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Position Summary:

The Advocate provides trauma-informed, relationship-based advocacy and case management services to youth impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), sex trafficking, labor trafficking, placement instability, and other complex trauma experiences. This position focuses primarily on community-based engagement, crisis response, advocacy, stabilization, and supportive services designed to help youth increase safety, stability, self-determination, and connection to healthy supports.  

The Advocate builds trusting relationships with youth in community settings, homes, schools, hospitals, placement settings, court environments, and other service locations. The Advocate supports youth in accessing resources, participating in treatment and case planning, developing life skills, and navigating child welfare, probation, mental health, educational, and community-based systems.  

The Advocate may also provide flexible support and coverage within the Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) as needed to ensure continuity of care, youth engagement, and program stability. STRTP support responsibilities are secondary to the primary community advocacy role and are provided in alignment with agency policies, trauma-informed practices, and licensing standards.  

This position is trained, supervised, and evaluated to support youth safety, individualized care, and implementation of trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and youth-centered services. 

Overall Function:

This position supports the organization’s trauma-informed continuum of care by: 

• Providing community-based advocacy, engagement, and case management services.  

• Supporting youth impacted by exploitation, trauma, placement instability, and system involvement.  

• Utilizing trauma-informed, relational, harm-reduction, and strengths-based approaches.  

• Assisting youth with resource linkage, stabilization, safety planning, and goal attainment.  

• Supporting youth voice, empowerment, and self-advocacy.  

• Providing flexible support within STRTP programs as needed.  

• Participating in ongoing supervision, training, and professional development.  

• Promoting a safe, respectful, and healing-centered environment for youth. 

Other Duties 

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned and deemed appropriate by the supervisor. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1.Advocacy & Youth Engagement 

• Builds trusting relationships with youth using trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and nonjudgmental approaches.  

• Provides short-term and long-term advocacy and case management services utilizing a relational model of care.  

• Meets youth in community settings, placement settings, schools, hospitals, court appointments, and other approved locations.  

• Engages youth, caregivers, DCFS staff, Probation staff, and service providers in the development and implementation of individualized Safety Plans and Advocacy Case Plans using SMART goals.  

• Supports youth in identifying strengths, goals, needs, and safety concerns.  

• Assists youth in accessing community resources, supportive services, and basic needs.  

• Encourages youth participation in Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings, treatment Planning, education, employment, and supportive programming.  

• Provides emotional support, advocacy, encouragement, and skill-building to promote resilience and stability.  

2. Crisis Response & Safety Support 

• Provides crisis intervention, de-escalation, and stabilization support in community and residential settings.  

• Participates in First Responder Protocol (FRP) response services as assigned.  

• Supports safety planning and harm-reduction interventions for high-risk youth.  

• Responds appropriately to critical incidents and follows all reporting requirements and agency protocols.  

• Supports youth through crises, placement disruptions, investigations, and court involvement.  

• Maintains flexibility to support evenings, weekends, and urgent youth needs when required.  

• Adheres to mandated reporting laws and agency policies at all times.  

3. Case Management & Coordination 

• Assesses Participant needs related to:  

• Safety and stabilization  

• Basic needs and daily functioning  

• Physical and mental health  

• Education and employment  

• Independent living skills  

• Healthy relationships and social supports  

• Self-esteem, resilience, and emotional well-being  

• Coordinates and links youth to community resources related to housing, recreation, education, employment, healthcare, mental health, legal assistance, and supportive services.  

• Maintains strong knowledge of community resources and systems of care available to youth and families.  

• Collaborates consistently with DCFS CSWs, DPOs, caregivers, treatment providers, schools, and community partners.  

• Participates in multidisciplinary team meetings (MDT), court advocacy, CFT meetings, and collaborative case planning processes.  

• Assists with Auxiliary Funds and Restoration Funds requests in collaboration with County partners to support youth stabilization and case plan goals.  

