Director of Survivor Advocacy, Austin Office

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: Director of Survivor Advocacy

Job Location: Local office, on-site (Austin, Texas)

Job Status: Full time, Grant-supported, with plans to seek continuance

Job Summary: The primary functions of the Director of Survivor Advocacy are to provide leadership and supervision for the advocacy team; ensure effective advocate training and excellence in service delivery; develop and maintain strong relationships with law enforcement, service partners, and other referral sources; monitor intake of new clients; and ensure timely and accurate documentation and data entry for grant reporting.

Compensation: Annual salary

Benefits: Option of health insurance for employee and family, life insurance, and retirement plan (3% salary match after 90 days with 1-year vesting period), Dental and Vision available at the employee expense.

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

Travel: This position will require frequent travel within the area for partner meetings, training and team/professional development opportunities and occasional travel outside the service area for training.

Working Conditions: Work performed in a normal office environment or other professional environment. Work duties may on rare occasions be performed in an environment requiring exposure to weather extremes, fumes, odors, and noise.

Physical Requirements: Demands sometimes require ability to lift loads up to 50 pounds. Demands frequently require close visual attention and prolonged mental concentration. Demands the ability to drive a car and at times respond on scene during all hours of the night. 

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in social work or related field
• Clinical licensure 
• Supervisory experience
• Experience working with victims of human trafficking, victims of child abuse and neglect, or youth experiencing homelessness and/or addiction
• Demonstrated ability to provide trauma-informed care
• Demonstrated effectiveness in the application of MI and understanding of stages of change model for human trafficking survivors

Job Requirements

• Mature Christian faith
• Strong commitment to the mission and values of Unbound Now
• Provide at least three references
• Agree to and pass all required criminal background checks, including DFPS criminal history check and abuse and neglect registry check
• Pass employment eligibility verification
• Demonstrated ability to work in a high-speed, professional setting
• Excellent leadership skills
• Strong administrative abilities
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and supervision skills
• Experience working with survivors of human trafficking
• Culturally competent
• Ability and willingness to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information
• Ability to problem solve in the moment with advocates and provide coaching and resources as needed
• Participation in ongoing trainings
• Abide by Unbound Now policies at all times
• Willingness to use personal vehicle for Unbound Now purposes, reliable vehicle, valid driver’s license and car insurance
  

Job Responsibilities:

• Maintain a strong line of communication with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director regarding any issues related to the local office’s Survivor Advocacy Program, as well as any issues of a programmatic nature.
• Rotate supervisory call with Lead Advocate, supporting advocates when they are responding to calls, unless the local structure allows for this requirement to be shared by two or more lead advocates and/or program coordinators.
• Ensure availability of immediate intervention and ongoing advocacy, case management, and emotional support for survivors of human trafficking
• Pursue high advocacy staff retention, by actively shouldering advocate responsibilities during periods of high demand or emergency, and supporting advocates’ emotional and supervisory needs.
• Ensure that advocates communicate a service-oriented approach: an eagerness to offer case management in collaboration with associated service providers, so those seeking assistance are provided with help, even when they are ineligible for advocacy services or are seeking something outside Unbound Now’s scope
•  In coordination with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director, monitor compliance with policies and procedures and minimum standards for CSEY advocacy
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with law enforcement agencies and other service providers in order to ensure identification of victims and seamless referral for and provision of victim services
• In coordination with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director and Regional Director and Lead Advocate(s) where applicable, recruit, screen, hire, train, engage, supervise, and retain advocates
• In coordination with staff coordinating interns and volunteers, recruit, screen, train, engage, supervise, and retain advocacy interns and volunteers, if applicable
• Work with local coalition or task force as appropriate
• Schedule and document all required trainings for advocates and advocacy volunteers, including all onboarding and ongoing trainings
• Facilitate weekly advocacy team meetings
• Provide training and support in implementation of OHTS tool
• Ensure that case management is carried out in a manner that is relationship-based, trauma-responsive, and survivor-centered
• Create clear expectations for advocates, ensuring that they know policies and protocol
• Assess advocates’ skill sets and watch for/support in areas of weakness
• Provide on-the-job training and model desired behaviors, alongside lead advocate(s)
• Ensure minimum of every-other-week individual advocate supervision by phone or in-person. Virtual/Phonetic supervision can only occur once in any 30-day period.
• Ensure supervision within one week of any care coordination team meeting during which a victim assigned to an advocate has been staffed
• Ensure that advocates are spending an appropriate amount of time with the survivors assigned to them.
• Review safety plans routinely
• Document supervision - maintain a supervision file for each advocate. Specify mode of communication in supervision documentation. Supervision should reflect the application of Stages of Change and Motivational Interviewing terminology
• Review documentation of all advocates at least twice a month and document the review
• Contact youth once a month and their parents/guardians once a month and document contact. Confirm records of contact and activities as reported by advocates and document confirmation.
• Meet with youth both during and upon completion of service to discuss their experience with the advocate relationship, including questions related to assessing the youth’s sense of safety and care within the program and with the advocate.
• Ensure compliance with DFPS MOU, and review and ensure completion of monthly and quarterly reports to DFPS (as applicable).
• With support of the Advocacy Program Support Specialist where applicable, maintain the local office’s survivor advocacy calendar with on call and time off schedules and weekly advocacy team meetings
• Develop local survivor advocacy budget and spending protocols in coordination with the Survivor Advocacy Program Director and monitor compliance
• Seek feedback from service partners
• Monitor for red-flag or inappropriate behaviors and/or policy violations
• Respond appropriately to allegations of abuse, including youth-to-youth sexual activity

        ○ Take allegations seriously

        ○ Respond immediately-if there is a reason to believe behavior is abusive, report to authorities

        ○ Report to Office Director and Survivor Advocacy Program Director immediately

        ○ Collect information, as appropriate

        ○ Develop and document the response and corrective action

        ○ Determine and meet the needs of the alleged victim, as appropriate

        ○ Prevent further access by alleged perpetrator

• Review regional data for programmatic grant reports
• Support advocate participation in monthly advocate resilience group
• Conduct annual advocate staff performance reviews
• Assist in setting NTX goals for advocacy-related grant applications
• Approve and monitor advocacy mileage, expense transactions, and advocacy staff timesheets
• Meet regularly with other Unbound Now Directors of Survivor Advocacy and CSEY Advocacy Coordinators for peer support and to collaborate on advocacy projects
  
• Supervise and coach Program Coordinators
• Co-facilitate Victim Service Provider Subcommittee, with Unbound Now's Task Force VSP Program Manager
• Schedule and document all required trainings for advocates and volunteers, including all onboarding and ongoing trainings listed in the DFPS/OCOK MOU and the Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team minimum standards and best practices

Desired Outcomes

• Clients served with professionalism and compassion - both in terms of relational support and case management
• High standards of excellence upheld in the local office’s advocacy program, including in the areas of grant compliance and best practices. 
• Excellent working relationships with law enforcement, care coordinators, service partners, and any other referral sources
• Strong working relationship with the local advisor for the Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team
• Compliance with Unbound Now policies and protocol and with Minimum Standards for CSEY Advocacy
• Collaboration and congruence with other Unbound Now offices’ advocacy programs and Survivor Advocacy Program Director

Working Relationships:

Supervisor: Survivor Advocacy Program Director

Supervises: Lead Advocates, Advocates, Program Support Specialist, and survivor advocacy volunteers

Works with: Local Care Coordinators and MDTs, Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team local advisor, regional Unbound Now team, and Unbound Now Survivor Advocacy teams