Winnemucca Domestic Violence Services is in need of on-call advocates.
Advocates can be on-call whenever it is convenient. The advocate takes the emergency advocate phone with him or her for the day and if it rings, answers it. Sometimes it's a potential client who just needs some community resources, other times it's a client in need of services and sometimes it's just someone who wants to talk.
The advocate's job is to make sure a victim feels safe and is aware of their options as a victim of violence. These steps will include responding to calls on the 24/7 crisis line, meeting with the victim, placing them in a hotel or finding a friend/family member to stay with temporarily while the advocate and the victim explore options and steps to keep the victim safe and become self-sufficient.
Safety plans are done, community resources are shared and explained and applications for assistance are distributed. On call advocates may transport clients to medical appointments and job interviews as well as assist with police escorts during civil standbys.
Training is done in house by the WDVS program director according to the advocate's availability. Any prior child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence or such training counts toward the required 20 hours of training. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance.
The advocate must be able to take the phone for 24 hours.
Advocates may not get called at all. If an advocate does need to respond to a call, it usually takes less than two hours and advocates are paid for their time.
Call WDVS at (775) 625-1313 for information.[[In-content Ad]]