4. Documentation & Communication 

• Maintains accurate, timely, and compliant documentation, including:  

• Advocacy Progress Notes  

• Advocacy Plans  

• Safety Plans  

• Surveys and required program documentation  

• Daily logs and incident documentation when applicable  

• Completes all required documentation in accordance with County, licensing, contractual, and agency standards.  

• Communicates effectively with supervisors, multidisciplinary teams, DCFS, DMH, schools, probation, and community providers.  

• Reports significant incidents, concerns, and safety issues in a timely manner.  

5. Team Participation, Training & Professional Development 

• Participates in required supervision, staff meetings, and multidisciplinary collaboration.  

• Completes all mandatory trainings and in-service education requirements.  

• Demonstrates openness to feedback, coaching, and continued professional growth.  

• Supports agency efforts to maintain trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and youth- centered services.  

6. Professional Conduct & Compliance 

• Maintains confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA, Community Care Licensing (CCL), and agency policies.  

• Demonstrates professionalism, appropriate boundaries, and emotional regulation at all times.  

• Adheres to all organizational policies, procedures, and licensing requirements.  

• Supports a trauma-informed, survivor-centered, harm-reduction, and healing-centered model of care.  

Required Education, Training, Experience and Certifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree required in Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, Child Development, Sociology, or a related behavioral health field.  
2. Minimum one (1) year of case management, advocacy, or direct service experience working with at-risk, high-risk, or system-involved youth.  
3. Experience working with youth impacted by trauma, exploitation, foster care involvement, or behavioral health challenges preferred.  
4. Knowledge of trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and harm-reduction practices.  
5. Knowledge of DCFS, Probation, mental health, educational, and juvenile court systems preferred.  
6. Ability to work independently in community settings and collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.  
7. Strong communication, documentation, crisis intervention, and engagement skills.  
8. Ability to work flexible and non-traditional hours as needed.  
9. Valid California Driver’s License, reliable transportation, and acceptable driving record required.  
10. CPR/First Aid certification (or ability to obtain).  
11. Must pass background clearance, TB test, physical exam, and drug screening.  
12. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.  

Requirements:

1. All employees, regardless of position service as role models for children and adolescents who are serviced by OYHFS programs.  
2. Therefore, each employee must at all times be emotionally stable and able to function effectively with children, adolescents and adults who may have mental or behavioral problems. 
3. The staff must be able to demonstrate appropriate daily behavior, appropriate expression of emotions, as well as appropriate role modeling. 
4. Hostility, aggression and unnecessary or inappropriate physical actions as well as inappropriate emotional expression are not acceptable.
5. Must be able to pass criminal/fingerprinting background check, TB test, physical examination and drug testing. 
6. Must have a valid California Driver’s License and a clear DMV record.
7. Must have the visual, physical and technical ability to independently operate a variety of office equipment including the use of a computer. 
8. Will also require bending, stooping, filing and lifting of files.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential competencies and job duties of this position. This position primarily involves sedentary work. The employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods, use a computer and standard office equipment. The Human Resources Department will explore reasonable accommodations that could enable an employee who has a disability to perform the essential competencies of the position.

• Stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, utilize fingers, hands and arms up to 2/3 of the day.
• Lift items and assist clients with lifting items up to 25 pounds 1/3 of the day.
• Clear close and distance vision and be able to adjust the focus.
• Ability to operate a vehicle and recognize all street signs.
• Speak and listen to others in person and over the phone and video conferencing. 
• Use keyboard and read from computer screen. 

Environmental Conditions:

Ability to adjust to climate, outdoor and indoor conditions such as extreme heat, humidity and cold weather.

Occupational Safety & Health Standards:

Every employee must comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations and orders pursuant to Division 5 of the California Labor Code which are applicable to his or her own actions and conduct.

Optimist Policies and Procedures:

• Every employee must comply with all organizational wide policies and procedures and those
  department specific policies and procedures that apply to this position.
• All agency employees must maintain confidentiality of client and case information and may not access information unless directly related to their job responsibilities and duties. All information in case records shall be confidential and shall be available only to the placement agency staff and personnel who need access for the performance of their duties, otherwise special consent is required.