Domestic Violence Counselor Advocate, 2015 - Current
Cvs Health – Greensboro, NC, The nonprofit organization that I
work for has had a contract with the Department of Children and Family Services
of San Bernardino County since 2010 to provide Domestic Violence counseling,
education, advocacy and support for their staff and clients at their Eastern
office. I work onsite at the county office Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm and
provide the follow Duties; crisis
intervention, trauma informed care, preventative services, and support services
to victims of domestic violence; their families, as well as CFS staff. Services
include assessing victims for danger, safety planning, assisting victims to get
into emergency shelter, providing weekly domestic violence education classes
and groups, accompany and advocate for clients at the Juvenile Dependency and
or superior court, as well as linking victims up with
additional resources in their community. How I
provide support services to the department staff is by attend daily RAM’s (Risk
Assessment Meetings). These are meetings where the social workers and I provide
the information collected from the family and present them to CFS social
workers, supervisors and management regarding which key factors are present, which
are not, assessing the degree of risk in a family and if the family has a plan,
support system and the likelihood of future maltreatment to a child or
adolescent. I will also attend TDM’s (Team Decision Making meetings) a Team
Decision Making meeting is a collaborative process designed to produce the best
joint decision concerning the family, the child’s safety and placement, with
contributions from: Children, Family, CFS staff, family members/parents, the
child (when appropriate), community partners, service providers, foster
parents, family’s support networks, and other supports as invited. I follow-up
and documented the outcome of each referral till services are completed and
cases are closed. I also present yearly workshops and
training for CFS staff, new hires and interns regarding domestic violence. I
also continuously develop and provide brochures, written material and the
latest information to raise the awareness of domestic violence. Part of my
regular office duties includes completing a daily service log, daily case
notes, new client intakes, preparing referral outcome reports and letters for
the department or court and monthly summary reports.