Crisis and Referral Advocate

The Crisis and Referral Advocate Volunteer and/or Intern is vital to effective and compassionate response to victims of general crime (all crimes except domestic violence and sexual assault) calling Victim Support Services seeking assistance. Through the referral line, Crisis and Referral Advocates will provide crisis intervention, information and appropriate referrals to enable victims of crime to access critical services by responding to their inquiry via phone within a timely manner to connect callers with appropriate resources. Under the daily supervision of the Information and Referral Specialist, this position requires communication and collaboration with the Information and Referral Specialist and other VSS advocates, service providers and partners throughout Washington State. This position primarily involves responding to calls needing crisis intervention and/or a referral to an advocate at their local crime victim service center between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. PST Monday-Friday, excluding holidays and employee wellness days.

Essential Position Functions:

• **Utilize crisis intervention strategies and skills to assess callers’ needs and safety
• **Provide emotional support, information, referrals, and advocacy
• **Comply with agency requirements of strict client confidentiality and professional ethics
• **Document calls and follow-up in accordance with agency policies
• **Send proper follow-up documentation to the Programs Administrator

Please note: Shifts are from 7:00am-7:00pm, but this does not mean you are constantly on call and working on a task during the shift. It only means that you are on-call during that time period and if we need you to respond to a call, we will send it to you. Sometimes during shifts, you may only respond to one call. Other days it may be absolutely none, or it may be three calls. Regardless, you will get credit for the 12-hour volunteer shift you are on-call for, regardless of how many calls you respond to.

This is a great opportunity to help victims of violent crime and see if this is something you would like to pursue further!