Lead Advocate

At Unbound Now, it has always been our aim to fight for the protection of the vulnerable, identify the exploited, and advocate for survivors of human trafficking on their path to restoration. We are motivated by our faith in Jesus and work each day as people who are hope driven, service oriented, and excellence focused. To learn more about our values, please read our Statement of Faith

Job Title: Lead Advocate

Job Status: Full-time, Exempt, Grant-supported (through end of current grant cycle and beyond, subject to grant renewal)

Job Summary: The primary function of the Lead Advocate is to provide front line support to advocates while maintaining a caseload for individualized crisis response and ongoing case management, providing support for survivors of sex trafficking, using sound professional judgment and best practices to ensure high quality services, and maintaining compliance with established program, state, and federal standards.

Compensation: Annual salary

Benefits: Option of health insurance (including vision and dental) for employee and family, life insurance, and option to participate in retirement plan (3% salary match after 90 days with 1-year vesting period)

Schedule/Availability: Generally, Monday through Friday 8:30-5:30. Weekends, evenings, and holidays as needed. Frequent back-up/supervisory on-call. Anticipated 45-50 hour work week.

Travel: This position requires frequent travel within the immediate area and occasional travel in or out of state for client transportation or training.

Working Conditions: Some work performed in a normal office environment, other service-provider conditions environment, or other professional environment. Some work within the community, in high-vulnerability locations. Work duties may on rare occasions be performed in an environment requiring exposure to weather extremes, fumes, odors, bodily fluids, and noise.

Job Responsibilities:

Along with maintaining a caseload of an average of 4-8 clients, the Lead Advocate will also assist in the following:

• While modeling desired behaviors and cultivating a culture of honor, under the supervision of the Director of Programs, the Lead Advocate will provide limited supervision, on-going crisis management support, and training to the advocacy team.
• Work with the Director of Programs to ensure quality services are provided by advocates by:
  • Supervising the training of advocates, volunteer mentors, and interns in policies, procedures, and field work
  • Assisting advocates with creation of meaningful service plans and individualized safety planning
    • Monitoring documentation to verify that it is correct and submitted in a timely manner ensuring that standards of care are met by all advocates.
  • Working with the Director of Programs to resolve compliance issues if they arise.
  • Helping to ensure advocates take advantage of the self-care policies and are maintaining proper boundaries.
• Conduct internal case staffing with all advocates and send a summary to the Director of Programs for review monthly.
• Assist Director of Programs in distribution of new referrals
• Attend MDT, RRT, or other pertinent meetings with Care Coordination and/ or Coalition partners when needed.
• Assist in recognizing gaps in service provision and identify community resources to address those needs.
• Balance support for staff with meeting survivors’ needs, pursue high staff retention, and actively shoulder advocate responsibilities with survivors during periods of high demand.
• When needed, provide support in the event of an emergency in the field.
• Assist the Director of Programs with 50% of the back-up supervisory call (including weekdays, evenings, and weekends).
• Collaborate with the Unbound Now Survivor Advocacy Program Director, Director of Advocacy, and Director of Programs in the development and growth of the Adult/Labor program in the areas of services provided, documentation, technology integration, safety, etc.
• Assist the Director of Programs in building and maintaining an internship program, when applicable.
• Assess advocates’ skill sets and watch for/support in areas of strengths and weakness.
• Help ensure trauma-informed translation services are being provided, as well as the Limited English Proficiency Policies are being upheld in coordination with the Director of Programs. If the Lead Advocate is bilingual, they will provide interpretation services when available.

