• 100% Paid Employee Health Insurance-PPO
• 100% Paid Employee Dental Insurance
• 100% Paid Short Term Disability
• 100% Paid Long Term Disability
• 100% Paid Basic Term Life and AD&D Benefits (one times your annual earnings up to $50,000)
• Vision Insurance through Superior Vision
• Pet Insurance through Nationwide
• Legal Services through Freshbenies
• Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Spending Account
• Six (6) weeks' of paid Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
• Health Advocate
• WellVia Teladoc Program
• 403b Retirement and Contribution Plan with up to a 4% employer contribution
• Supplemental Insurance: Accident Insurance, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance
• Bilingual Stipend (English/Spanish) of $2,700 annually
• Cell Phone Stipend
• 10 Paid Holidays
• 2 Floating Holidays
• 14 Wellness Days
• 10 Vacation Days
• DCAC participates in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)