Advocacy:

• Respond to calls from law enforcement, CST care coordinators, and other referral sources when on call; arrive at victim’s location within required time frame
• Meet immediate physical needs of youth - clothes, food, toiletries, etc.
• Provide ongoing field-based advocacy, case management, and emotional support
• Independently coordinate referrals, service planning, and documentation of services for assigned caseload
• Conduct comprehensive assessments, develop service plans, and make independent decisions in the field regarding the safety and well-being of assigned youth
• Provide transportation with parent or guardian permission to appointments and services as needed and as feasible
• Meet with each assigned survivor weekly if in town; meet with survivors placed out-of-town monthly; maintain communication through other means in between weekly meetings
• In coordination with the MDT, help create and update safety plans for survivors
• Attend CPS case staffing and MDT emergency response meetings and scheduled staffing
• Document all interactions with survivors, their families, and partner agencies within 72 hours
• Build and maintain good relationships with organizations that provide services relevant to trafficking victims
• Alert supervisor when difficult situations arise
• Recognize red flag behavior and report to supervisor or Executive Director
• When not otherwise available, provide an appropriate level of support to non-offending family members of victims to help create a good home environment to which the victim can return while maintaining needed boundaries.
• Convey a service-oriented approach: Communicate an eagerness to be helpful, starting with every referral, initial contact, and/or initial engagement and continuing through service delivery, with all stakeholders. Provide those seeking assistance with help, even when they are ineligible for advocate services or are seeking something outside Unbound Now’s scope. When referring someone, offer a warm handoff to others whenever possible. Balance the limitations of the advocate role with being resourceful, including seeking help from others as needed. Be consistent, reliable, and flexible. Collaborate actively in support of partners’ objectives.
• Ensure case management in collaboration with on-going system and service- or investigation-based case management, continuing case management beyond others’ eligibility parameters. Ensure that case management is carried out in a manner that is relationship-based, trauma-responsive, and survivor-centered.
• Commit to weekly in-person meetings with the Director of Programs. Telephonic supervision may occur once in any 30-day period.
• Participate in Unbound Now’s advocate resilience group
• Apply specialized training and use professional judgment in determining the best way to serve youth during crisis and on an ongoing basis
• Complete DFPS monthly and quarterly reports accurately and in a timely manner
• Participate in weekly advocacy team meetings/case staffing
• Participate in all required trainings
• Submit expense documentation properly and within required timeframes

Working Relationships

Supervisor: Director of Programs  

Works with: Unbound Now Austin team, CST care coordinators and MDT partners, Unbound Now Survivor Advocacy Program Director, Unbound Now HQ, other Unbound Now survivor advocacy teams

Supervises: Survivor Advocacy interns and volunteer mentors, when applicable

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required, (social work or related field preferred)
• Experience working with victims of human trafficking, victims of child abuse and neglect, or youth experiencing homelessness and/or addiction
• Preferred 2-3 years case management and/or crisis intervention experience
• Trained in trauma-informed care
• Trained in stages of change model and use of motivational interviewing for CSEY

Job Requirements:

• Mature Christian faith
• Three references, (supervisor, professional, personal)
• Agree to and pass all required criminal background checks, including DFPS criminal history check and abuse and neglect registry check
• Complete Unbound Now’s pre-service training for specialized CSEY advocates
• Fulfill Unbound Now’s annual and ongoing training requirements for specialized CSEY advocates
• Always abide by all Unbound Now policies and procedures and MDT protocols, including Unbound Now’s Abuse Prevention and Response Policy
• Willingness to serve in back-up rotation for 24-hour on-call response, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. The Lead Advocate will split the back-up on call time with the Director of Advocacy.
• Willingness to use personal vehicle for work travel, valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle, current car insurance

Critical Qualities

• High level of emotional maturity and responsibility
• Excellent relational, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Good organizational and administrative abilities
• Ability and willingness to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information
• Ability to build trust and good working relationships with others
• Appreciation of need for cultural competency
• Ability to exercise discretion in caring for survivors in crisis and providing long term support
• Strong work ethic
• Innovative problem solver
• Ability to adapt immediately to changes in the field
• Commitment to excellence and professionalism in services provided
• Work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and always maintain emotional control and professional composure
• Work effectively and without intensive supervision, both independently and as a member of a multidisciplinary team
• Commitment to self-care and wellness
• Good understanding and implementation of professional boundaries

Physical Requirements:

• Demands sometimes require ability to lift loads up to 50 pounds
• Demands frequently require close visual attention
• Demands frequently require prolonged mental concentration